Immigration’s “Service Standards” (ie expected processing time) for TSS visas have just blown out to 57-64 days for the short-term stream, and 55-63 days for the medium-term stream.
As the backlog increases, we might expect those service standards to start approaching those of the 457 visa they have replaced, currently at 13-14 months.
What Can You Do?
Always try to lodge “decision ready” applications – applications that have all evidence attached. When documents are missing, this tends to delay processing.
If you are regularly lodging TSS applications, consider applying for sponsorship accreditation, which allows for priority processing of only a few days.
Where you can point to compelling grounds, it might be possible to get priority processing without being an accredited sponsor.
Finally, consider whether another visa subclass with a shorter processing time might be appropriate – for example, a subclass 400 Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa.
