What are the processing times for the different types of visa applications?
The average processing times for various application types are given below. However, these times may differ across individual applications and can be brought forward or pushed further back depending on risks perceived in individual applications.
Visitor visa applications
Positive profile applications – four working days.
Other visitor visa applications – 11 weeks for allocation to a visa officer and a further eight to 12 weeks for processing. Applicants in this category will receive an acknowledgement letter advising them when their application will be allocated for processing.
Work visa applications
Positive profile applications – four working days.
Other work visa applications – 11 weeks for allocation to a visa officer and a further eight to 12 weeks for processing.
All applications are subject to verification checks and the average processing times are as given above. However, the processing time may differ across different applications depending on the level of verifications deemed necessary.
Student visa applications
Positive profile Category A applications – 15 days
Positive profile Category B applications – 30 working days
Other student visa applications – nine to 11 weeks for allocation and a further seven to eight weeks for processing.
If the application does not include the required documents that are given in this checklist, it is likely that the application will be placed in a 'need to review' queue and unfortunately applications in this queue are currently taking nine to 11weeks to be allocated to a visa officer to process.
Partnership applications
The processing time may differ across individual applications and can be brought forward or pushed back depending on risks perceived and verifications required in individual applications.
The normal processing time frame for applications based on partnership is 10 weeks for allocation and a further one to nine months for processing.
The processing time frames for visitor visa and work visa applications on partnership grounds is the same.
Family residence applications
Priority family residence applications – four to six months for allocation to a visa officer and a further nine to 12 months from date of allocation for processing.
Non-priority family residence applications – Due to a marked increase in temporary entry applications received in New Delhi branch, we will forward residence applications which have been lodged under a non-priority category to our Shanghai branch for processing. Please continue to lodge all family residence applications with us for processing.
Applications are allocated to a visa officer within 12 months from the date they arrive in Shanghai branch and take a further nine to 12 months from date of allocation for processing.
Skilled Migrant Category
Expression of Interest processing time – six months for allocation to a visa officer and a further eight to 10 weeks for processing.
Skilled Migrant Category applications – 15 months for allocation and nine to 12 months from the date of allocation for processing.