How long is the processing time for 186 DE non-accredited metro Melbourne nominations lodged in 2025?
This is one of the most common questions we receive at VJ Consulting and Education, and the honest answer is that non-accredited metro nominations are sitting at the back of the processing queue. The Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) applies a clear processing hierarchy: accredited sponsors in regional areas receive the fastest attention, followed by accredited sponsors in metro areas, and then non-accredited sponsors — with metro non-accredited nominations receiving the lowest priority of all.
For nominations lodged in early 2025, many applicants are still waiting on nomination outcomes beyond the 12-month mark. This is a dramatic increase from pre-2022 timelines, and it reflects both the volume of post-COVID employer-sponsored applications and DOHA's deliberate policy to incentivise accreditation and regional migration.
Applicants lodging in 2025 under the non-accredited metro stream should plan for significant delays. We strongly recommend reviewing whether your employer is eligible to apply for accreditation status, or whether a regional nomination may be available — both of which can dramatically reduce your wait.
📖 Learn more about Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme →Are there any 186 non-accredited metro nominations approved for applications lodged in 2025?
Approvals in this category are not impossible — but they are the exception rather than the rule. Where we have seen faster outcomes, the nominations shared several characteristics: the occupation was on the relevant skilled occupation list without dispute, the salary met or exceeded the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) plus applicable Award wages by a clear margin, and no further documents were requested by the delegate.
Based on cases handled by VJ Consulting in 2024–2025, approvals within six months for non-accredited metro DE nominations are genuinely uncommon. Most clients in this category are advised to set realistic expectations of 12 months or longer for the nomination step.
If you are monitoring your queue position, be aware that DOHA does not publicly publish a live nomination queue. The published processing times on the DOHA website reflect the time taken to process 75% and 90% of decisions, and these figures are updated periodically — they do not reflect real-time conditions.
How long does 186 DE nomination take to be approved for Electrical Engineer in metro Melbourne?
Electrical Engineers fall under Engineers Australia for skills assessment purposes and are on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), which makes them eligible for the 186 Direct Entry stream. However, being on the MLTSSL does not accelerate your nomination queue position if your sponsor is non-accredited and located in metro Melbourne.
The occupation itself is in high demand, particularly in Victoria's renewable energy and infrastructure sectors. However, demand from employers does not translate to faster processing — DOHA processes nominations based on sponsor accreditation and location, not occupation demand.
For Electrical Engineers specifically, ensuring that the nomination clearly addresses the duties, required qualifications, and salary benchmark against the relevant Modern Award (typically the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award) is critical to avoiding an RFI that would add months to the process.
📖 Engineer Migration to Australia: State Nomination, Points & Engineers Australia Assessment →What is the processing time for 186 TRT non-accredited metro Melbourne lodged July 2024?
The TRT stream requires that the applicant has held a Subclass 482 visa (or a legacy 457 visa in some transitional cases) with the nominating employer for at least two years in the nominated occupation. This is a different pathway from Direct Entry, but it faces the same processing queue prioritisation problem when the sponsor is non-accredited and metro-based.
For TRT applicants lodged in July 2024, the practical reality in mid-2025 is that many nominations remain undecided. DOHA's published processing times for this period have indicated 75th percentile outcomes around 14–16 months for this category.
TRT applicants in this situation often have bridging visa arrangements in place — typically a Bridging Visa A (BVA) if they remain onshore — which preserves their lawful status while awaiting a decision. However, travel restrictions on BVAs can create significant personal and professional complications for clients who need to travel internationally.
📖 Employer Sponsored Visas Compared: 482 vs 186 vs 494 vs 407 →How long does 186 Direct Entry visa take for accredited sponsors in regional areas?
This represents the fastest tier of 186 processing in Australia right now, and the difference compared to non-accredited metro processing is stark. DOHA's accreditation framework was designed precisely to create this two-speed system — rewarding employers who have demonstrated compliance, and encouraging regional placement of skilled migrants.
Accredited sponsors must meet a defined threshold of prior sponsorship activity and must have a clean compliance record with the department. Once accredited, nominations lodged by that sponsor are placed in the priority queue. When combined with a regional postcode (broadly defined as anywhere outside Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Gold Coast/Sunshine Coast CBDs), the processing advantage is maximised.
For employers with operations in both metro and regional locations, structuring a 186 nomination to attach to the regional workplace — where the employee will genuinely work — is a legitimate and effective strategy. The key is that the nomination must accurately reflect the actual work location; DOHA may audit this post-grant.
What is the processing time for a non-accredited metro 186 DE nomination for ICT occupations?
ICT occupations assessed by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) — including roles such as Software Engineers (261313), ICT Business Analysts (261111), Database Administrators (262111), and Cybersecurity Specialists (262112) — are all eligible for the 186 DE stream and are generally in strong employer demand across metro Melbourne. However, occupation popularity does not move these nominations up the departmental queue.
📖 IT Migration to Australia: State Lists, Points & ACS Assessment →One particular issue for ICT nominations in non-accredited metro contexts is the risk of receiving an RFI regarding the genuineness of the position and the employer's capacity to pay the nominated salary at or above market rate. ICT salaries have risen significantly in Australia since 2022, and DOHA delegates are increasingly scrutinising whether the nominated salary genuinely reflects what the employer can and does pay.
For nominations in this category, the preparation of a robust supporting submission — including evidence of industry salary benchmarks, the employer's financial capacity, and a detailed position description — is essential to minimise the chance of an RFI and the associated delay.
What is the current processing time for Subclass 186 visa applications?
DOHA publishes indicative processing times on its website, measured at the 75th and 90th percentile. These figures represent how long it took to process the middle and upper portion of recently finalised cases — they are historical data, not a prediction of your specific case. Processing times can shift based on application volumes, departmental priorities, and broader government policy settings.
| Sponsor Type | Location | Est. Nomination Time | Est. Visa Grant Time (after nomination) | Total Estimated Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accredited | Regional | 2–4 months | 3–5 months | 5–9 months |
| Accredited | Metro | 4–7 months | 4–6 months | 8–13 months |
| Non-Accredited | Regional | 8–12 months | 4–6 months | 12–18 months |
| Non-Accredited | Metro | 12–18 months | 4–8 months | 16–26 months |
These estimates are based on VJ Consulting and Education's active caseload experience as of 2025 and should be treated as indicative ranges rather than guarantees. Individual cases can fall outside these ranges depending on complexity, document completeness, and whether an RFI is raised.
📖 Eligibility Requirements for Employer Sponsored Visas (482, 186, 407) →How long does it take for a 186 DE visa to be granted after lodgement?
The 186 visa application assessment begins in earnest only after the nomination is approved. During the nomination waiting period, DOHA will typically not action the visa application file. This means the total timeline to visa grant is the sum of both processing phases.
Once the nomination is approved, the key remaining steps are: health examination (if not already completed and still within validity — health assessments are valid for 12 months), police clearance certificates for all relevant countries, and any character-related checks. For applicants who completed their health checks early in the process and are experiencing long nomination delays, they may need to redo their medicals — an important practical consideration.
For offshore applicants, additional processing time should be factored in for INTERPOL and overseas police checks, which can take several weeks to obtain from some jurisdictions. For onshore applicants, the situation is generally more straightforward, but bridging visa conditions need to be carefully managed while awaiting the grant.
If you are an employer or employee navigating the 186 pathway and need clarity on your specific situation — whether that involves assessing your sponsor's accreditation status, determining the best stream, or preparing a nomination that minimises the risk of an RFI — the team at VJ Consulting and Education is available for a consultation. Our MARA-registered consultants (MARN: 1791066) work
