Planning
Each year the Australian Government plans the number and types of visas provided through Australia's Migration Program. This includes the Family Migration Program.
For 2026-27, the Australian Government has allocated a planning level of 52,460 places to the Family stream of the Migration Program.
For the 2026-27 program year, 41,500 Partner visas and 3,500 Child visas are estimated for our planning purposes.
For further detailed information see Migration Program planning levels.
Processing
The order in which we assess Family Program visas is set by Ministerial Directions. For more information, see
Family visa processing priorities.
The time that it takes for us to process an application for a visa under the Family Migration Program can vary.
A range of factors can impact on processing times.
You can find information on processing times for Partner and Child visas at
global processing times.
Processing times for Partner visa applications vary. Partner visa applicants may experience longer processing times than expected. You can find the answers to common questions about Partner visa processing times at Partner Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Parent and Other Family visa applications are subject to capping and queueing.
See Parent visas - queue release dates and processing times.
See Other family visas - queue release dates and processing times.
