No Update on My 190 Application in 2026: Is That Normal?
Within the standard processing time, the Department does not send 190 status updates — here is what silence means and where to look instead.
Yes — a subclass 190 application that shows no movement is, in most cases, exactly what the published process looks like. The Australian Department of Home Affairs' Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) page, as at the July 2026 version, states plainly that the department does not give updates on applications within the standard processing time, and directs applicants to ImmiAccount to check whether anything more is needed from them. Silence inside that window is the default behaviour, not evidence that something has gone wrong. What follows is general information about how the published process works; it is not advice tailored to your circumstances, so anything that turns on your own facts should be checked against the official page or with a qualified professional.
Why does a 190 application appear to sit still?
Because there is no scheduled milestone reporting. The visa page sets out what the department commits to telling you, and everything else falls outside it: it will let you know when it has received your application, notify you if you are granted a bridging visa, tell you if health examinations are required, ask for biometrics if they are needed, and give you the decision in writing. There is no promise of progress notes in between.
That gap between lodgement and decision is also where your own documents get assessed against the claims made in your Expression of Interest. The page is explicit that the department may request more information but is not obliged to do so, and can make a decision without requesting further documents at all. So "no news" carries two meanings at once — nothing has been asked of you yet, and nothing needs to be.
Where would an update actually appear?
In ImmiAccount, not in your inbox as a matter of routine. The subclass 190 page names ImmiAccount as the place to check three separate things: whether the department needs more information from you, whether you need health examinations, and whether there are documents you still need to attach. If you lodged without attaching everything, the instruction is to attach them as soon as you can.
The distinction matters more than it sounds. Requests for further information and outstanding document uploads are things you are expected to go and look for in ImmiAccount. Health examinations and biometrics are different — the page says the department will let you know if you need health examinations (if you did not have them before you applied) or biometrics. The decision itself, and the fact that your application has been received, are also things the department tells you.
Does silence mean the department will ask before deciding?
No, and this is the assumption that causes the most trouble. The 190 page says the department might ask you to provide more information, but that it is not obliged to do so and may make a decision on your application without requesting more documents. A refusal for want of supporting evidence can therefore arrive without any preceding request.
This reframes what waiting means. Checking ImmiAccount is not a way to soothe anxiety about delay; it is the only way to catch the things that could otherwise be decided against you without a prompt.
What can you actually control while you wait?
Several things, and none of them involve chasing a status:
- Attach what you did not attach at lodgement. Do it as soon as you can, through ImmiAccount.
- Keep your details current. The page lists the changes you must tell the department about after applying: your phone number, email, address or passport; a change in marital or de facto status; the birth of a child; or a decision to withdraw the application.
- Correct mistakes promptly. If you made an error on the application, the page directs you to notify it as soon as possible using Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers), attached to your application in ImmiAccount.
- Stay lawful. Do not ask to have the visa you currently hold cancelled. If you applied in Australia, the page says you were granted a Bridging visa A (BVA) when you applied; if your current visa expires before a decision is made, the BVA comes into effect and you can remain in Australia while the application is processed.
- Be careful with travel. If you are in Australia, you do not have to notify travel, because you can be outside Australia when the decision is made — but your current visa must let you return, which is a VEVO check. If you applied outside Australia, the page advises against arranging travel to Australia, leaving your job or selling your home until you are advised in writing that the visa has been granted.
- Pay the second instalment only when invoiced, if one applies to you.
- Add family before the decision, if needed, using Form 1436 (Adding an additional applicant after lodgement), paid for and attached in ImmiAccount.
Consider a hypothetical applicant who lodges a 190 application and then moves house and changes email address two months later. Nothing in the process prompts them to update those details, and no status update would flag it — but the change is on the list the department expects to be told about, and the decision will eventually be delivered in writing to the contact details on file.
When does the waiting end?
With a written decision, and only then. If the visa is granted, the department tells you the visa grant number, the date the visa starts, and any visa conditions that apply; the page advises keeping a copy of the decision. If it is refused, the department tells you why and whether you have a right to a review of the decision. The application charge is not refunded if the application is refused.
You can be in or outside Australia when the decision is made, but not in immigration clearance.
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal to see no status change for months on a 190 application?
Yes. The Department of Home Affairs' subclass 190 page states that it does not give updates on applications within the standard processing time, so an unchanged status inside that window is the expected pattern rather than a warning sign. The department commits to telling you it received the application and to giving you the decision in writing, with nothing scheduled in between.
Will I get an email if the department needs more documents?
Not necessarily as a routine notification you can rely on. The visa page points you to ImmiAccount to check whether more information is needed, whether health examinations are required, and whether documents are still outstanding — ImmiAccount is where you check those. Biometrics are not the only exception: the page also says the department will let you know if you need health examinations, so it is further information requests and outstanding documents that you need to check ImmiAccount for.
Does the department always ask for more information before deciding?
No. The 190 page says the department might ask for more information but is not obliged to, and may make a decision without requesting further documents. That is why periodic checks of ImmiAccount matter — waiting for a request that may never be sent can mean missing the chance to supply something yourself.
How often should I check ImmiAccount?
The official page does not set a checking frequency, so treat it as a periodic habit rather than a daily one. What the page does say is that documents you failed to attach should be uploaded as soon as you can, which argues for checking soon after lodgement and then at regular intervals.
Do I need to report a change of address, email or passport after lodging?
Yes. The subclass 190 page lists changes to your phone number, email, address or passport among the things you must tell the department about after you apply, alongside changes to marital or de facto status, the birth of a child, and withdrawal of the application. Keeping those current matters because the decision is delivered in writing.
Can I travel outside Australia while my 190 is being processed?
If you are in Australia, you do not have to notify travel, and you can be outside Australia when the decision is made — but your current visa must permit you to return, which is what VEVO shows. If you applied outside Australia, the page advises against arranging travel to Australia, resigning or selling your home until you are advised in writing that the visa has been granted.
What happens if my current visa expires while I wait?
If you applied in Australia, the page says you were granted a Bridging visa A when you applied; it comes into effect if your current visa expires before a decision is made, letting you stay in Australia lawfully while the application is processed. Do not ask to have your current visa cancelled — if it is cancelled, you would be staying unlawfully and the BVA would cease.