Student tools

Visa processing time

Pick a country and your course start. We work out the latest date to apply, using the processing time the country's own authority publishes.

Destination country

Choose a destination above to see its official processing time. The table below compares every country.

Compare countries

14 of 22 countries publish an official processing time. The rest are listed too, so you can see that we checked and found none rather than wondering whether the country is missing.

Country	Official wording	Basis	Source
Australia	Home Affairs aims to commence processing: Priority 1 applications within 1 to 4 weeks of lodgement; Priority 2 within 5 to 8 weeks; Priority 3 within 9 to 12 weeks (outside-Australia applications)	service standard	immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Austria	Decision "unverzueglich, laengstens jedoch binnen 90 Tagen" (without delay, at most within 90 days)	statutory maximum	oesterreich.gv.at
Belgium	No official figure published		india.diplomatie.belgium.be
Canada	7 weeks	current average	canada.ca
Cyprus	Entry permit for students examined within 1 month if duly completed; student residence permit within 3 months	statutory maximum	gov.cy
Denmark	Normal processing time: 2 months. If further information is needed, the processing time can be up to 3 months.	service standard	nyidanmark.dk
Estonia	You will receive a response within 90 days, and the residence permit card will be issued within 30 days thereafter	service standard	politsei.ee
Finland	No official figure published		migri.fi
Hungary	Procedure time period 15 days; decision on the merits within 60 days of submission	statutory maximum	oif.gov.hu
Italy	No official figure published		ambdhaka.esteri.it
Latvia	No official figure published		pmlp.gov.lv
Lithuania	No official figure published		vfsglobal.com
Malaysia	Client charter 14 working days for a complete application (eVAL)	service standard	educationmalaysia.gov.my
Malta	Extended (VAC) service: 6-8 weeks per policy; vetting of application typically around 4 weeks	service standard	identita.gov.mt
New Zealand	80% of Fee Paying Student Visa applications processed within 7 weeks Universities: average 2 weeks, 80% within 4 weeks (combined student visas, working days)	current average	immigration.govt.nz
Norway	No official figure published		udi.no
Poland	A national visa is issued or refused within 15 days from submission; in justified cases up to 30 days; 5 days from receiving information if the Head of the Office for Foreigners is consulted	statutory maximum	gov.pl
Romania	Favourable opinion of IGI issued within 30 days of receiving the request, extendable by 15 days	service standard	igi.mai.gov.ro
South Korea	No official figure published		overseas.mofa.go.kr
Sweden	75% of recently decided cases have been decided within 3 months	current average	migrationsverket.se
United Kingdom	3 weeks	service standard	gov.uk
United States	No official figure published		bd.usembassy.gov

These figures were read from each country's official page in October 2026 and are shown with the source beside them. Rules and amounts change, so check the official link before you rely on a number. Already announced: Canada, the Express Entry ranking grid changes from 2026-11-03; United Kingdom, the funds requirement changes for applications from 2026-11-30.

A published time is what the authority aims for, not a promise. Decisions take longer in peak intake months, and an application missing a document starts its clock again.