I guess many of you will know this already, but DIMIA have an e-mail reply service giving the status of their visa application backlog. Just send an empty e-mail to
aspc.processing@immi.gov.au, and you'll receive a reply telling you which visa applications (by date of initial application) they are currently processing.
I found this very useful before I was assigned a case officer, because replies to my queries about my visa application were rarely answered.
In the end my application for a Skilled, Australian Sponsored visa took over 7 months before I was even assigned a case officer - considerably longer than the 4-5 months mentioned in the inital letter acknowledging receipt of my application.
My application is still going through, and the whole process will have taken about 10 months to complete.
John Wheeler.
