Australia has introduced new processing priorities for certain skilled visa applications, with Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 taking effect from 19 September 2026.
The new Directions replace the processing priorities previously set under Ministerial Direction 119 and affect a range of temporary, provisional and permanent skilled visas.
For applicants, the key point is that some skilled visa applications are now prioritised ahead of others based on factors including the relevant occupation or sector, visa stream and where the applicant was located when the application was lodged.
What changed on 19 September 2026?
The Department of Home Affairs now applies two separate Ministerial Directions to the processing of certain skilled visa applications.
Ministerial Direction 121 applies to temporary skilled visa applications, including the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa and remaining Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) applications.
Ministerial Direction 122 applies to specified provisional and permanent skilled visas, including subclasses 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 489, 491, 494, 887 and 888.
The priority order differs slightly between the two Directions.
Temporary skilled visas — Direction 121
For applications covered by Direction 121, the Department processes applications in the following order of priority:
- Applications relating to Construction, Healthcare, Teaching, Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing and Resources sectors, or Australia's law enforcement and defence interests.
- Applications in the Specialist Skills stream of the Skills in Demand visa.
- Applications where the applicant was in Australia at the time they lodged their application.
- Applications where the primary applicant was outside Australia at the time they lodged their application and whose application is not combined with another person's application at any time.
- All other applications.
Direction 121 covers the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa as well as remaining Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) applications.
The Temporary Skill Shortage visa was replaced by the Skills in Demand visa on 7 December 2024.
Permanent and provisional skilled visas — Direction 122
Direction 122 applies to certain provisional and permanent skilled visas.
The priority order is:
- Applications relating to Construction, Healthcare, Teaching, Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing and Resources sectors, or Australia's law enforcement and defence interests.
- Applications where the applicant was in Australia at the time they lodged their application.
- Applications where the primary applicant was outside Australia at the time they lodged their application and whose application is not combined with another person's application at any time.
- All other applications.
The visas covered by Direction 122 are:
- Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)
- Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187)
- Skilled Independent (subclass 189)
- Skilled Nominated (subclass 190)
- Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) (subclass 191)
- Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489)
- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491)
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494)
- Skilled Regional (subclass 887)
- Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) (subclass 888)
One important difference is that the separate priority for the Specialist Skills stream under Direction 121 does not appear in the Direction 122 priority order.
What does this mean if you already have an application lodged?
The change is relevant not only to people preparing a new application, but also to applicants who already have an application awaiting a decision.
Home Affairs is already publishing processing information for individual visas according to the new priority groups.
For example, subclass 482 applications are now being prioritised under Direction 121, while subclass 186 and subclass 494 applications are being prioritised under Direction 122.
Home Affairs also notes that as applications transition to the new priorities, processing timeframes may fluctuate. Some published timeframes may temporarily move backwards while applications are reprioritised.
Does priority mean your visa will be approved faster?
Not necessarily.
A processing priority affects the order in which applications are processed. It does not change the eligibility requirements for the relevant visa and does not guarantee that an application will be approved.
It should also not be interpreted as a guaranteed processing timeframe.
The Department's visa processing time information is indicative rather than specific to an individual application, and processing timeframes can change as applications are reprioritised.
Is your occupation in a priority sector?
Applicants should be careful about assuming that working for an employer in a particular industry automatically places an application in a priority group.
The new Directions identify priority sectors including Construction, Healthcare, Teaching, Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing and Resources.
Whether a particular application falls within a priority category depends on how the relevant Direction applies to the occupation and circumstances of that application.
The employer's industry alone should therefore not be used to determine an application's processing priority.
What should applicants do now?
If you already have a skilled visa application lodged, it may be useful to identify which Ministerial Direction applies to your visa and which processing priority may apply to your circumstances.
If you are preparing an application, the new processing priorities do not replace the underlying visa requirements. Applicants must still satisfy the eligibility requirements for the relevant visa and provide the required supporting information.
Because processing priorities and published processing information can change, applicants should refer to the latest Department of Home Affairs information when considering their circumstances.
Official resources
- Skilled visa processing priorities (opens in a new tab)
Department of Home Affairs · Checked
- Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) (opens in a new tab)
Department of Home Affairs · Checked
- Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa (opens in a new tab)
Department of Home Affairs · Checked
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) (opens in a new tab)
Department of Home Affairs · Checked
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