Australia: Skilled Visa Processing Priorities Revised

The situation 

The Minister for Home Affairs has issued two new Ministerial Directions that revise the processing priorities for certain temporary and permanent skilled visa applications, effective September 19, 2026. 

The new Directions replace Ministerial Direction 119 and apply to applications filed on or after September 19, 2026, as well as earlier applications that have not yet been finalized. 

The Directions change the order in which the Department of Home Affairs processes applications. They do not change visa eligibility requirements or the applicable skilled occupation lists. 

A closer look 

• Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visas. Ministerial Direction 121 establishes the following processing order for Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa applications: 
  • Priority Group 1 (priority-sector occupations). This group includes all occupations in identified priority sectors. Onshore and offshore primary applicants receive equal priority within this group. The priority sectors now include: 
    • Defence (which covers AUKUS-related positions and has been expanded to include certain other roles supported by the Australian Defence Force or Department of Defence through sponsorship, nomination or a qualifying letter) (AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States);  
    • Law enforcement;  
    • Healthcare;  
    • Teaching (which now includes Faculty Head);  
    • Construction (which now includes Engineering Manager, Civil Engineering Draftsperson, and Civil Engineering Technician);  
    • Resources; and  
    • Agriculture, aquaculture and fishing.  
  • Priority Group 2 (Specialist Skills Stream applications). Includes applications that must meet the Specialist Skills Income Threshold, currently AUD 146,576 per year.  
  • Priority Group 3 (other onshore applications). Covers all other applications where the applicant was in Australia when the application was filed.  
  • Priority Group 4 (unaccompanied offshore applications). Covers all other applications where the applicant was outside Australia when the application was filed and did not include family members in the application.  
  • Priority Group 5. Covers all other Subclass 482 applications.  
• Permanent, regional, and other skilled visas. Ministerial Direction 122 applies to Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme and Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa applications, as well as certain independent, state-nominated, regional and business-skills visas. The Direction establishes the following processing order: 
  • Priority Group 1 (priority-sector occupations). Applications involving a specified occupation in one of the priority sectors identified under Ministerial Direction 121.  
  • Priority Group 2 (other onshore applications). All other applications where the applicant was in Australia when the application was filed.  
  • Priority Group 3 (unaccompanied offshore applications). All other applications where the applicant was outside Australia when the application was filed and did not include family members.  
  • Priority Group 4. All other applications covered by the Direction.  

The Department may depart from this processing order in limited scenarios where compelling circumstances affect community safety; the continuity of essential religious, cultural, or community services in Australia; or Australia’s international relations. 

Impact 

• Broader priority processing. More occupations will receive priority processing, particularly in the newly added resources, agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing sectors. A separate priority group also supports faster processing for Specialist Skills Stream applicants. 
• Family considerations. Employers should consider whether offshore applicants will include family members, as this may affect their processing priority. 
• Initial disruptions. Some initial delays and disruptions may occur while the Department reviews pending cases and implements the new priorities. The Department is expected to update its webpages for the Subclass 482 visa and Subclass 186 visa to reflect allocation dates for the new priority groups. 

Background 

The new Directions follow recent announcements by the Minister for Home Affairs and replace Ministerial Direction 119, which previously governed the processing priorities for certain skilled visa applications. 

Ministerial Directions guide the order in which the Department considers applications but do not guarantee a particular processing timeframe or affect whether an applicant meets the relevant visa criteria. 

Looking ahead 

Fragomen will continue to monitor processing times and the Department’s implementation of the new Directions and report on relevant developments.  

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at  Fragomen.