Ministerial Direction 119: New Processing Priorities for Skilled Visa Applications
Ministerial Direction 119 - New Processing Priorities for Skilled Visa Applications
From 25 July 2026, the Australian Government introduced Ministerial Direction 119, replacing Ministerial Direction 105. The new Direction changes the order in which the Department of Home Affairs processes certain skilled visa nomination and visa applications.
Importantly, the Direction applies not only to applications lodged on or after 25 July 2026, but also to applications already lodged that had not been finalised by that date. This means many existing applications have been re-prioritised under the new processing framework.
Which visas are affected?
Ministerial Direction 119 applies to a range of employer-sponsored and skilled migration visas, including:
Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186)
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Subclass 187)
Skills in Demand (Subclass 482)
Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482)
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Subclass 494)
Skilled Independent (Subclass 189)
Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190)
Skilled Work Regional (Subclass 491)
Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) (Subclass 191)
Other eligible regional and skilled permanent visa subclasses.
A notable change is that Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) nominations and visa applications are now covered by the Direction for the first time.
New processing priority order
Ministerial Direction 119 introduces five priority groups for processing applications. Priority is based on two key factors:
whether the applicant or nominee was in Australia (onshore) or outside Australia (offshore) when the application was lodged; and
whether the nominated occupation falls within specific priority sectors.
The processing order is:
Onshore law enforcement and defence occupations
Offshore law enforcement and defence occupations
Onshore healthcare, teaching and construction occupations
All other onshore applications
All other offshore applications
This means that applicants already in Australia generally receive higher processing priority than offshore applicants, unless the application relates to Australia's law enforcement or defence interests.
Applications not covered
The Direction does not apply to certain applications, including matters remitted by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), change of employer nominations, some family unit applications, or applications that clearly do not meet visa or nomination criteria.
What does this mean for applicants?
Ministerial Direction 119 reinforces the Government's focus on supporting Australia's workforce needs by prioritising occupations in critical sectors and giving greater processing priority to eligible onshore applicants. Applicants with pending skilled visa applications should be aware that their place in the processing queue may have changed under the new Direction.