Skilled Visa Processing Priority: Directions 121 and 122
Two new Ministerial Directions changed the order the Department works through skilled visa applications. They started on 19 September 2026 and replaced Direction 119. Seven industry sectors now go first, and it no longer matters whether you are in Australia.
How are skilled visa applications ordered for processing now?
Directions 121 and 122 set the order. Applications in construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources occupations go first, along with law enforcement and defence. That top band applies whether you are onshore or offshore. Everyone else is ordered by where they were when they applied. Neither Direction changes who gets invited, and neither covers employer nominations.
Key facts
- Both started on 19 September 2026. They were signed the day before.
- Direction 119 is revoked. Its five tiers no longer apply to anything.
- Direction 121 covers the Subclass 482 in both its Skills in Demand and Temporary Skill Shortage forms.
- Direction 122 covers the 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 489, 491, 494, 887 and 888.
- Seven priority sectors. Agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources are new.
- Location no longer demotes a priority occupation. This is the biggest change.
- Applications already lodged are included. Your position may have moved without notice.
- Nothing changes about invitations, the occupation lists or the points test.
What changed on 19 September 2026?
Direction 119 ran from 25 July 2026. It ordered applications on two things at once: the occupation, and whether you were in Australia.
Healthcare, teaching and construction only counted for applicants already here. An offshore nurse sat in the bottom tier, level with an offshore applicant in any other job.
That restriction is gone. The priority sectors now sit in the top band on their own. Location only separates the bands underneath them.
| What | To 18 September | From 19 September |
|---|---|---|
| Priority sectors | Healthcare, teaching, construction, plus law enforcement and defence | Those, plus agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources |
| Offshore applicants | Healthcare, teaching and construction counted only onshore. Law enforcement and defence already had an offshore band of their own. | Top band, wherever you are |
| Instruments | One Direction, covering nominations and visas | Two — 121 for the 482, 122 for the rest |
| Nominations | Ordered under their own schedule | Not covered by either Direction |
| Specialist Skills | No stream had its own band | Second band of Direction 121, at the visa stage |
If you were told your occupation was worth nothing offshore, that has changed
Between 25 July and 18 September 2026 that was correct. An offshore nurse, teacher or carpenter earned no processing advantage until they were in Australia.
From 19 September they are in the first band. If that advice shaped a plan, the reason behind it has gone.
What is the difference between invitation priority and processing priority?
These are two different stages, and most commentary runs them together.
Invitation happens before you have an application. You lodge an Expression of Interest and the Department selects from the pool. Points ranking and occupation ceilings decide that. A Ministerial Direction does not reach it. The skilled migration visas hub covers how points and invitations work.
Processing happens once you hold a valid application. These Directions tell officers which files in front of them to pick up first.
So "healthcare occupations are invited first" is wrong twice over. They are considered earlier, and only once an application exists.
Why this matters in practice
Waiting on an invitation? Nothing here changes your position, and there is nothing to act on.
Already lodged? Your place in the queue may have moved on 19 September with no notification, because both Directions reach applications already on hand.
What is the order for permanent and provisional skilled visas?
Direction 122 sets four bands for the visas in its schedule. The first is the highest.
| Band | Who is in it | Where they are |
|---|---|---|
| First | Primary applicant in one of the seven priority sectors, or in law enforcement or defence | Anywhere — location is not part of this band |
| Second | All other primary applicants | In Australia when the application was made |
| Third | Other primary applicants whose application is never combined with anyone else's | Outside Australia when the application was made |
| Fourth | Everyone else | — |
A combined application takes the primary applicant's band. That is a reason to combine where the rules allow it.
What is the order for the Subclass 482?
Direction 121 sets five bands for the Skills in Demand and Temporary Skill Shortage visa. The first band is the same seven sectors.
| Band | Who is in it |
|---|---|
| First | Primary applicant in a priority sector, or in law enforcement or defence — any location |
| Second | Skills in Demand applications in the Specialist Skills stream |
| Third | Other primary applicants in Australia when they applied |
| Fourth | Other primary applicants offshore, never combined with another application |
| Fifth | Everyone else |
What the Specialist Skills band is worth
It lifts a Specialist Skills application above every other onshore applicant. But if the occupation already sits in one of the seven sectors, the first band covers it and the stream adds nothing.
It also applies to the visa application only. The nomination is a separate application and carries no priority. The streams are compared on the Subclass 482 page.
Which occupations count as priority occupations?
Both Directions use the same definitions. Every occupation inside a group ranks equally. The groups are wider than their labels suggest.
Construction
A closed list of ANZSCO groups. It covers Sub-Major Groups 33 and 82, and Unit Groups 1331, 1332, 2321, 2332, 3121, 3122, 3126, 3129, 3222, 3223, 7111, 7121 and 7212. It also names Electrician (General) and Electrician (Special Class).
Working for a construction company is not the test. Your nominated occupation has to be on that list.
Healthcare
Sub-Major Group 25 Health Professionals, Minor Group 411 Health and Welfare Support Workers, and Unit Groups 2346, 2721, 2723, 2725 and 3112. It also names Aged or Disabled Carer, Nursing Support Worker and Personal Care Assistant.
Teaching
Minor Group 241 School Teachers and Unit Group 1341 Child Care Centre Managers, plus School Principal, Faculty Head, University Lecturer, Vocational Education Teacher and Child Care Worker.
Agriculture, aquaculture and fishing
This group is defined by what the job does, not by a list of codes. It covers growing, producing and harvesting crops. It covers fishing, breeding, raising and managing livestock, poultry and seafood.
It also covers production support such as animal health, irrigation, quality assurance, inspection and farm supervision. Meat and seafood processing is included, down to slaughter, boning, preparation and inspection.
Resources
Positions that directly support exploration, extraction and production of minerals, oil and gas or coal. That includes mine closure, decommissioning and rehabilitation. Named groups include Mining Engineers, Geologists, and Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers, plus several named fitter and machinist occupations. It also names Production Manager (Mining) (133513), Surveyor (232212), Other Spatial Scientist (232214) and Metallurgist (234912).
Law enforcement and defence
Defence covers AUKUS Pillar I and II work, and roles nominated or sponsored by the Australian Defence Force or the Department of Defence. A letter of support also counts where the work is at a defence facility or supports defence materiel.
Law enforcement covers Unit Group 4413 Police where a named federal, state or territory police force nominates or sponsors the applicant.
Check the occupation code, not the industry
An estimator, contract administrator or office manager at a construction firm is not automatically in the first band. The band follows the nominated ANZSCO occupation.
The agriculture group is the exception. It reads on what the position does, so a farm supervisor or a meat inspector can qualify on the work itself.
Are employer nominations prioritised?
No. Neither Direction covers them.
Direction 119 ordered nomination applications under a schedule of its own. Neither replacement has one. Both are titled "visa applications", and both schedules list visa classes only.
On that reading an employer nomination carries no directed priority, whatever the occupation. This is our reading of the two instruments. The Department has not published a statement either way.
The nomination steps themselves sit under employer sponsored visas.
Who the Directions do not reach
Both exclude matters sent back by a tribunal, and matters where a tribunal set aside a decision and made its own. They also exclude applications where it is readily apparent the criteria would not be met.
That last one matters. A thin or incomplete application does not hold the place in the queue its occupation would otherwise earn.
What should you do if your application is already lodged?
There is nothing to lodge and no way to ask for a higher band. It follows from facts already fixed: the occupation on your application, and where you were when you made it.
What is worth doing is working out which band you are in. It changes what a realistic timeline looks like.
If you are offshore in one of the seven sectors, your position improved on 19 September without you doing anything. If you are offshore outside those sectors, the third or fourth band is a real fact in deciding whether to keep waiting. A state or territory nomination is the usual route into an onshore application.
From our Sydney practice
Priority is an order of consideration. It is not a service standard, and no timeframe follows from it.
A first-band file still has to meet every criterion. A case sitting on an unanswered request for information waits, whatever its band.
Related visas and resources
FAQ
Do Directions 121 and 122 change who gets invited to apply?
No. Both set the order in which officers consider applications that have already been lodged. Invitations are decided by points ranking and occupation ceilings, and no Ministerial Direction reaches that process.
Does a healthcare, teaching or construction occupation help if I am offshore?
Yes, and this is what changed on 19 September 2026. The first band covers the priority occupations with no location test, so an offshore applicant in one of them is considered ahead of onshore applicants who are not. Under Direction 119 that same applicant was in the bottom tier.
Which sectors are priority sectors now?
Construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources, plus occupations related to Australia's law enforcement or defence interests. The last four sectors were added on 19 September 2026.
Is farm or meat processing work included?
The agriculture, aquaculture and fishing group is defined by what the position does rather than by a list of codes. It covers crop and livestock production, production support such as animal health, irrigation, quality assurance and farm supervision, and the slaughter, boning, processing and inspection of those products for sale.
Do the Directions apply to an application I lodged before 19 September 2026?
Yes. Both apply to visa applications made but not finally determined before they started, as well as to new ones. An application already in the queue was re-ordered on 19 September without the applicant doing anything.
Does the Specialist Skills stream get priority?
The second band of Direction 121 covers Skills in Demand visa applications in the Specialist Skills stream, which places them above other onshore applicants. It applies to the visa application, not the nomination, and it adds nothing where the occupation already sits in a priority sector.
Are employer nomination applications prioritised?
Neither Direction covers nomination applications. Both are titled visa applications and both schedules list visa classes only, and the nomination schedule under Direction 119 has no successor. On that reading a nomination carries no directed priority. The Department has not published a statement either way.
Does a higher band mean a faster decision?
No. Priority governs the order files are picked up, not how long a decision takes once it is being considered. A first-band application still has to meet every criterion, and a case with an outstanding request for information waits regardless of its band.
Not sure which priority band your application sits in?
A free eligibility check tells you where your occupation falls, and what that means for your timeline.
Visa Advisor is a MARA-registered visa agent in Sydney, NSW, working with skilled applicants and sponsoring employers across Australia and offshore.
Sources and last checked dates
- Ministerial Direction 121 — order for considering and disposing of visa applications for certain temporary Skilled Visas, given under section 499 of the Migration Act 1958, signed 18 September 2026, commenced 19 September 2026 read 19 September 2026 open ↗
- Ministerial Direction 122 — order for considering and disposing of visa applications for certain provisional and permanent Skilled Visas, signed 18 September 2026, commenced 19 September 2026 read 19 September 2026 open ↗
- Department of Home Affairs — skilled visa processing priorities, confirming both Directions took effect on 19 September 2026 and replaced Direction 119 checked 19 September 2026 open ↗
- Migration Act 1958, section 499 — power to give written directions read 19 September 2026 open ↗
- Department of Home Affairs — visa processing times confirm on the day you lodge open ↗
Ministerial Directions are replaced without notice — Direction 119 lasted under two months. Confirm which Direction is current with the Department before acting on anything on this page.