The Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration signed Ministerial Direction 119 on 24 July 2026 under section 499 of the Migration Act 1958. It commenced the following day, 25 July 2026, and revoked the skilled visa processing priorities that had applied under Ministerial Direction 105 since December 2023.
Important: Direction 119 does not change visa eligibility criteria. You still need to satisfy every requirement for your nomination or visa. The Direction only tells departmental decision-makers what order to consider and finalise applications in — a higher priority is not a guarantee of approval, and it does not come with a fixed processing time.
Prioritisation now turns on two factors: the nominated occupation, and whether the applicant was in Australia at the time the application was made. Applications are processed in this order:
- •Priority 1 — Law enforcement or defence occupations, applicant in Australia
- •Priority 2 — Law enforcement or defence occupations, applicant outside Australia
- •Priority 3 — Construction, healthcare or teaching occupations, applicant in Australia
- •Priority 4 — All other applications, applicant in Australia
- •Priority 5 — All other applications, applicant outside Australia
Because location is assessed at the time of application, moving to Australia after lodgement does not lift an application into a higher priority group. The occupation categories are defined by ANZSCO codes listed in the Direction's schedules, so a role that sounds like healthcare, teaching, or construction will only attract Priority 3 if its code is expressly captured.
The headline change is coverage of the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa, which was not specifically included under Direction 105. Law enforcement, defence, and construction occupations are also new additions to priority processing. Conversely, regional location and accredited sponsor status no longer attract priority on their own.
Direction 119 covers nomination applications for subclasses 186, 187, 482 (both Skills in Demand and the closed Temporary Skill Shortage stream), and 494. It covers visa applications for subclasses 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 482, 489, 491, 494, 887, and 888.
The Direction applies to all on-hand applications, not just new ones. An application lodged months before 25 July 2026 that has not been finally determined is now considered under the new order rather than the old one.
Some applications sit outside the framework entirely, including cases remitted by the Administrative Review Tribunal, applications where it is already apparent the criteria are not met, subsequent family member applications lodged separately from the primary applicant, and nominations lodged solely to change employer. These are assessed on their own facts.
Two related instruments commenced or remain in force alongside Direction 119: Ministerial Direction 120 covers subclass 858 (National Innovation and the closed Global Talent and Distinguished Talent streams), and Ministerial Direction 114 covers the closed subclass 188 and 132 business visas. Offshore student visa prioritisation is handled separately under Ministerial Directions 111 and 115.
If you have an application on hand, check whether your occupation falls into a priority category, where you were at lodgement, and whether your subclass is listed. Estimated timeframes are published in the Department's processing times guide, which is updated monthly. Always verify your position on the Department of Home Affairs website or with a registered migration agent.