New Processing Order for Australian Skilled Visas Under Directions 121 and 122

What happened

On 19 September 2026, two new Ministerial Directions started setting the order in which Home Affairs processes skilled visa applications. Direction 121 covers temporary skilled visas and Direction 122 covers provisional and permanent skilled visas. Together they replace Direction 119, which had used almost the same rules for both groups.

The Minister for Home Affairs announced the update on 17 September as part of the government’s migration reform package.

Who is affected

Direction 121 (Skills in Demand subclass 482, and older Temporary Skill Shortage 482 applications) processes in this order:

1. Construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources, or law enforcement and defence
2. Specialist Skills stream applications
3. Applicants who were in Australia when they lodged
4. Offshore primary applicants applying alone, with no family in the application
5. All others.

Direction 122 (subclasses 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 489, 491, 494, 887 and 888) uses the same order without the Specialist Skills step.

What it means for your move

Your occupation and where you were when you lodged now decide how fast your application moves. Home Affairs’ processing banners from early October 2026 show the gaps:

• 189: applications lodged up to June 2026 in priority sectors and from onshore applicants, but only up to November 2025 for offshore applicants.
• 190: March 2026 for priority sectors, January 2026 for onshore, February 2025 for offshore.
• 186: July 2025 for priority sectors, March 2025 for onshore, July 2024 for offshore.
• 482: February 2026 for priority sectors, July 2026 for Specialist Skills, January 2026 for onshore, October 2025 for offshore.

Home Affairs warns that these dates and processing times may change while applications are reprioritised. Some times may get longer for a while.

What to do now

• Check whether your nominated occupation falls in a priority sector.
• If you are outside Australia with an employer-sponsored or points-tested application, expect longer waits than onshore applicants and plan your finances and job notice periods with that in mind.
• Make sure your application is complete. Requests for more information slow things down under any priority order.
• See our Skills in Demand visa guide and PR pathways guide.

What happens next

Ministerial Directions can be replaced at any time. Home Affairs updates its published processing dates regularly, so check the skilled visa priorities page before you lodge. We track changes on the Australia hub and updates page.