Skilled Visa Processing Priorities: Direction 122 Explained
If you have lodged, or are about to lodge, a permanent or provisional skilled visa, the order in which the Department of Home Affairs looks at your application is no longer first come, first served. Since 19 September 2026, that order has been set by Ministerial Direction 122. This guide explains who goes first, which occupations count as priority, what changed from the previous direction, and what you can do to avoid unnecessary delays.
Key facts
- In effect from 19 September 2026, replacing Ministerial Direction 119.
- Covers subclasses 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 489, 491, 494, 887 and 888.
- The Skills in Demand (482) visa is not covered: it falls under the companion Direction 121.
- Applies to applications already lodged and not yet decided, as well as new ones.
- Priority now depends first on your sector, then on whether you were in Australia when you applied.
What is Ministerial Direction 122?
Ministerial Direction 122, titled Order for considering and disposing of visa applications for certain provisional and permanent Skilled Visas, is an instruction made by the Minister for Immigration under section 499 of the Migration Act 1958. Case officers must follow it when deciding which applications to work on first. It does not change who is eligible for a visa: it changes the queue.
Direction 122 and its companion, Direction 121 (which covers the 482 visa), replaced all the processing priorities that applied under Direction 119 from 19 September 2026.
The four priority tiers
Applications are considered in this order. Family members included in the same application take the same priority as the main applicant.
| Priority | Who is in this tier |
|---|---|
| 1 (highest) | Main applicants whose occupation is in construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing or the resources sector, or an occupation related to Australia’s law enforcement or defence interests. Applies whether you are onshore or offshore. |
| 2 | All other main applicants who were in Australia when they applied. |
| 3 | Main applicants who were outside Australia when they applied and whose application has not been combined with any family member’s application. |
| 4 (lowest) | All other applications, including offshore applications that include family members. |
A case officer can depart from this order only in compelling circumstances affecting community safety, or the continuity of essential religious, cultural or community services in Australia.
Is my occupation a priority occupation?
Direction 122 defines the priority sectors using ANZSCO codes. The main groups are:
| Sector | Examples of occupations included |
|---|---|
| Healthcare | All health professionals (ANZSCO sub-major group 25), such as registered nurses, midwives, doctors, pharmacists, physiotherapists and radiographers, plus health and welfare support workers such as enrolled nurses and paramedics, and selected related roles such as social workers and psychologists. |
| Teaching | School teachers (minor group 241, including early childhood, primary, secondary and special needs teachers), plus child care centre managers, child care workers, school principals, faculty heads, university lecturers and vocational education teachers. |
| Construction | Construction trades (sub-major group 33, such as carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers, tilers and plasterers), construction and mining labourers (group 82), construction and engineering managers, architects, civil engineers, building and engineering technicians, sheetmetal and structural steel workers, and electricians. |
| Resources | Mining, petroleum and related engineers, geologists, mining production managers, surveyors, metallurgists and some fitters, where the job directly supports mining, oil, gas or coal. |
| Agriculture, aquaculture and fishing | No fixed list: it depends on whether the nominated job plays a role in primary production, which can include meat and seafood processing. |
| Law enforcement and defence | Police officers sponsored by the Australian Federal Police or a state police force, and roles linked to AUKUS, the Australian Defence Force or the Department of Defence (sponsorship or a letter of support). |
Your priority is based on the occupation in your application, so your nominated ANZSCO code and the evidence that supports it matter. Use our occupation checker to confirm your code.
What changed from Direction 119?
- Sector first, location second. Direction 119 ordered applications mainly by whether you were onshore or offshore. Direction 122 puts priority sectors at the top regardless of where you are.
- More sectors. Agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources have been added, and the defence definition is wider.
- Employer nominations are no longer ranked. Direction 122 orders visa applications only, so employer-sponsored applications no longer gain a separate advantage at the nomination stage.
- A new lowest tier. Offshore applications that include family members now sit at the bottom of the queue.
- A compelling circumstances exception has been added.
Direction 119 lasted only about two months, so further changes are possible. We will update this page if the order changes again.
What Direction 122 does not do
- It does not give state or territory nominated (190, 491), regional or accredited sponsor applications a separate priority. Older articles that say so describe earlier directions.
- It does not decide who receives a 189 invitation. Invitations are issued through SkillSelect rounds; Direction 122 applies only once you have lodged.
- It does not change eligibility criteria such as points, age or English.
How it fits with the 2026-27 Migration Program
The 2026-27 permanent Migration Program has 185,000 places, of which 132,240 are in the Skill stream. Reported allocations within the Skill stream include about 58,040 employer-sponsored places, 35,500 state and territory nominated (190) places, 21,090 Skilled Independent (189) places and 14,110 regional (491 and 494) places. Processing priorities decide the order of work within these limits, so in a tight year applications outside the priority sectors can wait noticeably longer.