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Since the government implemented Ministerial Direction 119 on 25 July 2026 to prioritise skilled visa processing for onshore applicants and applications supporting Australia’s defence and law enforcement interests (followed by construction, healthcare, and teaching), there has been considerable uncertainty about the impact of these changes. Read more.
At this stage, the full effect on visa processing timeframes is still emerging.
To provide some clarity, the Department of Home Affairs has updated the individual skilled visa subclass pages on its website to show the lodgement dates of applications that are currently being allocated to processing according to priority occupation and onshore/offshore status.
This gives a more practical indication of processing activity than its Global Visa Processing Times page, which offers broad processing estimates.
Skilled visa priority order
The below table summarises the new skilled visa priority order under Ministerial Direction 119 that applies to Subclasses 482 Skills in Demand, 494 Regional, and 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa applications and other skilled visas.
Applications are prioritised by the occupation and applicant location.
| Priority Order | Occupation* | Applicant location |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Law enforcement and defence | Onshore |
| 2. | Law enforcement and defence | Offshore |
| 3. | Construction, healthcare, and teaching | Onshore |
| 4. | All other occupations | Onshore |
| 5. | All other occupations | Offshore |
Subclass 482 Skills in Demand Visa Processing
Current visa processing reflects the government’s skilled visa priority order.
The processing statuses indicate the latest lodgement dates currently being reviewed within each priority category, as reported by the Department of Home Affairs.
| Occupation type | Applicant location* | Current processing status |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible law enforcement or defence occupations | Not specified | Processing as received |
| Eligible construction, healthcare, and teaching occupations | Onshore | Applications lodged in August 2026 |
| Other occupations | Onshore | Applications lodged in December 2025 |
| Other occupations | Offshore | Applications lodged in October 2025 |
*At time of application.
Source: Department of Home Affairs, 1 September 2026. Processing status is subject to change.
Subclass 494 Skilled Regional Visa Processing
| Occupation type | Applicant location* | Current processing status |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible law enforcement or defence occupations | Not specified | Processing as received |
| Eligible construction, healthcare, and teaching occupations | Onshore | Applications lodged in June 2026 |
| Other occupations | Onshore | Applications lodged in September 2025 |
| Other occupations | Offshore | Applications lodged in August 2025 |
*At time of application.
Source: Department of Home Affairs, 1 September 2026. Processing status is subject to change.
Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme Processing
| Occupation type | Applicant location* | Current processing status |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible law enforcement or defence occupations | Not specified | Processing as received |
| Eligible construction, healthcare, and teaching occupations | Onshore | Applications lodged in August 2025 |
| Other occupations | Onshore | Applications lodged in November 2024 |
| Other occupations | Offshore | Applications lodged in July 2024 |
*At time of application.
Source: Department of Home Affairs, 1 September 2026. Processing status is subject to change.
Other skilled visas
The Department of Home Affairs has also shared visa processing updates for the below non-employer-sponsored skilled visas on its website:
- Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa
- Subclass 189 Skilled Independent Visa
- Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated Visa
Monitoring visa processing times
Employers and visa applicants should closely monitor visa processing trends and timeframes in the months ahead.
Key variables, such as the ongoing volume of onshore versus offshore applications and the proportion of priority occupations, will continue to impact visa processing.
ABC News reported that offshore skilled visa applicants not employed in defence or law enforcement occupations are seeing wait times blow out to up to 12 months. This includes some overseas-based nurses and teachers, which are categorised under Priority 5 in the current skilled visa priority order.
Interstaff provides monthly updates on visa processing times via our immigration insights and newsletter.
Our FAQs below also provide some practical information on the impact of Ministerial Direction 119.
Skilled Visa Processing FAQs: Ministerial Direction 119 Impact
No—the government is still committed to processing both onshore and offshore visa applications.
The difference is longer processing times will most likely need to be factored in for offshore visa applications, given that onshore applications are processed first.
Interstaff regularly publishes updates on visa processing times as part of our Immigration News. Sign up to our newsletter to stay updated.
Are Subclass 400 Short Stay Specialist Visas impacted?
No—the Ministerial Direction does not apply a priority order to Subclass 400 Visas.
The priority order only applies to:
Employer-sponsored visas: 482 Skills in Demand, 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, 494 Regional.
Skilled independent and other visas: 189, 190, and 491 Skilled Independent, 191, 491, 887 Regional, and 888 Business Innovation and Investment.
How does this impact businesses with accredited sponsorship status?
Applicants still need to meet eligibility requirements to qualify for their visa application. Eligibility criteria remains unchanged.
The Ministerial Direction simply instructs the Department on the types of visa applications to process first.
The order in which the application is processed depends on the applicant’s occupation and location at the time of applying.
Visa applications are now processed in the below order:
- Applicants in Australia—Defence & Law Enforcement
- Applicants outside Australia—Defence & Law Enforcement
- Applicants in Australia—Construction, Healthcare, & Teaching
- Applicants in Australia—Other industries
- Applicants outside Australia—Other industries
How does this impact businesses with accredited sponsorship status?
The direction removes accredited sponsors as a category of priority.
We therefore recommend that employers monitor processing times monthly.
Interstaff regularly publishes updates on visa processing times as part of our Immigration News. Sign up to our newsletter to stay updated.
What has been the business response to the changes?
Australian businesses and industry bodies have raised concerns that the abrupt changes in visa processing and broader migration reforms may make it more difficult for regional employers and companies to access global talent quickly.
Australian Industry Group executive, Innes Willox says Australia is in a “war for talent” and needed to be as “responsible but as welcoming as possible.”
Minerals Council executive, Tania Constable stated that 40,000 new migrant workers are needed over the next three years to deliver existing and approved resource projects. “We need those workers, and we need them pretty quickly,” she said.
Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA Chief Executive Aaron Morey said the mining sector was already struggling to source workers and could not afford to “go backwards.”
Sustainable people strategy: Global talent
As migration advisers, Interstaff provide factual guidance and practical immigration context, helping businesses and individuals understand policy developments as they emerge so they can navigate change with confidence.
Ministerial Direction 119 signals a stronger focus on managing Net Overseas Migration (NOM) by giving higher processing priority to applicants already in Australia ahead of applicants applying from overseas who would contribute to net migration inflows.
The government is expected to announce further measures aimed at reducing Net Overseas Migration, a concept that has attracted significant political and media attention in the past year despite often being misunderstood. Read more.
Our Registered Migration Agents support employers requiring sustainable global talent strategy to strengthen workforce capabilities.
Access our immigration insights to explore:
- Migrant workforce and labour market updates
- Work rights and visa conditions
- Temporary and permanent visa pathways
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
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