A new Ministerial Direction No. 119 has been issued, effective 25 July 2026. It changes the order in which certain employer-sponsored and skilled visa nominations and applications are processed, giving priority to occupations addressing critical workforce shortages, particularly in law enforcement, defence, healthcare, education and construction.
Under Direction No. 119, Subclass 482 Skills in Demand, Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme and other skilled visa applications will be prioritised in the following order:
Priority 1: Law enforcement and defence occupations (onshore)
Applications involving occupations supporting Australia’s law enforcement or defence interests where the nominee or applicant is in Australia at the time of application will receive the highest processing priority. These include occupations supporting AUKUS-related defence initiatives, Australian Defence Force-sponsored roles, and police occupations nominated or sponsored by recognised Australian police agencies.
Priority 2: Law enforcement and defence occupations (offshore)
Applications involving occupations supporting Australia’s law enforcement or defence interests where the nominee or applicant is outside Australia at the time of application.
Priority 3: Healthcare, teaching and construction occupations (onshore)
Applications lodged by individuals who are in Australia and who are nominated for, or applying in, designated healthcare, teaching or construction occupations. Priority healthcare occupations include health professionals, medical scientists, psychologists, social workers, counsellors, medical technicians, aged and disability carers, nursing support workers and personal care assistants.
Priority teaching occupations include school teachers, school principals, childcare centre managers, childcare workers, vocational education teachers and university lecturers.
Priority construction occupations include construction trades workers, construction managers, architects, civil engineering professionals, building technicians, crane operators, earthmoving plant operators, electricians and other occupations supporting Australia’s housing and infrastructure objectives
Priority 4: All other onshore applications
All remaining eligible applications where the nominee or applicant is in Australia at the time of application.
Priority 5: All other offshore applications
All remaining eligible applications where the nominee or applicant is outside Australia at the time of application.
Which visa categories are affected?
The Direction applies to nomination applications and visa applications for the following categories:
While Direction No. 119 does not change who can be sponsored, it is likely to have a significant impact on processing times across skilled migration programs.
Employers sponsoring workers in defence, law enforcement, healthcare, teaching or construction occupations may experience faster processing outcomes, particularly where the nominee is already in Australia. Conversely, applicants outside Australia and those in occupations outside the priority cohorts may experience relatively longer processing times as departmental resources are directed to higher-priority cases.
Employers should review current and future sponsorship plans to understand whether their workforce needs align with the new processing priorities and adjust recruitment timelines accordingly.
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
Cherie Wright
Partner & Principal Solicitor
Stacey Tsui
Partner & Principal Solicitor
Arathi Tekkam
Director
Ben Reid
Director
John O’Brien
Director
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