Ministerial Direction 119: What It Covered and What Replaced It on 19 September 2026
Updated: Oct 6
Last Updated: 21 September 2026
Ministerial Direction 119 (MD 119) set the order in which the Department of Home Affairs considered skilled visa nominations and visa applications. It applied from 25 July 2026 until 19 September 2026, when Directions 121 and 122 replaced it. Check current skilled visa processing priorities
Ministerial Direction 119 no longer applies. From 19 September 2026, Ministerial Direction 121 sets the processing order for the 482 visa. Ministerial Direction 122 sets it for ten other skilled visa subclasses. This page keeps the record of what Direction 119 said. Read those two pages for the current rules.
Under MD 119, two factors decided how fast an application moved:
Occupation: law enforcement and defence occupations sat at the top, followed by construction, healthcare and teaching, then everything else.
Location at time of application: onshore applicants were processed ahead of offshore applicants in the same occupation tier.
MD 119 applied to applications made but not yet decided before 25 July 2026, as well as everything lodged after that date.
Key takeaways
MD 119 no longer applies. Section 3 of Ministerial Direction 121 revoked it, and Directions 121 and 122 replaced it on 19 September 2026.
MD 119 replaced MD 105 on 25 July 2026 and brought the Skills in Demand (482) visa into a processing direction for the first time.
Processing order depended on occupation category and applicant location at the time of application.
Five priority tiers applied, from law enforcement and defence (onshore) at the top to all other offshore applications at the bottom.
The Direction applied to on-hand applications as well as new lodgements.
It did not change occupation lists, visa criteria or eligibility requirements. It only set the order in which applications were considered.
What replaced Ministerial Direction 119?
Section 3 of Ministerial Direction 121 revokes Direction 119, which is dated 24 July 2026. Both new directions were signed on 18 September 2026 and commenced on 19 September 2026. The Department of Home Affairs confirms they replaced all processing priorities under Direction 119.
Two directions replaced it. Each covers a different group of visas.
Direction | Visas covered | RACC guide |
Ministerial Direction 121 | Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand and Temporary Skill Shortage) | |
Ministerial Direction 122 | Subclasses 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 489, 491, 494, 887 and 888 |
Applications made before 19 September 2026 that the Department had not finally determined now sit under Direction 121 or Direction 122. They do not stay under Direction 119.
MD 119 also ordered nomination applications. Directions 121 and 122 order visa applications and do not mention nomination applications. We have not found published guidance on how nominations are ordered now.
For every current direction in one place, see our guide to Ministerial Directions and visa processing. For the latest changes, read our article on the skilled visa processing order changes on 19 September 2026.
What was Ministerial Direction 119?
Ministerial Direction 119 is an instrument issued by the Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke, under section 499 of the Migration Act 1958. It directs Home Affairs delegates on the order for considering and disposing of nomination and visa applications for a defined set of skilled visa subclasses.
The Direction was signed on 24 July 2026 and commenced the following day. It formally revokes Direction 105, which had been in place since 14 December 2023.
The stated purpose, set out in the Direction's preamble, was to make sure the skilled migration program supports "key industries and strategically important occupations that are in the national interest," while prioritising migrants who were already contributing to the Australian economy and labour market.
The five-tier priority order under MD 119
MD119 sets out separate but mirrored priority orders for nomination applications (Schedule A visas) and visa applications (Schedule B visas). Both use the same five-tier structure.
Priority | Applicant location | Occupation category |
1 (highest) | Onshore | Law enforcement or defence interests |
2 | Offshore | Law enforcement or defence interests |
3 | Onshore | Healthcare, teaching, construction, agriculture, or fisheries* |
4 | Onshore | All other occupations |
5 (lowest) | Offshore | All other occupations |
A visa application combined with a primary applicant's application, in a way permitted by the Regulations, received the same priority as the primary applicant's application.
Agriculture and fisheries were not in these tiers. The Minister announced them as additions on 17 September 2026, and Directions 121 and 122 include them, along with aquaculture and resources.
How "law enforcement and defence" occupations were defined
This category is narrower than it sounds. Law enforcement priority only applies to ANZSCO Unit Group 4413 (Police) roles where the applicant is nominated or sponsored by the Australian Federal Police or a state or territory police force.
Defence priority covers ANZSCO Unit Group 4411 (Defence Force Members – Other Ranks) and specific officer occupations sponsored by the Australian Defence Force or the Department of Defence, plus roles tied to AUKUS Pillar I (nuclear-powered submarines) and Pillar II (advanced capability development).
How "construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, and fisheries" are defined
Each of these three categories covered a specific list of ANZSCO occupation groups, all weighted equally within the category:
Construction: trades workers, construction and mining labourers, construction managers, architects, civil engineers, building technicians, safety inspectors, sheetmetal and structural steel workers, and several plant operator roles, plus general and special class electricians.
Healthcare: health professionals, health and welfare support workers, medical scientists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers, medical technicians, aged and disabled carers, nursing support workers, and personal care assistants.
Teaching: school teachers, child care centre managers, school principals, vocational education and polytechnic teachers, child care workers, and university lecturers.
An occupation outside these named groups sat in the "all other occupations" tiers: priority 4 if the applicant was onshore, priority 5 if offshore.
For the current priority occupation lists, read the MD 121 guide and the MD 122 guide. You can also search occupations on our skilled occupation list.
Which visas did Ministerial Direction 119 cover?
MD 119 applied to nomination applications for the visa subclasses in Schedule A, and to visa applications for the classes in Schedule B. Between the two schedules, the Direction covered:
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa
Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa
Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489) visa
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494) visa
Skilled Regional (subclass 887) visa
Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) (subclass 888) visa
MD 119 was the first direction to capture the Skills in Demand visa this way. It applied to all on-hand applications, including for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) program, which was not previously included under Ministerial Direction 105.
Today the 482 visa sits under Ministerial Direction 121. The other subclasses in the list sit under Ministerial Direction 122. See the table in "What replaced Ministerial Direction 119?" above.
How did location affect your application under MD 119?
Location mattered more under MD 119 than it did under Direction 105. It worked differently depending on the occupation category:
Law enforcement and defence occupations had their own offshore tier (priority 2). Offshore applicants in these roles were still processed ahead of general applications, onshore or offshore.
Healthcare, teaching and construction occupations only received priority when the applicant was onshore (priority 3). There was no offshore equivalent tier. An offshore applicant in one of these fields was processed at the same lowest priority as any other offshore application.
The practical effect for most applicants was this. If you were in Australia on a substantive visa and lodged your nomination or visa application onshore, you were processed ahead of an equivalent offshore application in the same occupation category. For healthcare, teaching and construction specifically, that also meant ahead of offshore applicants in those occupations.
Directions 121 and 122 work differently. Priority occupations now sit in tier 1 whether the applicant applied in or outside Australia.
What did MD 119 mean for employers and sponsors?
MD 119 changed how sponsors planned recruitment timelines:
Nominations for onshore candidates in priority occupations generally cleared faster than offshore nominations in the same occupation.
Offshore recruitment for non-priority occupations sat in the lowest processing tier, so longer lead times had to be built into workforce planning.
The Direction did not change the composition of the skilled migration occupation lists or the requirements applicants had to meet under the Act and Regulations. It only changed the order applications were considered in.
If you sponsor overseas workers today, read the MD 121 guide for 482 visa applications and the MD 122 guide for the other subclasses.
When Ministerial Direction 119 did not apply
MD 119 carved out several categories that were handled outside its priority order:
Applications remitted by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) or Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) for reconsideration
Applications where the AAT or ART had set aside a decision and substituted a new one
Applications where it was already clear the nomination or visa criteria would not be met
Family unit applications not made in combination with the primary applicant
Nomination applications relating to a change of employer
The Administrative Review Tribunal itself
Directions 121 and 122 have their own exclusions. Each guide lists them.
Other skilled visa directions
Two other Ministerial Directions were not affected by the change and remain in force:
Direction 114 (in effect since 12 February 2025) covers the now-closed Business Innovation and Investment (subclass 188) and Business Talent (Permanent) (subclass 132) visas.
Direction 120 (effective 25 July 2026) covers Class BX (subclass 858) visas, and the closed Distinguished Talent, Global Talent and National Innovation (subclass 858) visa streams.
The Department lists both on its skilled visa processing priorities page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ministerial Direction 119 still in force?
No. Section 3 of Ministerial Direction 121 revokes Direction 119, which is dated 24 July 2026. Direction 121 covers the 482 visa. Direction 122 covers ten other skilled visa subclasses. Both commenced on 19 September 2026, and Direction 119 no longer governs any application, including applications lodged before that date.
What replaced Ministerial Direction 119?
Two directions replaced it. Ministerial Direction 121 covers subclass 482, and Ministerial Direction 122 covers subclasses 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 489, 491, 494, 887 and 888. Both commenced on 19 September 2026.
Does Ministerial Direction 119 still apply to my pending application?
No. Applications made before 19 September 2026 that the Department had not finally determined now sit under Direction 121 or Direction 122. Your application moves to the tier the new direction gives it. It does not stay under MD 119.
Did Ministerial Direction 119 change my chances of visa approval?
No. MD 119 only controlled the order applications were considered in. It did not change the composition of the skilled migration occupation lists or the requirements you need to satisfy under the Migration Act and Regulations.
Did Ministerial Direction 119 cover the Skills in Demand (482) visa?
Yes. MD 119 applied to all on-hand applications, including for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) program, which was not previously included under Ministerial Direction 105. Ministerial Direction 121 now covers subclass 482 on its own.
What counted as a priority occupation under Ministerial Direction 119?
Law enforcement (police, sponsored by a federal or state police force) and defence occupations (Australian Defence Force or Department of Defence sponsored, or AUKUS Pillar I or II roles) sat at the top. Healthcare, teaching and construction occupations, as defined by specific ANZSCO groups in the Direction, sat in the next tier.
Did Ministerial Direction 119 add agriculture and fisheries?
No. The Minister announced on 17 September 2026 that agriculture and fisheries would join the priority list. That change took effect through replacement rather than an amendment. On 19 September 2026, Directions 121 and 122 replaced Direction 119. Both add agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources to the priority occupations, alongside construction, healthcare, teaching, law enforcement and defence.
Did being onshore always guarantee faster processing under Ministerial Direction 119?
Not entirely, and it depended on the occupation. For law enforcement and defence roles, offshore applicants still got a dedicated priority tier ahead of general applications. For healthcare, teaching and construction occupations, the Direction only granted priority to onshore applicants. An offshore applicant in one of these occupations got no special tier and was grouped with all other offshore applications in the lowest priority level.
Processing priorities and visa requirements change frequently. For an assessment of how the current directions affect your application, book a consultation with RACC's registered migration agents.
Disclaimer
The information in this article provides general guidance only. It does not constitute migration or legal advice.
Migration policies, nomination allocations, and visa requirements may change and may vary depending on each applicant's circumstances.
Applicants should seek advice from a MARA-registered migration agent or qualified immigration professional before making migration decisions.
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