Ministerial Direction 119: New Processing Priorities for Australia's Skilled Visas
- 13 hours ago
- 6 min read
Last Updated: 31 July 2026
Ministerial Direction 119 took effect on 25 July 2026 and now controls the order in which the Department of Home Affairs processes nominations and applications for Australia's main skilled visas. It replaces Ministerial Direction 105 entirely, and for the first time brings the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa fully under a Ministerial Direction's priority framework.
Under MD119, two factors decide how fast an application moves:
Occupation — law enforcement and defence occupations sit at the top, followed by construction, healthcare, and teaching, then everything else.
Location at time of application — onshore applicants are always processed ahead of offshore applicants in the same occupation tier.
If you already have a nomination or visa application in the system, this Direction applies to you too — it covers applications made but not yet decided before 25 July 2026, as well as everything lodged after that date.
Key Takeaways
MD119 replaced MD105 on 25 July 2026 and now covers the Skills in Demand (482) visa for the first time.
Processing order depends on occupation category and applicant location at the time of application.
Five priority tiers apply, from law enforcement/defence (onshore) at the top to all other offshore applications at the bottom.
The Direction applies to on-hand applications as well as new lodgements.
It does not change occupation lists, visa criteria, or eligibility requirements — only the order in which applications are considered.
What Is 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, is to make sure the skilled migration program supports "key industries and strategically important occupations that are in the national interest," while prioritising migrants who are already contributing to the Australian economy and labour market.
The Five-Tier Priority Order
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, or construction |
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, receives the same priority as the primary applicant's application.
How "law enforcement and defence" occupations are 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, and teaching" are defined
Each of these three categories covers 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/disabled carers, nursing support workers, and personal care assistants.
Teaching — school teachers, child care centre managers, school principals, vocational education/polytechnic teachers, child care workers, and university lecturers.
If your nominated occupation doesn't fall into one of these named groups, it sits in the "all other occupations" tiers — priority 4 if you're onshore, priority 5 if you're offshore.
Which Visas Are Covered
MD119 applies 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 covers:
Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa
Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa
Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa
Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) (subclass 191) visa
Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa
Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa
Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489) visa
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) visa
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494) visa
Skilled Regional (subclass 887) visa
Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) (subclass 888) visa
This is the first time the Skills in Demand visa has been captured this way — the Direction applies to all on-hand applications, including for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) program, which was not previously included under Ministerial Direction 105.
If you're navigating the Skills in Demand visa, the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (subclass 494) visa, or the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa, this new processing order directly affects how long your application will take.
What This Means If You're Onshore vs Offshore
Location now matters more than it did under Direction 105. It works differently depending on the occupation category:
Law enforcement and defence occupations get their own offshore tier (priority 2) — offshore applicants in these roles are still processed ahead of general applications, onshore or offshore.
Healthcare, teaching, and construction occupations only get priority when the applicant is onshore (priority 3). There is no offshore equivalent tier for these occupations — an offshore applicant in one of these fields is processed at the same lowest priority as any other offshore application.
The practical effect for most applicants: if you're already in Australia on a substantive visa and lodge your nomination or visa application onshore, you're processed ahead of an equivalent offshore application in the same occupation category — and, for healthcare, teaching, and construction specifically, ahead of offshore applicants in those occupations too.
What This Means for Employers and Sponsors
If you sponsor overseas workers, MD119 changes how you should plan recruitment timelines:
Nominations for onshore candidates in priority occupations will generally clear faster than offshore nominations in the same occupation.
Offshore recruitment for non-priority occupations now sits in the lowest processing tier — factor longer lead times into workforce planning.
The Direction does not change the composition of the skilled migration occupation lists or the requirements applicants must meet under the Act and Regulations — only the order applications are considered in.
When Ministerial Direction 119 Does Not Apply
MD119 carves out several categories that continue to be 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 has set aside a decision and substituted a new one
Applications where it's already clear the nomination or visa criteria won't 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
Related Directions Issued the Same Day
Two other Ministerial Directions commenced alongside MD119:
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ministerial Direction 119 change my chances of visa approval?
No. MD119 only controls the order applications are considered in — it does not change the composition of the skilled migration occupation lists or the requirements you need to satisfy under the Migration Act and Regulations.
Will my pending application be reprioritised under MD119?
Yes. The Direction applies to nomination and visa applications made but not finally decided before 25 July 2026, as well as to applications made on or after that date. Your processing order is reassessed under the new five-tier structure.
Is the Skills in Demand (482) visa affected by MD119?
Yes, and this is new. The Direction applies to all on-hand applications, including for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) program, which was not previously included under Ministerial Direction 105.
What counts as a "priority occupation" under MD119?
Law enforcement (police, sponsored by a federal or state police force) and defence occupations (ADF or Department of Defence sponsored, or AUKUS Pillar I/II roles) sit at the top. Healthcare, teaching, and construction occupations — as defined by specific ANZSCO groups in the Direction — sit in the next tier.
Does being onshore always guarantee faster processing?
Not entirely, and it depends on the occupation. For law enforcement and defence roles, offshore applicants still get a dedicated priority tier ahead of general applications. For healthcare, teaching, and construction occupations, the Direction only grants priority to onshore applicants — an offshore applicant in one of these occupations gets no special tier and is grouped with all other offshore applications in the lowest priority level.
Processing priorities and visa requirements change frequently. For an assessment of how Ministerial Direction 119 affects your specific 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.
