Visa processing times

​Skilled visa processing priorities

Processing priorities for visa applications for certain Skilled visas

Visa applications for certain Skilled visas are processed according to Government policy priorities, which are outlined in Ministerial Direction 121 for temporary skilled visas and Ministerial Direction 122 for provisional and permanent skilled visas. Both Directions came into effect on 19 September 2026.

From this date, Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 have replaced all processing priorities under Ministerial Direction 119.

Ministerial Direction 121

Temporary Skilled visa applications are processed in the following order of priority:

  1. Visa applications relating to Construction, Healthcare, Teaching, Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing, and Resources sectors, or Australia's law enforcement and defence interests.
  2. Visa applications in the Specialist Skills stream of the Skills in Demand visa.
  3. Visa applications where the applicant was in Australia at the time they lodged their application.
  4. Visa applications where the primary applicant was outside of Australia at the time they lodged their application and whose application is not combined with another person’s application at any time.
  5. All other visa applications.

Visa subclasses included in this Direction:

* Note: The Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) visa was replaced by the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa on 7 December 2024.​

Ministerial Direction 122

Certain provisional and permanent Skilled visa applications are processed in the following order of priority:

  1. Visa applications relating to Construction, Healthcare, Teaching, Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing, and Resources sectors, or Australia's law enforcement and defence interests.
  2. Visa applications where the applicant was in Australia at the time they lodged their application.
  3. Visa applications where the primary applicant was outside of Australia at the time they lodged their application and whose application is not combined with another person’s application at any time.
  4. All other visa applications.

Visa subclasses included in this Direction:

Other Skilled visa Directions (in force)

Ministerial Direction 114 (2MB PDF) which came into effect on 12 February 2025, covers Business Innovation and Investment (subclass 188) visa (closed July 2024) and Business Talent (Permanent) (subclass 132) visa (closed July 2021) applications.

Ministerial Direction 120 (2MB PDF) which came into effect on 25 July 2026, covers Class BX (subclass 858) visas, Distinguished Talent (closed November 2020), Global Talent (closed December 2024) and National Innovation (subclass 858) visa applications.

Visa application lodgement requirements

For more information and guidance on how to lodge a complete application, see Check twice, submit once and Applying for a skilled visa.

Processing times

For more information see Processing times guide.