The Australian Government has introduced a Ministerial Direction, which changes the order in which many skilled visa applications are processed.
Importantly, this does not change who is eligible for a visa. Instead, it changes which applications are processed first, meaning some applicants may receive decisions sooner than others.
Who will be prioritised?
The Department of Home Affairs will now give priority to:
- People already in Australia working in defence or law enforcement occupations.
- Overseas applicants in defence or law enforcement occupations.
- People already in Australia working in:
- Construction
- Healthcare
- Aged care
- Teaching
- Other applicants already in Australia.
- All other applicants applying from overseas.
What’s different?
The biggest changes are:
- Greater priority for applicants already in Australia.
- New priority for occupations supporting defence and law enforcement.
- Continued priority for construction, healthcare, aged care and teaching to help address workforce shortages.
- Applicants outside Australia who are not in a priority occupation may experience longer processing times.
Which visas are affected?
The new processing priorities apply to a range of skilled and employer-sponsored visas, including:
- Skills in Demand (Subclass 482)
- Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482)
- Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186)
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Subclass 494)
- Skilled Independent (Subclass 189)
- Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190)
- Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) (Subclass 191)
What does this mean for employers?
If you sponsor workers in construction, healthcare, aged care, teaching, defence or law enforcement, your applications may be processed more quickly.
Employers recruiting for other occupations should be aware that processing times may increase, particularly where workers are applying from overseas. We will need to wait to see in practice what this will mean.
What does this mean for visa applicants?
Applicants already in Australia—especially those in priority occupations—are likely to have their applications considered sooner.
Applicants applying from overseas or in non-priority occupations may experience longer waiting times.
Key takeaway
The government has stated that this Ministerial Direction is designed to help Australia fill critical workforce shortages by prioritising visa applications in key sectors. Although visa requirements have not changed, processing times may.
If you would like to discuss how these changes may affect your recruitment plans or visa application, please contact the Ajuria Lawyers team.