MIA Calls for Offshore Skilled and Partner Visa Priority to Return
Anisa Zainudin
Immigration Lawyer
The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) has called for the Government to reconsider the lower processing priority now affecting many offshore skilled workers and partners of Australians.
The concern follows the introduction of Ministerial Directions 117 and 119 on 25 July 2026, which place greater processing emphasis on applicants who lodged while already in Australia.
Importantly, the Government has not reversed the rules. The current processing priorities remain in force.
So, what is MIA asking for, and what could this mean for offshore applicants?
Why MIA Is Calling for Offshore Visa Priority in Australia?
MIA argues that Australia still relies on skilled workers from overseas to fill positions that employers cannot fill locally.
In recent remarks to a parliamentary inquiry, MIA specifically criticised Ministerial Direction 119, arguing that the lower priority for offshore skilled migration creates problems for employers in sectors such as mining, healthcare, education, construction, and trades.
MIA has also continued advocacy concerning both Ministerial Direction 117 and Ministerial Direction 119.
The central concern is straightforward: location can now influence when Home Affairs picks up an application, even where an offshore applicant has skills Australia genuinely needs.
How Ministerial Direction 119 Affects Offshore Skilled Workers?
Ministerial Direction 119 changed skilled visa processing priorities from 25 July 2026.
Home Affairs now considers both:
- the applicant’s occupation; and
- whether the applicant was in or outside Australia when they applied.
Under the current order, Home Affairs gives priority to law enforcement and defence applications first. It then prioritises onshore healthcare, teaching and construction applications, followed by other onshore skilled applicants.
Most other offshore skilled applications sit in the fifth and final priority group.
Therefore, an offshore applicant may wait behind comparable applicants who lodged from inside Australia.
Ministerial Direction 119 affects several important visas, including:
However, the Direction changes the processing order, not visa eligibility.
Why MIA Says Offshore Skilled Migration Still Matters
MIA argues that skilled migration exists partly because Australian employers cannot always find the specialist workers they need locally.
Therefore, pushing many offshore applicants to the back of the processing order may create difficulties for employers that genuinely need overseas recruitment.
MIA’s CEO recently told the Joint Standing Committee on Migration that Direction 119 had created concern among employers and argued that the policy could undermine the purpose of skilled migration, where businesses need talent from overseas.
This issue matters particularly for employers recruiting specialist workers who do not already live in Australia.
Offshore Partner Visas Also Receive Lower Priority
The concern does not stop with skilled migration.
Ministerial Direction 117 changed Family visa processing priorities from 25 July 2026.
Home Affairs now gives the highest Partner visa priority to onshore Subclass 820/801 applications.
Meanwhile, it gives lower priority to offshore applications for:
Home Affairs expressly states that lower-priority offshore Partner applications are likely to experience longer processing times.
Consequently, Australians whose partners remain overseas may face longer periods of separation while they wait for Home Affairs to process their applications.
What MIA's Offshore Partner Visa Concern Means?
For couples, the issue is less about skills shortages and more about family separation.
An Australian citizen or permanent resident may live in Australia while their husband, wife, partner, or fiancé remains overseas waiting for a Subclass 309/100 or 300 visa.
Under the current system, Home Affairs generally processes onshore Partner applications ahead of those offshore applications.
The Government currently plans 41,500 Partner visa places for 2026–27, but the processing order still depends on Ministerial Direction 117.
Therefore, the number of available Partner visa places does not remove the practical impact of lower offshore processing priority.
Has the Government Reversed Ministerial Directions 117 or 119?
No.
This is the most important point for applicants.
MIA’s position represents industry advocacy, not a new Government policy.
Home Affairs still applies:
- Ministerial Direction 119 to affected skilled visa applications; and
- Ministerial Direction 117 to Family and Partner visa processing.
Therefore, offshore applicants should not assume that MIA’s call has already changed their place in the processing order.
Home Affairs continues to state that many onshore skilled applicants receive higher priority than offshore applicants. It also confirms that offshore Partner visa applications receive lower priority than onshore Partner applications.
What Does This Mean for Offshore Applicants?
Applicants should continue planning under the current rules unless the Government formally changes them.
If you have an offshore skilled visa application, check which priority group applies to your occupation and circumstances.
If you have an offshore Partner visa application, remember that lower priority does not mean Home Affairs will refuse your application. It means you may wait longer for processing.
Additionally, Home Affairs says processing times depend on several other factors, including application completeness, health and character checks, requests for further information, and application volumes.
Therefore, applicants should continue maintaining a complete and accurate application rather than focusing only on their priority category.
Will Offshore Visa Processing Priorities Change Again?
They could, but no reversal has occurred yet.
MIA and other industry groups continue to raise concerns about the effect of the new skilled migration priorities. MIA has also urged the Government to develop a clearer skilled migration strategy that supports employers while managing Australia’s broader migration objectives.
For now, however, applicants should rely on the current Home Affairs rules.
Any future change to offshore visa priority in Australia would require a Government decision or another change to the relevant processing framework.
How Emigrate Lawyers Can Help
The latest processing priorities make an applicant’s location, occupation, and visa pathway increasingly important.
At Emigrate Lawyers, our immigration lawyers assist skilled migrants, employers, and couples with Australian immigration matters, including skilled visas, employer-sponsored pathways, and Partner visas.
If you already have an offshore application or are considering whether to lodge from outside Australia, obtaining advice can help you understand the current processing framework and how it relates to your broader immigration strategy.
Offshore Visa Priority Australia: What Happens Next?
MIA’s latest advocacy adds pressure on the Government to reconsider how Australia treats offshore skilled workers and offshore Partner visa applicants.
However, nothing has changed yet.
For now, Ministerial Directions 117 and 119 remain in effect, which means many applicants who lodged from inside Australia continue to receive higher processing priority.
Offshore applicants should therefore monitor future Government announcements closely while continuing to meet all requirements for their existing or planned visa applications.
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