Migration
Ministerial Direction 119: New Skilled Visa Processing Priorities in Australia
Update — 24 September 2026: Direction 119 is no longer current. Directions 121 and 122 commenced on 19 September 2026 and replaced Direction 119 for the covered skilled visa framework. Read our current Direction 121/122 guide. For the National Innovation Visa (Subclass 858), see the separate Direction 120 NIV priority guide. Ministerial Direction 119, which replaced Ministerial Direction 105 on 25 July 2026, introduces new processing priorities for many skilled visa nominations and applications in Australia. The new Direction gives higher priority to certain occupations, particularly law enforcement, defence, healthcare, teaching, and construction roles, while also considering whether an applicant
Kerusha Kharel
