Ministerial Direction 119 Update: Directions 121 and 122 Now Fast-Track Nursing, Healthcare, Construction and Teaching Visas

If you lodged a skilled visa application earlier this year and watched your expected timeline stretch from weeks into months, the news from the third week of September will matter to you. The processing queue was reshuffled, and several occupations are back near the front of it.

Here is the part where many articles still get wrong. You will see headlines about a "Direction 119 update", but according to the Department of Home Affairs, Ministerial Direction (MD) 119 no longer governs skilled visa processing. It was replaced on 19 September 2026 by two new directions: MD 121 for temporary skilled visas and MD 122 for provisional and permanent skilled visas.

This guide explains what Direction 119 did, what replaced it, who moves up, and what you should do if your application is already in the system. We have kept to what Home Affairs has published and flagged clearly where details are still missing.

Key takeaways 

• Ministerial Direction (MD) 119 has been replaced. MD 121 (temporary skilled visas) and MD 122 (provisional and permanent skilled visas) both took effect on 19 September 2026. MD 119 had been in force for only 56 days.

• Top priority under both directions goes to construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources, plus law enforcement and defence interests.

• The onshore requirement for Priority 1 is gone. An offshore nurse, teacher or tradesperson in a top-priority sector now sits in Priority 1 alongside onshore applicants.

• Under MD 121, the Specialist Skills stream of the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa is the second priority tier.

• After the priority sectors, applications lodged while the applicant was in Australia are processed ahead of those lodged offshore.

• MD 121 and MD 122 order visa applications. They do not set the order for employer nomination applications.

• Priority changes the order of processing, not the outcome. You must still meet every visa criterion.

• Home Affairs' summary page names broad sectors. The directions themselves define those sectors using ANZSCO code groupings, so confirm with your agent which tier your occupation falls into.

What Ministerial Direction 119 Did Earlier in 2026

A ministerial direction is a written instruction from the Minister that tells the department which applications to process first. It does not change who is eligible for a visa. It changes who gets a decision sooner.

Direction 119 took effect on 25 July 2026 and was replaced on 19 September 2026, so it set the skilled visa queue for just 56 days. In that short window it did a lot of damage to offshore timelines. Its structure was onshore-first: for healthcare, teaching and construction occupations, the priority tier applied to onshore applicants only. An offshore nurse, teacher or tradesperson was processed after the onshore applicants, and offshore applicants outside the priority occupations were placed at the very back of the queue.

Industry reporting at the time described waits for affected offshore applicants stretching to around 12 months, compared with a matter of weeks before the direction took effect. Employers in sectors that were already short of workers pushed back hard, and that business backlash is widely credited as part of the reason the government revisited the direction.

• Offshore skilled applicants were the group most exposed to long waits.

• Employers waiting on nurses, tradespeople and teachers felt the delay directly.

• Applicants could not tell from the outside whether their file was moving or simply parked.

What Changed in September 2026?

On 17 September 2026, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced a migration overhaul that included changing Direction 119 to give processing priority to construction, healthcare, agriculture, fisheries and teaching. Two days later, the Department of Home Affairs confirmed on its skilled visa processing priorities page that two new directions had taken effect and had replaced all processing priorities under MD 119.

Two other directions sit alongside these. MD 114 continues to cover the 188 and 132 business visas, and MD 120 (in effect since 25 July 2026) covers the 858 Global Talent visa and related talent visas.

The Biggest Change for Offshore Applicants: The Onshore Requirement Is Gone

If you are applying from Nepal or anywhere else outside Australia, this is the part of the update that matters most. MD 121 and MD 122 removed the onshore requirement for Priority 1.

• Under MD 119 (25 July to 19 September 2026): the priority tier for healthcare, teaching and construction applied to onshore applicants only. Offshore nurses, teachers and tradespeople were pushed down the queue, behind onshore applicants.

• Under MD 121 and MD 122 (from 19 September 2026): the Priority 1 tier is defined by sector, not by where you were when you lodged. An offshore applicant in a top-priority sector sits in Priority 1 alongside onshore applicants.

• Where location still matters: outside the priority sectors, applications lodged while the applicant was in Australia are still processed ahead of offshore applications.

The New Priority Order

This is the table most applicants actually need. Each tier is processed ahead of the one below it.

MD 121: Temporary Skilled Visas (Skills in Demand 482)

MD 122: Provisional and Permanent Skilled Visas

 

Source for both tables: Department of Home Affairs, skilled visa processing priorities page, as read on 9 October 2026.

How the Priority Sectors Are Defined: ANZSCO Code Groups

The Home Affairs summary page lists broad sector names such as healthcare, construction and teaching. It does not list occupation codes. The directions themselves go further: each sector is defined by reference to Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) code groupings and specific occupations. The full text of each direction is linked from the Home Affairs page (MD 121 and MD 122).

 

The Employer Nomination Risk

This is the point many applicants and employers miss. MD 121 and MD 122 govern visa applications, not employer nomination applications. Direction 119 covered both nominations and visas. The new directions order the visa application only, and they do not mention nomination applications.

That matters because an employer-sponsored visa depends on an approved nomination. A 482 cannot be granted until the nomination linked to it has been approved, and the same logic applies to the 186, 187 and 494 pathways. So a nurse or teacher whose visa application sits in Priority 1 can still be held up if the employer's nomination is waiting in its own, separate queue.

• Do not read "priority sector" as "my employer's nomination will move up too". The directions do not say that.

• Employers should check Home Affairs' published processing times for sponsorship and nomination, which are separate from visa processing times.

• Where possible, lodge the nomination early and make sure the sponsorship is approved before you count on the visa timeline.

• Ask your agent how the nomination is being processed on your file, not just the visa application.

 

Who Benefits From This Update

The sectors in the top tier are the ones where Australia has the clearest shortages. In practice that points to these groups, and because the onshore requirement is gone, offshore applicants in these groups benefit most:

• Nurses and healthcare workers. Many Nepali nurses are assessed for migration by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC), and healthcare is a named priority sector under both directions.

• Construction trades. Housing construction is at the centre of the government's housing target, and construction sits in the top tier.

• Agriculture, aquaculture and fishing workers. All three are named separately.

• Teachers. Teaching is a named priority sector.

• Resources. The Home Affairs page lists this sector too, which several media summaries left out.

What This Means If You Are Already in the Queue

You do not need to lodge again or ask for a re-assessment. The directions apply to applications waiting to be processed, so files in the newly prioritised sectors should start moving faster. How much faster is not something anyone can promise, and Home Affairs has not published new target processing times.

• If you are in a priority sector, expect your file to be picked up sooner than it would have been under Direction 119, whether you lodged onshore or offshore.

• If you are outside the priority sectors, you are still processed, but behind the priority tiers. Longer waits are possible.

• If you are on the 482 Specialist Skills stream, you sit in the second tier even if your occupation is outside the priority sectors.

• If you lodged onshore, you rank ahead of offshore lodgements within the tiers that follow the priority sectors.

• If your visa depends on an employer nomination, check that the nomination is moving as well (see the employer nomination section above).

How to Check Where Your Application Stands

A short routine will tell you more than waiting and refreshing your account.

• Read the current directions on the Home Affairs skilled visa processing priorities page and find your visa subclass.

• Confirm which sector your nominated occupation belongs to by checking its ANZSCO code against the direction text. Ask your registered migration agent to confirm this in writing rather than guessing.

• Check the status of your employer's nomination and sponsorship, not just your own visa application.

• Check your ImmiAccount for outstanding requests. Missing police certificates, health examinations and expired assessments are the usual reasons a file stalls even when it is high priority.

• Keep your skills assessment, English test result, passport and employer documents valid and ready, so you can respond within days if a case officer asks.

What We Still Do Not Know

• Home Affairs has not published updated processing time targets for the new tiers.

• The Home Affairs summary page does not list individual occupations under each sector. You need the ANZSCO groupings in the direction text to confirm your occupation.

• Directions can change again. This one replaced a direction that lasted only 56 days, so treat today's order as current, not permanent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1.  What Is Ministerial Direction 119?

Ministerial Direction 119 was the instruction that set the order in which skilled visa applications were processed from 25 July 2026. Home Affairs states that it has been replaced by Ministerial Directions 121 and 122, which took effect on 19 September 2026, so it no longer applies.

Q2.  Are Nursing Visas Being Processed Faster Now?

Healthcare is a named top-priority sector under both new directions, so nursing applications should be processed ahead of lower-priority files. Home Affairs has not published a new processing time, so no one can promise a specific timeframe.

Q3.  Does This Update Affect Onshore or Offshore Applications?

Both. Priority sectors come first regardless of where you lodged. After that, applications lodged while the applicant was in Australia are processed ahead of those lodged offshore.

Q4.  How Do I Know if My Occupation Is Now a Priority?

Check the sectors on the Home Affairs processing priorities page, then ask a registered migration agent to check your ANZSCO code against the direction text and confirm in writing whether your nominated occupation falls under one of them. Do not rely on the job title alone.

Q5.  Do Offshore Nurses, Teachers and Tradespeople Still Wait Behind Onshore Applicants?

Not in the top tier. Under Direction 119, the priority tier for healthcare, teaching and construction applied to onshore applicants only, which pushed offshore applicants down the queue. MD 121 and MD 122 removed that requirement, so an offshore applicant in a top-priority sector sits in Priority 1 alongside onshore applicants. Outside the priority sectors, onshore applications are still processed ahead of offshore ones.

Q6.  Do MD 121 and MD 122 Apply to Employer Nomination Applications?

No. The new directions set the processing order for visa applications. They do not mention nomination applications, whereas Direction 119 covered both. An employer-sponsored visa needs an approved nomination, so check the nomination timeline separately and do not assume it moves up with your visa.

Q7.  How Are the Priority Sectors Defined?

Home Affairs' summary page names broad sectors, but the directions define each sector using ANZSCO code groupings and specific occupations. Your ANZSCO code, not your job title, decides whether you fall within a priority sector.

Q8.  How Long Did Ministerial Direction 119 Last?

Direction 119 took effect on 25 July 2026 and was replaced on 19 September 2026, so it applied for just 56 days.

Q9.  Does Priority Processing Guarantee My Visa Will Be Approved?

No. A priority tier only changes the order in which applications are considered. You must still meet every visa criterion, and your file can still stall if documents such as police certificates, health examinations or assessments are missing or out of date.

Q10.  Do I Need to Lodge Again or Ask for a Re-Assessment?

No. The directions apply to applications waiting to be processed, so your file moves into the new order without any action from you. What you can do is keep your documents valid and respond quickly if a case officer contacts you.

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