- Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has issued Ministerial Direction 122, setting out the order in which certain skilled visa applications are prioritized for processing
- Priority sectors include construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources, alongside work supporting Australia’s law enforcement and defense interests
- The directive covers 10 visa subclasses, with applicants who were physically in Australia when they lodged their applications receiving priority over other applicants within the same processing framework
Australia has outlined which skilled visa applications will receive priority processing under Ministerial Direction 122, a government directive that establishes an order for handling selected provisional and permanent skilled visa applications.
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The Department of Home Affairs framework identifies industries considered important to Australia’s workforce needs and sets out how applications are prioritized.
For foreign workers considering migration to Australia, including applicants from Kenya and other African countries, the directive provides information about which sectors receive priority. However, being employed in a listed industry does not automatically guarantee visa approval or a faster decision.
Which sectors receive priority in Australia?
Under Ministerial Direction 122, the following sectors receive the highest processing priority:
- Construction
- Healthcare
- Teaching
- Agriculture
- Aquaculture
- Fishing
- Resources
The priority framework also includes applicants whose work supports Australia’s law enforcement and defence interests.
The listed sectors reflect the areas identified in the directive for priority handling of skilled visa applications.
How Australia ranks skilled visa applications
The directive establishes a processing order for applications covered by the policy.
Applications associated with the specified priority sectors and Australia's law enforcement and defence interests are placed in the highest-priority category.
The framework then gives priority to applicants who were physically present in Australia when they lodged their applications, ahead of applicants who were outside the country, subject to the directive’s other priority rules.
Offshore applications that are not linked to another person's application fall into the next category. Other applications covered by the directive are processed afterwards.
These rules establish the order in which applications are considered; they do not guarantee a particular processing time or a successful visa outcome.
Which Australian visa subclasses are covered?
Ministerial Direction 122 applies to 10 visa subclasses covering different skilled migration pathways:
- Subclass 186: Employer Nomination Scheme visa.
- Subclass 187: Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa.
- Subclass 189: Skilled Independent visa.
- Subclass 190: Skilled Nominated visa.
- Subclass 191: Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa.
- Subclass 489: Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa.
- Subclass 491: Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa.
- Subclass 494: Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa.
- Subclass 887: Skilled Regional visa.
- Subclass 888: Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa.
The subclasses cover employer-sponsored, regional, points-tested and other migration pathways, although eligibility requirements differ for each visa.
What the directive means for prospective migrants
For skilled workers planning to move to Australia, the directive highlights the importance of understanding both their occupation and the visa category under which they intend to apply.
Applicants working in the listed priority sectors may benefit from the processing order established by the policy, provided their applications fall within its scope.
However, occupation alone does not determine eligibility. Applicants must still meet the relevant visa requirements, and those working outside the priority sectors may be placed lower in the processing queue.
Prospective applicants should consult the Australian Department of Home Affairs for the full text of Ministerial Direction 122 and the current requirements for their intended visa subclass before making migration plans.
Australia lists 456 skilled jobs for visa applicants
TUKO.co.ke reported that Australia published a list of 456 occupations eligible for its Core Skills visa pathway, offering skilled foreign workers options to explore employment opportunities.
The list covers sectors such as healthcare, engineering, information technology, education, construction, agriculture and hospitality.
Applicants must confirm that their occupation qualifies and meet the other visa requirements before applying.
Source: Legit.ng