At a glance
MD 121 · 122
5 facts · 6 October 2026
Commenced
19 September 2026
Replace
Ministerial Direction 119 (25 July 2026)
Ministerial Direction 121
Skills in Demand (subclass 482), five tiers
Ministerial Direction 122
Ten provisional and permanent subclasses, four tiers
Applies to
Applications already lodged, and new ones
The Department of Home Affairs has published Ministerial Direction 121, for temporary skilled visas, and Ministerial Direction 122, for provisional and permanent skilled visas. Both commenced on 19 September 2026 and together replace every processing priority that applied under Ministerial Direction 119, which had commenced on 25 July 2026. The Directions are made under the Migration Act 1958.
Under both Directions, applications relating to the construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources sectors, or to Australia’s law enforcement and defence interests, are considered first, whether the applicant was in or outside Australia. Under Ministerial Direction 121, Skills in Demand applications in the Specialist Skills stream come next. After that, in both Directions, applications made in Australia rank ahead of applications made outside Australia, and an applicant outside Australia whose application is not combined with another person’s ranks ahead of one whose application is.
Ministerial Direction 121 covers the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa and the former Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa. Ministerial Direction 122 covers subclasses 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 489, 491, 494, 887 and 888. The Directions apply to applications lodged on or after 19 September 2026 and to applications lodged earlier that had not been finally decided.
The Directions change the order of consideration only. They do not change the skilled occupation lists or any visa criteria, they do not set processing times, and a higher tier is not a guarantee of a grant.
What it means
- Whether an occupation sits in a priority sector is decided by the sector definitions in the Directions, by ANZSCO group and code or by the nature of the work. Adjacent is not included.
- Outside the priority sectors, where the primary applicant was when the application was made now sets the order, and applying alone from offshore ranks ahead of applying with family members.
- The Directions order the queue. Eligibility is still decided by the Migration Act, the Regulations and the instruments in force.
General information only, current at 6 October 2026. Not immigration assistance. Source: Ministerial Directions 121 and 122. Eligibility depends on your circumstances and on the law as it stands on the day you apply.
Shoreline Migration · Registered Migration Agent · MARN 2619597
