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Applying for an Australian skilled visa from the UK? Where you now sit in the processing queue

Visa guide · 2026-09-21 · 4 min read

Most people applying for an Australian skilled visa from the UK will lodge from outside Australia, and that detail now matters more than it used to. On 19 September 2026 the Department of Home Affairs brought in two new Ministerial Directions, MD 121 and MD 122. They replace the earlier priority order under MD 119 and decide which applications are picked up first across almost every main skilled visa.

Here is how the new order works and what it means for you.

Why the order matters

Applications are not dealt with strictly in the order they arrive. Home Affairs ranks them by government priority, and your place in that ranking can be the difference between a fairly quick decision and a long wait. Your occupation, where you are when you lodge and whether your application is combined with family members all play a part.

The 482 and other temporary skilled visas: MD 121

MD 121 covers the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa and the Temporary Skill Shortage visa it replaced. Applications are taken in this order:

1. Priority sectors: construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources, plus anything linked to defence or law enforcement.
2. Applicants in the Specialist Skills stream of the Skills in Demand visa.
3. People who were already in Australia when they applied.
4. People applying on their own, without a combined partner or family application, from outside Australia.
5. Everyone else.

So if your occupation is outside the priority sectors and you apply from the UK together with your partner or children, you are likely to be near the back.

Permanent and provisional skilled visas: MD 122

MD 122 covers a much longer list, including the Skilled Independent (189), Skilled Nominated (190) and Employer Nomination Scheme (186) visas, the regional provisional visas 491, 494 and 489, and the permanent 191 and 887 visas. The order is shorter:

1. Applications in priority sectors or in the national interest, using the same industries as above.
2. People who were in Australia when they applied.
3. People applying on their own from overseas.
4. All other applications.

Where UK applicants are likely to land

• Nurses, carers, builders, electricians, teachers and farm workers: if your work falls in a priority sector, your application should move faster than it would have under MD 119, wherever you apply from.
• Other occupations, applying alone from the UK: you sit behind priority sectors and onshore applicants, but ahead of combined family applications.
• Families applying together from the UK: combined applications lodged from overseas are lowest in the new order, so allow for a longer wait in your plans.

None of this changes whether you qualify for a visa. It only affects when your application is likely to be looked at.

Directions that still apply

Two older directions continue alongside MD 121 and MD 122:

• MD 114 covers the closed Business Innovation and Investment (188) and Business Talent (132) visas.
• MD 120, in effect since 25 July 2026, covers Class BX (858) visas, including the National Innovation visa and the closed Distinguished Talent and Global Talent programmes.

Reading the processing time estimates

The processing time tool on the Home Affairs website is a rough guide only. It reflects how long recently finished applications took, not a forecast for yours, and it does not look at the details of your case. Treat it as a general benchmark. You can find it, along with each visa's own page, on the Department of Home Affairs visa listing.

Keep your application clean

With priority so closely tied to how and where you lodge, a complete and accurate application matters more than ever. Mistakes or missing documents can knock you out of a faster track. UK documents are already in English, so translations are rarely needed, but check whether certified copies are required, and for many Australian work visas a current UK passport counts as meeting the English language requirement. If you are unsure where you will sit, get qualified advice before you submit. To find employers in the priority sectors, browse our jobs page.

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