The new Albanese Govt has taken many steps to address the skill shortage and visa backlogs. Minister Andrew Giles stated that the visa backlog would come to a โmanageableโ level before Christmas. Following Labor Governmentโs commitments regarding this matter, a Ministerial Direction (100) from the Department of Home Affairs was issued on October 27, 2022.
Direction 100 has nullified the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL). This priority occupation list was declared in 2020 to fill critical skills shortage to recover from the pandemic. There were only 44 occupations in the list. With PMSOL being removed, offshore skilled professionals from diverse backgrounds can now be eligible for priority processing.
This Direction also revokes the validity of previous two Directions related to order of priority, which are as follows:
- Direction 96 โ Order of Consideration for a number of skilled occupation.
- Direction 97 โ Order of Priority relating to Subclass 482 visa.
Scope of the New Direction (100)
The Direction 100 helps to speed up visa processing and to make it less complicated. It is applicable to the following visa subclasses:
- Subclass 124 (Distinguished Talent) Visa
- Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme)
- Subclass 187 (Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme)
- Subclass 188 (Business Innovation and Investment) (Provisional)
- Subclass 189 (Skilled – Independent)
- Subclass 190 (Skilled – Nominated)
- Subclass 191 (Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional))
- Subclass 457 (Temporary Work (Skilled))
- Subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage)
- Subclass 489 (Skilled – Regional (Provisional)
- Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)
- Subclass 494 (Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional)
- Subclass 858 (Global Talent)
- Subclass 887 (Skilled – Regional)
- Subclass 888 (Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent)
Australian immigration has recognised the need to process these visas with highest efficiency to satisfy the increasing demand for skilled labor from foreign nations.
Order of Priority Processing:
Outlined in the Direction 100, skilled visa applications will be processed according to the following order of priority:
- Healthcare and teaching related visa applications
- Applications where the applicants are nominated by an Approved sponsor (Employer) with Accredited Status.
- Visa applications for occupations which are meant for Designated Regional Areas
- Permanent or provisional visa applications that count towards the migration program (Subclass 188 visa excluded)
- All other visa applications.
For each category mentioned above, offshore applications (Permanent and provisional) will be given priority in processing.
The Direction 100 aims at bringing skilled workers to Australia to mitigate the skill shortages caused by the border closure during COVID-19 pandemic.
It has been designed to prioritize visa subclasses like 189, 190, 491, 482 and 494.
It also outlines fast and efficient processing of all Skilled, Business and Employer sponsored visas in general.
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