Source update
Subclass 189
Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa: processing update
Home Affairs updated the processing priority notice. Priority sector and onshore applications lodged up to June 2026 are now being processed.
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Read summaries of official changes and reference guides. Each item links to its original source.
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Reference collections are labelled as guides. They are not announcements of visa-rule changes.
Source update
Subclass 189
Permanent and regional skilled visas processed under Ministerial Direction No. 122
The Department advises that applications for the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated (subclass 190), Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (subclass 494) visas are now prioritised under Ministerial Direction No. 122. Priority goes to the construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources sectors and to Australia's law enforcement and defence interests, then to applicants who were in Australia at lodgement, ahead of applicants outside Australia. The Department notes that published allocation dates and processing timeframes may fluctuate during the transition.
Official guides
Subclass 189
Skilled Independent visa — official guides
Official information and reference links for the Skilled Independent visa. This is a reference collection, not an announcement of a visa-rule change.
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Subclass 189 updates
Source-checked official updates about the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189).
Subclass 500 updates
Source-checked official updates about the Student visa (subclass 500).
Subclasses 820 and 801 updates
Source-checked official updates about the combined Partner visa pathway (subclasses 820 and 801).