Our earlier post set out the new processing order. The order is only half the question. The other half is whether your occupation is actually in the top tier — and that turns on lists inside the Directions that are not published anywhere else.

Here they are in full.

Two things to hold on to first. Priority is not eligibility. Direction 121 says expressly that it does not change the composition of the skilled migration occupation lists, and that applicants must still meet the requirements in the Act and the Regulations. And this affects applications already lodged, not only new ones.

Construction

Defined by ANZSCO code, each of equal priority.

Worth noting: Engineering Managers at 1332 sit under Construction, which is wider than most people expect. Electricians are named individually rather than picked up through a group.

Healthcare

Worth noting: Sub-Major Group 25 is broad, taking in medical practitioners, nurses, midwives and allied health in a single line. Aged care and disability support are then named specifically at 423111, 423312 and 423313, so they are in the top tier in their own right rather than by implication.

Teaching

Covered in full in our earlier post, including why the label is misleading in both directions. In short: Minor Group 241 (School Teachers), Unit Group 1341 (Child Care Centre Managers), and 134311 School Principal, 134411 Faculty Head, 242111 University Lecturer, 242211 Vocational Education Teacher, 421111 Child Care Worker.

Resources

The Direction describes the sector as occupations where the nominated position directly supports the exploration, extraction and production of minerals, oil and gas, or coal resources, including mine closure, decommissioning and rehabilitation activities. It then lists:

Worth noting: the fitter and machinist codes at 3232 are common occupations well outside mining. The sector description does the limiting work, so what matters is what the nominated position actually supports.

Agriculture, Aquaculture or Fishing — a different kind of test

This one is not an ANZSCO list. It is a function test. The Direction defines it as an occupation where the nominated position is directly involved in primary produce production or supporting productivity, including:

• cultivation, production or harvesting of crops
• capture (fishing), breeding, raising, management or production of livestock, poultry, seafood or other primary agricultural products
• agricultural production support activities, including animal health, irrigation, quality assurance, inspection or farm supervision
• slaughter, dressing, boning, slicing, processing, preparation or inspection of livestock, poultry, seafood or other primary agricultural products for sale, distribution or consumption

Worth noting: because it is drafted by function rather than by code, meat processing and abattoir roles sit squarely inside it, as do irrigation and animal health roles. The evidence that matters here is what the position actually does, not what it is called.

Law enforcement and defence

Both are in the top tier, but neither is a general category. Law enforcement means an occupation in ANZSCO Unit Group 4413 (Police) where the applicant is nominated or sponsored by a named Australian police force. Defence has no ANZSCO code at all: it covers work relating to AUKUS Pillar I or II, or roles nominated, sponsored or supported by the ADF or the Department of Defence. Both run through government sponsorship, so they will not be relevant to most applicants.

If your occupation is not on any list

You are not shut out. You may still reach:

• priority 2 under Direction 121, if the role qualifies for the Specialist Skills stream of the Skills in Demand visa
• the onshore tier, if the primary applicant was in Australia when the application was made

And a delegate is required to depart from the order altogether where an application involves compelling circumstances — the examples given are community safety, the continuity of essential religious, cultural or community services in Australia, and Australia’s international relations.

One point on the Specialist Skills stream: Direction 121 does not define it. The definitions run alphabetically and there is nothing between “Resources sector occupation” and “Teaching occupation”. The Direction simply refers across to the stream as it exists in the Regulations.

Official sources

• Skilled visa processing priorities — Department of Home Affairs
• Ministerial Direction 121 (PDF)
• Ministerial Direction 122 (PDF)

Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is current as at 21 September 2026. The occupation lists are transcribed from the Directions as published; the Directions themselves are the authority and may be amended. This does not take your personal circumstances into account and should not be relied on as advice for your own application. For advice specific to your situation, speak to a Registered Migration Agent.