Australia's Priority Occupations for Skilled Visas: The Full 2026 List

Where the "seven" comes from

Section 6(3) of Direction 122 sets the order in which applications are considered. Its first and highest group is:

"visa applications made by a primary applicant in relation to an occupation in construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, and resources sectors, or an occupation related to Australia's law enforcement or defence interests"

Count the sector names and there are seven. Law enforcement and defence sit in the same group but are written as interests rather than sectors, which is why most reports leave them out. Direction 121 opens its order with the same words. The preamble of both Directions gives the reason: priority goes to these sectors, "ensuring the skilled migration program is targeted to support key industries and strategically important occupations that are in the national interest".

The sector words are only the headline. The interpretation section of each Direction (section 5(2) of Direction 122, section 6(2) of Direction 121) then says what each sector means, in the same words in both:

• Construction, healthcare and teaching are lists of ANZSCO groups and single occupations. ANZSCO, the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, is the coding system the skilled occupation lists use. A sub-major group takes in every occupation whose six-digit code starts with its two digits, a minor group its three digits and a unit group its four.
• Resources starts from the job: "an occupation 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 the ANZSCO groups and occupations it includes.
• Agriculture, aquaculture and fishing are defined by the job alone, with no occupation codes.
• Law enforcement is one ANZSCO group, Police (4413), where one of the named police forces nominates or sponsors the applicant.
• Defence is defined by the work or the sponsor.

So for most people the question is not which of seven occupations they are in, but whether their ANZSCO code sits in one of the named groups.

Which visas, and the order they are processed in

Direction 122 covers ten provisional and permanent visas: the 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 489, 491, 494, 887 and 888. Its order, from first to last:

1. Applications by a primary applicant in a priority sector, or in law enforcement or defence.
2. All other applications where the primary applicant was in Australia when the application was made.
3. Applications where the primary applicant was outside Australia when the application was made, and the application is not combined with another person's application at any time.
4. All other applications.

Direction 121 covers the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) and the Temporary Skill Shortage 482 it replaced on 7 December 2024. It has the same order with one extra step: applications in the Specialist Skills stream come second, after the priority sectors and before everyone else.

Three points the short versions of the story miss:

• The first group has no onshore or offshore condition. An application in a priority occupation is in the first group whether the applicant applied from inside or outside Australia. Where the applicant was matters only in the groups below it.
• Family members follow the primary applicant. An application combined with the primary applicant's "in a way permitted by the Regulations" gets the same priority.
• It applies to applications already lodged. Both Directions apply to applications "made, but not finally determined" before they started, as well as to new ones.

Together the two Directions replaced Direction 119, which had covered the whole skilled program from 25 July 2026. Our guide to Directions 121 and 122 covers the rest of their terms.

How much of each list is in the first group

Here is how many of the occupations open to each visa fall in a priority sector, by our count of the lists:

• 189 Skilled Independent: 117 of 212 occupations.
• 190 Skilled Nominated: 170 of 427.
• 491 Skilled Work Regional: 185 of 504.
• 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional: 193 of 650.
• 482 Skills in Demand and 186 Employer Nomination Scheme: 174 of 457.

By list, 118 of the 216 occupations on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) are in a priority sector, 53 of the 216 on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL), 22 of the 220 on the Regional Occupation List (ROL) and 173 of the 458 on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL).

More than half of the occupations open to the 189 are in the first group, because the MLTSSL is weighted towards health professionals, engineers and construction trades. The regional lists go the other way: fewer than one in three of the occupations open to the 494 are.

Healthcare: 120 occupations

Healthcare covers ANZSCO Sub-Major Group 25 (Health Professionals), Minor Group 411 (Health and Welfare Support Workers), five unit groups (Medical Scientists, Counsellors, Psychologists, Social Workers and Medical Technicians) and three named aged care occupations. Every registered nurse, midwife, doctor, dentist, pharmacist and allied health professional on the lists is in it, and so are enrolled nurses, ambulance officers and paramedics, dental hygienists, community workers and youth workers.

The healthcare occupations on the skilled lists, by the group that brings them in:

• Health Professionals (Sub-Major Group 25): Acupuncturist (252211), Anaesthetist (253211), Audiologist (252711), Cardiologist (253312), Cardiothoracic Surgeon (253512), Chiropractor (252111), Clinical Haematologist (253313), Complementary Health Therapists nec (252299), Dental Specialist (252311), Dentist (252312), Dermatologist (253911), Diagnostic and Interventional Radiologist (253917), Dietitian (251111), Emergency Medicine Specialist (253912), Endocrinologist (253315), Environmental Health Officer (251311), Gastroenterologist (253316), General Practitioner (253111), Health Diagnostic and Promotion Professionals nec (251999), Health Promotion Officer (251911), Homoeopath (252212), Hospital Pharmacist (251511), Industrial Pharmacist (251512), Intensive Care Specialist (253317), Medical Diagnostic Radiographer (251211), Medical Oncologist (253314), Medical Practitioners nec (253999), Medical Radiation Therapist (251212), Midwife (254111), Naturopath (252213), Neurologist (253318), Neurosurgeon (253513), Nuclear Medicine Technologist (251213), Nurse Educator (254211), Nurse Manager (254311), Nurse Practitioner (254411), Nurse Researcher (254212), Nutritionist (251112), Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (253913), Occupational Health and Safety Adviser (251312), Occupational Therapist (252411), Ophthalmologist (253914), Optometrist (251411), Orthopaedic Surgeon (253514), Orthoptist (251412), Orthotist or Prosthetist (251912), Osteopath (252112), Otorhinolaryngologist (253515), Paediatric Surgeon (253516), Paediatrician (253321), Pathologist (253915), Physiotherapist (252511), Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon (253517), Podiatrist (252611), Psychiatrist (253411), Radiation Oncologist (253918), Registered Nurse (Aged Care) (254412), Registered Nurse (Child and Family Health) (254413), Registered Nurse (Community Health) (254414), Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency) (254415), Registered Nurse (Developmental Disability) (254416), Registered Nurse (Disability and Rehabilitation) (254417), Registered Nurse (Medical Practice) (254421), Registered Nurse (Medical) (254418), Registered Nurse (Mental Health) (254422), Registered Nurse (Paediatrics) (254425), Registered Nurse (Perioperative) (254423), Registered Nurse (Surgical) (254424), Registered Nurses nec (254499), Renal Medicine Specialist (253322), Resident Medical Officer (253112), Retail Pharmacist (251513), Rheumatologist (253323), Sonographer (251214), Specialist Physician (General Medicine) (253311), Specialist Physicians nec (253399), Speech Pathologist (252712), Surgeon (General) (253511), Thoracic Medicine Specialist (253324), Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (252214), Urologist (253518), Vascular Surgeon (253521).
• Health and Welfare Support Workers (Minor Group 411): Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker (411511), Ambulance Officer (411111), Community Worker (411711), Dental Hygienist (411211), Dental Prosthetist (411212), Dental Technician (411213), Dental Therapist (411214), Disabilities Services Officer (411712), Diversional Therapist (411311), Enrolled Nurse (411411), Family Support Worker (411713), Intensive Care Ambulance Paramedic (411112), Massage Therapist (411611), Mothercraft Nurse (411412), Residential Care Officer (411715), Youth Worker (411716).
• Medical Scientists (Unit Group 2346): Medical Laboratory Scientist (234611), Respiratory Scientist (234612).
• Counsellors (Unit Group 2721): Careers Counsellor (272111), Counsellors nec (272199), Drug and Alcohol Counsellor (272112), Family and Marriage Counsellor (272113), Rehabilitation Counsellor (272114), Student Counsellor (272115).
• Psychologists (Unit Group 2723): Clinical Psychologist (272311), Educational Psychologist (272312), Organisational Psychologist (272313), Psychologists nec (272399), Psychotherapist (272314).
• Social Workers (Unit Group 2725): Social Worker (272511).
• Medical Technicians (Unit Group 3112): Anaesthetic Technician (311211), Cardiac Technician (311212), Medical Laboratory Technician (311213), Medical Technicians nec (311299), Operating Theatre Technician (311214), Pathology Collector (311216), Pharmacy Technician (311215), Respiratory Technician (311217).

The three named occupations, Aged or Disabled Carer (423111), Nursing Support Worker (423312) and Personal Care Assistant (423313), are not on any of the skilled occupation lists. They are mostly sponsored through an employer's Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, or a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) that covers them, and the Directions put them in the healthcare sector all the same. Veterinarians are not in the healthcare definition; see agriculture below.

Construction: 53 occupations

Construction covers ANZSCO Sub-Major Groups 33 (Construction Trades Workers) and 82 (Construction and Mining Labourers), 13 unit groups from construction and engineering managers to earthmoving plant operators, and the two electrician occupations. It reaches well past builders: architects, civil, structural and geotechnical engineers, quantity surveyors, building inspectors, construction estimators, draftspersons, welders and metal fabricators are all in it.

The construction occupations on the skilled lists:

• Construction Trades Workers (Sub-Major Group 33): Airconditioning and Mechanical Services Plumber (334112), Bricklayer (331111), Carpenter (331212), Carpenter and Joiner (331211), Drainer (334113), Fibrous Plasterer (333211), Fire Protection Plumber (334117), Floor Finisher (332111), Gasfitter (334114), Glazier (333111), Joiner (331213), Painter (332211), Painting Trades Worker (332211), Plasterer (Wall and Ceiling) (333211), Plumber (General) (334116), Renderer (Solid Plaster) (333212), Roof Plumber (334115), Roof Tiler (333311), Solid Plasterer (333212), Stonemason (331112), Wall and Floor Tiler (333411).
• Construction Managers (Unit Group 1331): Construction Project Manager (133111), Project Builder (133112).
• Engineering Managers (Unit Group 1332): Engineering Manager (133211).
• Architects and Landscape Architects (Unit Group 2321): Architect (232111), Landscape Architect (232112).
• Civil Engineering Professionals (Unit Group 2332): Civil Engineer (233211), Geotechnical Engineer (233212), Quantity Surveyor (233213), Structural Engineer (233214), Transport Engineer (233215).
• Architectural, Building and Surveying Technicians (Unit Group 3121): Architectural Draftsperson (312111), Architectural, Building and Surveying Technicians nec (312199), Building Associate (312112), Building Inspector (312113), Construction Estimator (312114), Plumbing Inspector (312115), Surveying or Spatial Science Technician (312116).
• Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians (Unit Group 3122): Civil Engineering Draftsperson (312211), Civil Engineering Technician (312212).
• Safety Inspectors (Unit Group 3126): Safety Inspector (312611).
• Other Building and Engineering Technicians (Unit Group 3129): Building and Engineering Technicians nec (312999), Maintenance Planner (312911), Metallurgical or Materials Technician (312912), Mine Deputy (312913), Other Draftsperson (312914).
• Sheetmetal Workers (Unit Group 3222): Sheetmetal Trades Worker (322211), Sheetmetal Worker (322211).
• Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers (Unit Group 3223): Metal Fabricator (322311), Pressure Welder (322312), Welder (First Class) (322313).
• Occupations named one by one: Electrician (General) (341111), Electrician (Special Class) (341112).

Four of the groups the Directions name have no occupation on the skilled lists: Construction and Mining Labourers (82), Clay, Concrete, Glass and Stone Processing Machine Operators (7111), Crane, Hoist and Lift Operators (7121) and Earthmoving Plant Operators (7212). An occupation that is not on a list can be sponsored only through a labour agreement, such as a DAMA, that covers it.

Some building-site trades are outside the definition. Of the electrical trades only the two electrician codes are named, so Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic (342111) is not in it, and neither is Cabinetmaker (394111). Mechanical and electrical engineers are not in it either: the engineering professionals named are the civil engineering group (2332) and, under resources, mining engineers (2336).

Teaching: 15 occupations

Teaching covers Minor Group 241 (School Teachers), Unit Group 1341 (Child Care Centre Managers) and five named occupations: School Principal, Faculty Head, University Lecturer, Vocational Education Teacher and Child Care Worker.

The teaching occupations on the skilled lists:

• School Teachers (Minor Group 241): Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher (241111), Middle School Teacher (241311), Primary School Teacher (241213), Secondary School Teacher (241411), Special Education Teachers nec (241599), Special Needs Teacher (241511), Teacher of the Hearing Impaired (241512), Teacher of the Sight Impaired (241513).
• Child Care Centre Managers (Unit Group 1341): Child Care Centre Manager (134111).
• Occupations named one by one: Child Care Worker (421111), Child Care Worker (group leaders only) (421111), Faculty Head (134411), School Principal (134311), University Lecturer (242111), Vocational Education Teacher (242211).

The named occupations are exact. University Lecturer (242111) is in, but University Tutor (242112) is not. Teachers outside schools, such as Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (249311), Music Teacher (Private Tuition) (249214) and Education Adviser (249111), are not in it either, because Minor Group 249 is not named.

Resources: 14 occupations, depending on the job

Resources is the one coded sector where the code is not enough on its own. The Directions define a resources sector occupation as "an occupation 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", and say this includes occupations in Mining Engineers (2336), Geologists, Geophysicists and Hydrogeologists (2344), Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers (7122) and nine named occupations.

The resources occupations on the skilled lists, each counting only where the job supports the resources sector:

• Mining Engineers (Unit Group 2336): Mining Engineer (excluding Petroleum) (233611), Petroleum Engineer (233612).
• Geologists, Geophysicists and Hydrogeologists (Unit Group 2344): Geologist (234411), Geophysicist (234412), Hydrogeologist (234413).
• Occupations named one by one: Fitter (General) (323211), Fitter and Turner (323212), Fitter-Welder (323213), Metal Fitters and Machinists nec (323299), Metal Machinist (First Class) (323214), Metallurgist (234912), Other Spatial Scientist (232214), Production Manager (Mining) (133513), Surveyor (232212).

So a Fitter and Turner (323212) whose nominated position maintains equipment at a mine fits the words of the definition, and the same occupation in a food factory does not. No occupation in Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers (7122) is on the skilled lists.

The text leaves two questions open. First, the definition starts from the job and says it "includes" the listed occupations, which reads as examples rather than a closed list, so a position in another occupation that directly supports the sector may also be argued to count. Second, it turns on the "nominated position", which fits employer-sponsored visas such as the 482, 186 and 494. The Directions don't say how it applies where there is no nominated position, as with the 189. How the department reads both points will show only in its decisions.

Agriculture, aquaculture and fishing: defined by the job

These three sectors have no occupation codes at all. The Directions define them together as "an occupation where the nominated position is directly involved in primary produce production or supporting productivity", including:

• the cultivation, production or harvesting of crops;
• the 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;
• the slaughter, dressing, boning, slicing, processing, preparation or inspection of livestock, poultry, seafood or other primary agricultural products for sale, distribution or consumption.

That is why no list of agriculture occupations exists. Occupations on the skilled lists that often sit in this work include Aquaculture Farmer (121111), Dairy Cattle Farmer (121313), Agricultural Consultant (234111), Agricultural Scientist (234112), Veterinarian (234711), Agricultural Technician (311111) and Meat Inspector (311312). None of them is in the first group by its code alone; it depends on whether the nominated position is directly involved in that work. A vet working on herd health for a dairy farm is the kind of position the words describe; a city pet clinic is not obviously one. As with resources, the Directions don't say how this applies to a visa with no nominated position.

Law enforcement and defence

Law enforcement means an occupation in ANZSCO Unit Group 4413 (Police) where the applicant is nominated or sponsored by the Australian Federal Police, New South Wales Police Force, Northern Territory Police Force, Queensland Police Service, South Australia Police, Tasmania Police, Victoria Police or Western Australia Police Force. Police is not on any of the skilled occupation lists.

Defence means an occupation in relation to, or supporting the delivery of, AUKUS Pillar I (conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines) or Pillar II (advanced capability development). It also covers an applicant nominated or sponsored by the Australian Defence Force or the Department of Defence, and one with a letter of support from either who will ordinarily work at a defence facility or whose occupation supports the production or supply of defence-related materiel or technology. Like agriculture, it is defined by the work and the sponsor, not by an occupation code.

What priority does and doesn't do

Being in the first group changes when an application is looked at, not whether it succeeds. Direction 122 says so in its preamble: "This Direction does not change the composition of the skilled migration occupation lists. Applicants must meet the requirements set out in the Act and the Regulations in order to be granted a visa." Direction 121 has the same words.

In practice:

• It doesn't add occupations to the lists. Aged or Disabled Carer is in the healthcare sector and is still not on a list.
• It doesn't change the criteria. Skills assessment, English, points, age, health and character requirements are unchanged.
• It doesn't get anyone invited. For the 189, 190 and 491, a person can apply only once invited through SkillSelect, and the Directions order applications already lodged. Who is invited is decided separately; see our page on SkillSelect invitation rounds in 2026-27.
• It doesn't promise a time frame. The Directions set an order, not a deadline. Home Affairs publishes processing times on each visa page.
• A delegate can depart from it. A decision-maker is to move an application out of order if satisfied that it "involves compelling circumstances affecting community safety, or the continuity of essential religious, cultural or community services in Australia". Direction 121 adds Australia's international relations.
• Some applications are outside it. The Directions don't apply to applications the Administrative Review Tribunal (or the former Administrative Appeals Tribunal) has remitted for reconsideration, or where it is readily apparent that the visa criteria won't be met, among others.

Priority still matters. When there are more applications than places, the order decides who waits. But it is a place in a queue, not a visa.

If you are applying from outside Australia

Most of the October posts were written for readers outside Australia. Three things are worth knowing.

• The first group applies offshore too. A registered nurse applying from Lagos, Accra or Manila is in the same first group as one applying from Sydney.
• Below the first group, onshore comes first. Offshore applicants in other occupations are in the third or fourth group under Direction 122. Under Direction 121 they are in the fourth or fifth, unless they applied in the Specialist Skills stream, which comes second.
• Nobody can sell a place in the first group. It follows from the occupation, the visa and, for some sectors, the job. An offer of "priority processing" for a fee, or of a job in return for payment, is a reason to stop and check. An agent's registration can be checked on the public register of migration agents.

How people in these occupations actually get the job

Being in the first group doesn't find anyone a job, and for most of these occupations the job comes before the visa. Home Affairs' Australia's Migration Trends 2024-25 reports 68,197 temporary skilled visas (the 482 and the old 457) granted to primary applicants in 2024-25: 43,765 (64%) went to people who were already in Australia and 24,432 to people outside it. The usual path is a student, graduate or working holiday visa, then a local job, then sponsorship.

Hiring from overseas costs an employer more than hiring locally. Before most 482 and 494 nominations the employer has to advertise the job in Australia (at least two advertisements, each running at least four weeks, within the four months before the nomination), pay at least the Core Skills Income Threshold ($79,423 in 2026-27) and pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy, which the sponsor can't pass on to the worker. So employers go overseas when they can't fill the job locally, and the overseas routes that work are organised ones:

• Health: state health services and hospitals run international recruitment for nurses, midwives and doctors, once the person can be registered in Australia.
• Aged care: the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, where the employer holds the agreement and recruits abroad, often through an agency.
• Regional employers: a designated area migration agreement, which lets employers in that region nominate occupations and concessions the standard program doesn't offer.
• Trades and engineering: labour-hire firms that hold their own on-hire labour agreement.

Two things to know before paying anyone. Nobody can lawfully charge you for a job offer or for sponsorship: asking for or receiving a benefit in return for a sponsorship-related event is an offence under section 245AR of the Migration Act, punishable by up to two years' imprisonment, and the one exception is a reasonable fee for a professional service actually provided. Queensland's code of conduct for private employment agents separately bars an agent from taking a fee from a work seeker as a condition of finding them work. The recruiters that place overseas workers are paid by the employer, so a recruiter who wants a fee from you is the one to walk away from. Our guides cover how to find an employer to sponsor you, why Australian employers reject overseas applicants, and how sponsorship works for registered nurses.

For the points-tested visas (the 189, 190 and 491) no employer is needed, but an invitation is: see the SkillSelect invitation rounds for 2026-27.

How we built this list

We read the definitions in the signed copies of Directions 121 and 122 on the Home Affairs website and matched each one against every occupation on the four skilled occupation lists (MLTSSL, STSOL, ROL and CSOL), as we last read them from Home Affairs on 12 August 2026. A group matches every occupation whose code starts with the group's digits; a named occupation matches its own code only.

The count of 202 includes the 14 resources occupations that depend on the job, and leaves out agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and defence, which have no codes. A few occupations appear on the lists under two titles with the same code, such as Painter and Painting Trades Worker (332211). We count each title as the lists show it; by distinct ANZSCO code the figure is 198.

Each occupation's own page on Migratio now shows whether it is in a priority sector, from the same definitions. If a list changes, the count changes with it. This page reports where codes sit. Whether a particular application is in the first group depends on its facts, which a registered migration agent can check.

Has Australia published a list of seven priority occupations?

No. Directions 121 and 122 name seven sectors (construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources) plus law enforcement and defence, and define them by occupation code or by the job. By our count, 202 of the 691 occupations on the skilled lists fall in those sectors.

Is registered nurse a priority occupation?

Yes. Registered nurses are in ANZSCO Sub-Major Group 25, Health Professionals, which the healthcare definition includes, so every registered nurse occupation on the lists is in the first group. So are midwives, nurse practitioners and enrolled nurses (411411).

Are cooks and chefs priority occupations?

No. Chef (351311) and Cook (351411) are in ANZSCO's food trades group, which the Directions don't name. Both are still on the skilled lists, but applications go into the groups below the priority sectors, ordered by where the applicant was when they applied.

Is software engineer a priority occupation?

No. ICT professionals such as Software Engineer (261313) are not in any priority sector, and neither are mechanical or electrical engineers. Their applications are processed in the onshore and offshore groups that follow.

Will a priority occupation get me permanent residency faster?

It moves a lodged application up the processing order. It doesn't change the criteria, add points or promise a time frame, and for the 189, 190 and 491 you still need an invitation before you can apply.

Do I need a job offer to be in the first group?

The Directions don't add one. For construction, healthcare and teaching the occupation code decides it. Resources, and agriculture, aquaculture and fishing, are defined by the nominated position, which points to an employer-sponsored job.

When did the priority order start, and does it cover applications already lodged?

Both Directions started on 19 September 2026. They apply to applications that were lodged but not finally decided by then, as well as to new ones.

Are aged care workers priority occupations?

The Directions name Aged or Disabled Carer (423111), Nursing Support Worker (423312) and Personal Care Assistant (423313) in healthcare. None of the three is on the skilled lists, so they are mostly sponsored through an employer's Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement.

Does this apply to the 482 visa?

Yes, through Direction 121, with the same priority sectors first. Applications in the Specialist Skills stream come second, then other applicants who were in Australia when they applied, then those who applied from outside Australia.

Where is the official list?

The definitions are in the interpretation sections of Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 on the Home Affairs website. Home Affairs' processing priorities page names the sectors but not the occupation codes.