Top-Priority Occupations Experiencing Rapid Visa Approval Rates in Australia

A ministerial directive that recently went into force has brought attention to the necessity of assisting regional Australia by expediting the visa application process for companies in regional Australia that are hiring skilled labour.

The Australian government has prioritized employer-sponsored visas in remote areas with an emphasis on expediting those in the education and healthcare sectors, as per their newest directive.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, “the new Direction increases applications for employer-sponsored visas for all occupations to be carried out in regional Australia to the highest priority,” 

“The priority is for all occupations to be carried out in a regional area under the Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482), Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186 and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 494) visas as they fill an identified shortage and are guaranteed to be in regional Australia,” the department stated.

“Employers and localities in Australia that continue to experience severe shortages in all sectors and industries will benefit from this reform.”

“Given the reduction in the visa backlog, this change in priority will have a minor impact on processing times for the healthcare and education sectors,” a representative for the department stated.

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What is the Number of Visas Issued in the Healthcare and Education Sectors?

The Department of Home Affairs issued 6,466 Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) visas to employees in the health care and social assistance sectors during the 2022–2023 program year.

A little more than 1,060 visas were issued for the field of education and training. Additionally, the department authorized 17,061 permanent visas for candidates working in the healthcare industry, a 108.2% increase from the 8,195 visas granted in 2021–2022.

The industry with the greatest volume of applications for both temporary and permanent skilled visas is still the healthcare sector. The department claims that tailored invitation rounds for the industry helped with this.

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