The Minister for Immigration has updated his directions to the Department of Home Affairs which outline the order of processing for permanent skilled and temporary work visas (specifically the Subclass 482 visas). A summary of the new priority processing order is provided by Immigration Rules Australia.

Both Directions 91 and 92 give the highest priority to Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport holders in each group. For example, Hong Kong Nationals applying for a Sc 188 Significant Investor visa will receive the highest priority of applicants for that visa but will receive lower priority than applicants of other nationalities applying for the Sc 186 Employer Sponsored Skilled Migration visa. This continues the commitment Australia made in 2020 to assist Hong Kong residents leave the country.

Direction 92 outlines the order in which all permanent or provisional skilled migration visas are to be processed. Direction 93 outlines the order in which 482 visa application will be processed by the Department of Home Affairs. While the priority processing lists are complex, they are not a radical departure from the Directions already in place for the 2020/2021 program year.