Overseas nurses, teachers and other skilled workers face waits of up to 12 months to enter Australia under new visa processing priorities introduced by the Albanese Government.

As per ABC News, the July directive from Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke prioritises skilled workers already in Australia, while most offshore applicants have been pushed to the back of the queue.

Defence and law enforcement workers receive the highest priority, followed by construction, healthcare and teaching workers who are already in Australia.

Most skilled workers applying from overseas fall into the lowest priority category unless they work in defence or law enforcement.

The change has triggered warnings from business groups already struggling to fill critical vacancies.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox told ABC that some visa decisions had stretched from weeks to almost a year, describing the system as an “emergency stopping lane” after the post-COVID processing “fast lane”.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar sadded that the Government risked slowing access to workers needed by Australian businesses.

The changes come as Burke prepares a broader migration overhaul aimed at reducing Net Overseas Migration from about 300,000 to 225,000 by 2028.

The new processing order does not change eligibility requirements for skilled visas, but it determines which applications are considered first.

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