Visa priority shift forces offshore nurses and teachers into year-long wait

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke issued a July directive that reshuffles the order in which skilled and employer-sponsored visas are processed, placing offshore applicants behind those already in Australia and behind defence and law-enforcement candidates. As a result, offshore nurses, teachers and other skilled workers now confront delays that can stretch to 12 months, a sharp increase from the previous few-week timelines.

Industry voices, including Jamie Lingham of Absolute Immigration Group and Innes Willox of the Australian Industry Group, criticize the policy as a blunt tool that threatens the country’s economic growth and standards of living. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Andrew McKellar added that the change follows a separate pause on Working Holiday Maker visas. Minister Burke is preparing a wider migration overhaul aimed at reducing net overseas migration to 225,000 by 2028, a target that reflects concerns over the post-COVID surge to 556,000.

Proposals also include tightening work rights for rejected protection claimants, though Burke declined to comment on specifics. The policy debate has drawn criticism from opposition figures such as Andrew Bragg, Angus Taylor and Pauline Hanson, who dispute the approach to backpacker and student visas.