From 25 July 2026, Ministerial Direction 117 sets the order in which the Department of Home Affairs works through family visa applications, including partner, parent, child and other-family cases. Two things now shape your place in the queue: whether you applied from inside Australia, and which type of family relationship your application is based on. Partner and child applications sit near the top; parent and remaining-relative applications sit near the bottom. Like all processing directions, this is about the order files are picked up, not about who qualifies.

What is Ministerial Direction 117?

A Ministerial Direction is a written instruction the Minister gives departmental decision-makers under section 499 of the Migration Act. Direction 117 tells officers the order to consider and finalise family visa applications. It commenced on 25 July 2026 and revoked the previous family processing direction. It doesn't change any visa's requirements, so it won't make a relationship genuine or a sponsor eligible. It only decides who waits behind whom.

The direction covers the full family program: partner visas (onshore and offshore, provisional and permanent), prospective marriage, child visas, parent and aged parent visas, contributory parent visas, and other-family categories like carer, remaining relative and aged dependent relative.

How does Direction 117 prioritise applications?

The first cut is location. Applications by a primary applicant who is in Australia, and whose visa can be granted while they're here, are worked before applications where the applicant is or must be offshore. Within each of those groups, a second order applies by relationship type:

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Two details worth knowing. A person included in a family application as a secondary applicant takes the same priority as the primary applicant they're combined with. And there's a separate direction that governs applications caught by the annual caps on certain visa classes; where the two overlap, that capping direction takes precedence.

Is there any way to move up the order?

Yes, but the bar is high. A delegate can depart from the set order for a particular application if the applicant satisfies them that the case involves special circumstances of a compassionate nature and there are compelling reasons to move it, weighing those circumstances and anything else the delegate considers relevant. This isn't a general "please hurry" request. It's for genuinely exceptional, compassionate situations, supported by evidence.

What does this mean for family applicants?

If you're a partner or dependent child applying onshore, you're in the faster part of the queue, though "faster" is relative and still depends on caseloads and your file being complete. If you're a parent applicant, especially a non-contributory parent or a remaining relative, this direction confirms you sit at the back of a long line, which is consistent with the small number of places in those categories. The practical move is the same for everyone: lodge a complete, well-evidenced application, because priority only decides when your file is opened, not whether it succeeds.

FAQ

When did Ministerial Direction 117 start?

It commenced on 25 July 2026 and revoked the previous family visa processing direction.

Which family visas get the highest priority?

After ministerial substitution cases, partner and child applications (spouse, de facto partner, prospective spouse and dependent child) are the highest priority, then orphan relative, then contributory parent visas.

Where do parent visas sit?

Non-contributory parent and aged parent visas, remaining relative and aged dependent relative applications are the lowest priority under Direction 117. Contributory parent visas rank higher than non-contributory ones.

Does applying onshore help?

Yes for processing order. Applications by a primary applicant in Australia, where the visa can be granted onshore, are worked ahead of offshore applications.

Can I ask to be prioritised?

A delegate can depart from the order only where there are special circumstances of a compassionate nature and compelling reasons, supported by evidence. It is not a routine request.

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Wondering where your family or partner application sits under the new order? [Book a consultation] and we'll talk through your options.