Skilled Occupation List Australia

What Is A Visa?

A visa is a formal legal document which allows foreign individuals entry into Australia. It is illegal for any person to enter Australia without a valid visa to do so and the punishment can be deportation or even imprisonment depending on the situation.

It can be quite a long and expensive process to obtain a visa and if a visa is denied, it will commence the entire process again. There are strict requirements for obtaining entry into Australia and this will be explained more below.

Whilst the focus of this article is to discuss visa subclasses that allow entry into Australia for the purposes of work and skill shortage backfill, some of the requirements are relevant to all visa classifications.

Eligible Visa Categories

The eligible skilled occupation list ranks the available visas for individuals who are qualified or trained to work in a particular area, specifically:

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa (subclass 186);
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visa (subclass 187) – Temporary Residence Transition Scheme;
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189);
Skilled Nominated Visa (subclass 190);
Training visa (subclass 407);
Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482);
Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485 – Graduate work);
Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489);
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491); and
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 494).

If you have a particular skill which falls within any of the above visa categories, the chance of having your visa application approved. A few of the above will be discussed below with specific examples.

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa

Allows Australian employers whose business is actively and lawfully operating to sponsor foreign workers to come and work in Australia. Skilled workers, nominated by their employers, can live and work in Australia permanently through this visa. The process involves an Australian employer nominating a skilled foreign worker, followed by the visa application once the nomination is approved. With this visa, you can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia and apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible.

Direct Entry stream – is a quicker path to permanent ENS 186 visa compared to the Temporary Residence Transition stream.

To qualify for a Direct Entry stream, you must

Your profession must be listed in the skilled occupations
You need at least 3 years relevant work experience in that profession, unless you are exempt
Possess a valid positive skills assessment from relevant authorities, unless you are exempt
Be nominated by an Australian sponsor
Be under 45 years of age
Exemptions:
- You may be exempt from age, skill assessment, and work experience requirements if:
- Nominated for an academic position by an Australian university.
- Nominated for a scientist, researcher, or technical specialist role by an Australian scientific government agency.
- Hold a special category visa 444 or a visa 461 and meet specific work requirements.

For example, an architectural firm may seek to assist a skilled civil engineering draftsperson to gain permanent residency within Australia due to their unique skills. The individual may have experience working on large commercial projects which create unique opportunities for Australia.

Temporary Residence Transition stream – which allows overseas workers to move to Australia permanently after having held a previous temporary visa.

To qualify for a TRT stream, you must:

You hold a subclass 457, TSS or related Bridging visa A, B or C
You have worked for your employer for at least 2 years full time while holding a subclass 457 or TSS visa
You have been nominated by an Australian employer whose nomination was approved in the 6 months before you apply.

Labour Agreement stream – This visa lets skilled workers who are nominated by their employer live and work in Australia permanently. The Labour Agreement stream might be for you if you currently work, or will work, for an employer who is party to a labour agreement.

To qualify for a Labour agreement stream, you must

currently work, or will work, for your nominating employer who is party to a labour agreement.
meet the age, skills and English language requirements of the labour agreement

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visa

The RSMS visa is similar to the ENS visa whereby it provides the opportunity for skilled workers to obtain permanent residency within Australia based on their skills. The physical process of obtaining such a visa differs however because it is not obtained through employer nomination.

There are two pathways through which an individual can enter Australia on an RSMS visa, specifically, through either the direct entry stream or the Temporary Residence Transition Stream. This visa still requires the individual to be appropriately skilled in a needed field.

For example, an individual may be highly qualified as community health nurse which features as a position on the regional occupation list. This opens up regional opportunities in each state and territory.

Skilled Independent visa

The skilled independent visa allows migrants to enter Australia based solely on their unique skills. The application process for this kind of visa is different as it is by invitation only. If wanting to enter through this stream, the individual must check and see if their occupation appears on the skilled occupation list and then assess whether they meet all the criteria under that list (i.e. age, English proficiency, points test, etc).

If an individual satisfies all the requirements under the skilled occupations list, then they can submit an application through SkillSelect. If approved, an invitation will be extended to put in an application for the visa. If fortunate enough to receive an invitation, the application must be submitted within 60 days for the individual to remain eligible.

For example, Tina is a highly qualified foreign worker within a special class of medical physicists. She has been granted a medical license in her home country by the Chinese medicine board but requires approval from the medicine board of Australia before she can practice in Australia. She is proficient in English, Mandarin and German and this attracts points under the points tested stream. Tina is only 30 years old and has a long career ahead of her. She is provided an invitation to make an application for a Skilled Independent visa.

Skilled Nominated Visa

With this visa it is as simple as the title. If you are a nominated skilled worker, then you may be eligible for permanent residency under this visa. Permanent residency is granted either the day the Visa is granted, if you are already in Australia, or on the day y9ou enter Australia once your visa has been granted.

A skilled nominated visa has the option of including family members in your application, so long as they satisfy the health and associated criteria necessary.

For example, Alex is a skilled worker with Engineers Australia, but he is in a visa subclass which is due to expire. He would like to apply for a Skilled Nominated visa, but he needs his workplace to nominate him. If they do, he will be granted permanent residency straight away and will be able to continue working with the company. Unfortunately, his workplace is not willing to nominate him due to staff cutbacks, and he will need to apply under a different visa subclass.

Training visa

A training visa is a short-term visa which allows the applicant to stay in Australia for the duration of a workplace based occupational training or development training program. The duration of this visa is only two years and if the individual wants to stay in Australia they will need to apply for a further visa which provides permanent residency.

The training visa is a sponsored visa by either an employer or government agency but only for the purposes of engaging a structured training program.

For example, Paula is wanting to enter Australia for the purposes of undertaking a development training program for hospitality managers in one of their hotel chains. A hotel in her home country of Belgium is looking at promoting her to Hotel Manager but want her to undertake the training first.

Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa

A TSS visa is a temporary visa which allows individuals to upskill in their nominated profession. The visa allows the individual to undertake a skills assessment with a sponsored employer. The skills assessment is required for trades occupations, allied health professionals and other occupations as mandate by the Department of Home Affairs. There are requirements for both the visa applicant and sponsor employer under this type of visa.

The employer must have a lawfully operating business which has a full-time valid position available and satisfies salary and employment condition requirements.

For example, Liam is being recruited to fill a temporary skill shortage in Canberra at a Family Health clinic. Liam is a specialized gynecologist in London and the assessing authority has assessed that he can fill a temporary skill shortage for a period of 12 months. It is a skilled occupation which there is a lack of qualified medical professionals to fill.

Temporary Graduate visa

The Temporary Graduate visa is a visa available to a specific class of individuals, namely international students. If you are an individual who has recently graduated with qualifications specific to occupations needed within Australia, then this visa may be for you.

This visa allows the applicant to remain within Australia for a period of 18 months (with the exception of Hong Kong or British nationals who may stay up to 5 years) which may afford time for the individual to process an additional visa to extend past that time.

Mina is an international student from Hong Kong who is studying Law and political Science. She has recently graduated and wants to remain in Australia to work as a migration lawyer. There are certain classes of lawyers on the skilled occupation list. Mina only needs to be approved by the legal admissions authority and she will be eligible to practice law in Australia. Once this is granted her application for a temporary graduate visa is likely to be approved.

Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa

The Skilled Regional Visa allows skilled migrants to live and work in regional designated areas. The visa is valid for 4-5 years. To qualify for this type of visa the individual would need to be sponsored by either a relative living within the designated regional area or by a state or government.

To be eligible, the individual will still need to possess skills which are specific to the designated area they will live in and it must be a skill which is sought after or in need. Regional areas are often the areas which struggle the most with skill shortages because they have the least number of resources, and it is harder to convince people to work in less populated areas.

Caleb lives in Thailand but wishes to come to Australia to work as a livestock farmer. He wants to work in Regional NSW because his sister and brother-in-law already live in that area. Caleb is able to apply for a skilled Regional provisional visa if he has a family member in the same area who can sponsor him. Fortunately, Caleb’s sister is a permanent resident which will assist his application.

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa

The Skilled Work Regional Provisional Visa is a visa which allocates the option of applying for permanent residency. The visa is valid for a period of 5 years however, after a period of 3 years the individual is able to apply for permanent residency and there will be two years for that application to process.

The visa requires the applicant to live, work and or study within a designated regional area of Australia during the time they are subject to those visa conditions. Those conditions would change upon approved permanent residency. The visa is flexible in that the individual can leave and re-enter Australia as many times as they like during the visa period.

For example, Amelia is a non-medical physicist as well as a qualified sports coach. She has been living in Melbourne on a student visa while she completes her studies, but her visa is soon due to expire. She is looking at applying for a Skilled Work Regional Provisional visa as she is aware that the skilled occupation list has some requirements for regional work in rural Western Australia.

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional) visa

The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Provisional visa allows employers to sponsor foreign workers who they consider are required for their regional areas and where they cannot obtain an appropriately skilled Australian worker.

The specifics are similar to that of the previous visa and following a period of 3 years the individual will be able to apply for permanent residency.

For example, Natasha is an aircraft maintenance engineer who works for a large airline in Germany. She has been in Australia for 2 years consulting with a Darwin airline company given her expertise. She has been approached about extending her stay in Australia for 12 months and offering some assistance to a regional South Australian airline. The airline is willing to sponsor her on a Skilled Employer sponsored regional provisional visa.

Necessary Skills

Whether you are currently skilled, obtaining training or education or simply able to engage in a skilled migration program, there are several different ways you can access short term or long-term entry into Australia. As you will note from the brief overview of each applicable visa, there are similar eligibility criteria amongst visa categories, and it is important to identify which visa most appropriately suits your needs, skills and other associated eligibility.

There are several pathways to permanent residency if that is your goal with a combination of regional and non-regional options through eligible skilled occupations. What is critical is to look at the skills required to assist your application as much as possible. This can be separated into a few categories.

Language

English proficiency could arguably be the most important skill to possess to obtain a working visa within Australia. Learning the main language of any country you are intending to reside in will automatically increase the likelihood of your application being successful.

Depending on what type of position you are hoping to work in or the industry, additional language skills may also be of assistance. Hospitality for example is an industry where multilingual applicants may flourish.

Education Level

Depending on the type of skills you possess and the type of visa you want to enter Australia in a higher level of education may assist your application. Many of the industries featuring on the skilled occupation list require either a graduate or post graduate degree.

There may be certain circumstances where a skilled visa is obtainable without a high level of education as the necessary skills are developed through labour instead. Farm work for example can come from experience rather than education and given Australia’s strong farming environment, this is a sought after skill.

Age

Unfortunately, age can have a lot to do with whether a visa application will be successful or not. Skilled workers of all ages are required within the Australian workforce but age can create a drain on resources. If older foreign workers are granted entry into Australia they will have access to medical services and housing services which puts pressure on the systems. This is true for migrants to any country.

The assessment process looks critically as to what applicants will add value to the country and which will become a burden on the country. Applicants who have known health issues, illnesses, diseases or disabilities are assessed for what impact they will have on the systems Australia has. It can take critical care away from citizens and cost the country money it does not have.

Essential Requirements

As with all visa applications, there are certain criteria that must be met otherwise your application will simply not be considered.

The biggest of these is criminal history. If you have a criminal history then it is entirely likely that your application will not be considered. Criminal offending is an indication that there may be a lack of respect for the laws of Australia and that public safety may be put at risk. Whilst each situation will be considered individually, there are certain circumstances that will not be considered at all. Indictable offences are one such example.

Criminal offending covers not only violent crimes but also money and fraudulent related crimes which may indicate a risk to the safety or security of Australian citizens. If an individual granted entry to Australia by visa commits a criminal offence whilst living in Australia, they may be deported as a result of their behavior and their visa revoked.

An application can also be rejected if an applicant lies about any of his or her details which can be fact checked. Medical status, criminal history, ethnicity, age, etc, can all be verified by some sort of system and check and balance.

What Is A Points Tested Stream

Australia utilizes a point tested model for its visa programs. The points test attributes weigh or a pass mark based on the long-term labour market needs within Australia. For example, if the country was severely lacking brain surgeons, then this skill would attract more points than the skill of a camping ground manager which may be easier to find. Whilst the skills required for each are entirely different, they are both at a different need level.

Applicants are also attributed points based on their age, English language proficiency, level of work experience both inside and outside of Australia, educational background, etc. The Department of Home Affairs has published a table on their website for easy assessment of these criteria and it includes the points applicable for each subcategory.

The higher the points, the greater the chance your application will be successful. It may be that if you wish to enter Australia through one of the Skilled occupation Visas that you can utilize the table as a guide for your application.

Necessary Skills

There are hundreds of skilled occupational positions on the list for foreign workers to access. The list covers those from medical professionals, such as registered nurse medical practice, to aircraft maintenance engineer, restaurant manager, livestock farmer, etc. There is no professional skill which is not sought after in some capacity and there are skill shortages across the country.

Positions in the medical field for example, require limited training due to its universal applications. Preference of procedure or dosage of medicine may differ between countries however the universal application of medicine is the same. With the exception of some anomalies, the human body is the same all over the globe.

Foreign workers can also possess unique skills which are difficult to train which make them more attractive to working with the Australian environment. For example, foreign workers usually speak other languages aside from English and this can set them apart from other applicants.

FAQs

Classification of work roles in Australia – the ANZSCO categories and visa requirements

How to use the ANZSCO occupation list to understand how professions are classified in Australia, and may relate to work visa opportunities and migration.

Understanding ANZSCO for your visa application

ANZSCO stands for the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations. It is a system used to classify and collect occupation-related data for statistical, research, and administrative purposes. The ANZSCO system is used by government agencies, employers, and other organisations to standardise information about different occupations. The ANZSCO system assigns a unique code to each occupation and groups similar occupations together based on their required skill levels and specialisations.

This classification system helps to streamline various processes related to employment, immigration, education, and training by providing a common language for describing and categorising occupations.

If you intend to apply for a skilled visa to work or migrate to Australia, you are required to nominate an occupation that aligns with the ANZSCO system. This ensures that the nominated occupation meets the requirements specified for the visa category you are applying under.

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Information in these articles are general in nature and may not apply to your specific situation. For more detailed/specific legal advice for you, we recommend proper legal advice from lawyer.

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Skilled Occupation List Australia

What Is A Visa?

Eligible Visa Categories

Necessary Skills

Language

Education Level

Age

Essential Requirements

What Is A Points Tested Stream

Necessary Skills

FAQs

Classification of work roles in Australia – the ANZSCO categories and visa requirements

Skilled Occupation List Australia