The skills occupation list of Australia
The skills occupation list of Australia is a list of occupations where Australia is actively recruiting talent from overseas. Migrants in an occupation on the list who also meet all the other immigration requirements stand a good chance of living and working in Australia.
Here we’ll cover the skills occupation list in detail by discussing:
- The three skills lists including:
- The visas under each list
- The number of occupations on each list
- Occupation ceilings.
Three Australian skills lists
Australia has three skills lists, each with a number of visas under it. These visas enable migrants to work in the country with or without a job offer, or with state or territory nomination. Depending on the visa, the stay in Australia may be temporary or permanent. Temporary visas usually have a route to permanent residency.
The three skills lists are:
- Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL)
- Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL)
- Regional Occupation List (ROL)
The Skills Lists and Their Visas
Let’s discuss each skills list and its associated visas:
The MLTSSL is relevant to migrants who apply for visas under the Skilled Migrant Category. General skilled migration is one of the most common ways for migrants to move to Australia.
The four Skilled Migrant visas that fall under the MLTSSL are the following:
- Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189): This visa does not require sponsorship, i.e. a job or sponsorship. Furthermore, the Skilled Independent visa is a points-based visa and you’ll need a score of at least 65 points to be eligible for a visa application.
- Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190): You must have state or territory nomination to apply for a subclass 190 visa. You don’t necessarily have to have a job offer, but you must score at least 65 points in order to submit a visa application.
- The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491): You must obtain sponsorship from either an eligible relative in a designated area or nomination from a state or territory government agency to apply for a subclass 491 visa. Furthermore, you must achieve a score of at least 65 points in your skills assessment.
- Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485): This visa allows students who have studied in Australia for two years to apply for temporary permission to stay in Australia. The subclass 485 visa is not points based.
The STSOL is relevant to persons who have state or territory nomination to apply for one of two visas:
- Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190): This points-based visa offers successful applicants permanent residency. You must be under the age of 45 to be eligible.
- The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491): You must obtain nomination from a state or territory government agency to apply for a subclass 491 visa. Furthermore, you must achieve a score of at least 65 points in your skills assessment.
The ROL is offers both temporary and permanent residency options, and it’s relevant to people who are nominated by a state, territory or an employer.
There is only one visa under the ROL:
- The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491): You must obtain nomination from a state or territory government agency to apply for a subclass 491 visa. Furthermore, you must achieve a score of at least 65 points in your skills assessment.
The Skills Lists and Their Occupations
It’s not just visas that are associated with each skills list. There are also a list of occupations under each skills list.
To work in an occupation, you must meet the requirements as captured in the occupation's ANZSCO code. This code provides the required skill level of the job as well as the qualifications and/or experience needed to work in the occupation.
Here is a summary of the occupations under each skills list:
There are 212 occupations on the MLTSSL, which include the following:
- Automotive Electrician
- Audiologist
- Veterinarian
- Quantity Surveyor
- Social Worker
- Speech Therapist
- Diesel Motor Mechanic
- Motor Mechanic
- Surveyor
The STSOL contains 215 occupations open for state or territory nomination. These occupations include:
- Sales and Marketing Manager
- ICT Project Manager
- Recruitment Consultant
- Industrial Designer
- Geologist
- Urban and Regional Planner
- Primary School Teacher
- Education Manager
- Dental Specialist
With only 77 occupations, the ROL contains the least number of jobs of all the skills occupations lists. Some of these 77 occupations are the following:
- Mixed Crop Farmer
- Dairy Cattle Farmer
- Public Relations Manager
- Regional Education Manager
- Human Resourse Adviser
- Market Research Analyst
- Vocational Education Teacher
- Environmental Health Officer
Occupation ceilings
In certain cases, Immigration Australia apply an occupation ceiling to invitations issued under the Skilled Independent and Skilled Regional (Provisional) visas. This means there is a limit on how many Expressions of Interest (EOIs) can be selected for skilled migration from an occupation group during a program year.
Once the occupation ceiling is reached for an occupation group, Immigration Australia won’t issue any further invitations for that particular group until the next program year. Immigration Australia will instead allocate invitations to migrants in other occupation groups.
You can view the occupation ceilings for the 2020/2021 program year here.
What is an Expression of Interest?
You show your interest in applying for a skilled migrant visa through an Expression of Interest (EOI). It is basically a series of questions asking you about your skills. Your answers are used to calculate your ability to meet the points test for certain visas. Should you score enough points, you’ll get to submit your Expression of Interest through SkillSelect.
Eager to know if your occupation is on a skills list?
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