Australian Skilled Occupation List (SOL)

Most Australian work visas require you to be skilled in an occupation present on one of the occupation lists in Australia. Occupation lists of Australia are reviewed regularly by the Department of Jobs and Small Business to reflect the variations in the Australian labour market. The combined Skilled Occupation List or SOL of Australia specifies:

• the ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) code for each occupation along with the details like the qualifications, experience, and skill level needed for it,
• conditions under which it will not be applicable for the TSS visa or visa subclass 482 and the ENS visa or visa subclass 186,
• the assessing authority designated to assess skills for the occupation, and
• the specific occupation list in Australia in which it is included.

Visa subclasses where you need to refer to SOL of Australia include:

• Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa (subclass 186)
• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (ENS) visa (subclass 186)
• Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) (ENS) visa (subclass 186)
• 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)
• Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 494)

Australian occupation lists include:

• Short-term Skilled Operation List (STSOL),
• Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), and
• Regional Occupation List (ROL) or Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) ROL List.

What is STSOL?

The Short-Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) is a list of skilled occupations which is reviewed every six months by:

• the Department of Employment (DoE), and
• the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

You need to refer to this list for temporary visas, such as:

• Visa Subclass 407 or the Training visa (Occupation training stream)
• Visa Subclass 489 or the Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa
• Visa Subclass 457 or the Temporary Work (Skilled) visa
• Visa Subclass 482 or the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa

You also need to suffer to the STSOL of Australia for a permanent visa, such as:

• Visa Subclass 190 or the Skilled Nominated visa
• Visa Subclass 186 or the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (Direct Entry stream)

What is MLTSSL?

The Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MTLSSL) is determined by:

• the Department of Education and Training (DET), and
• the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

It includes highly-skilled occupations Australia has a shortage of. The DET assesses skill needs of the country for medium to long term and identifies which occupations can gain from skilled migration. It then passes on its recommendations to the Minister of Immigration and Border Protection around March every year.

You need to refer to this Australia occupation list for all the temporary visas referred above as well as visa subclass 485 or the Temporary Graduate visa. You may also check it for permanent visas mentioned above as well as visa subclass 189 or the Skilled Independent visa.

What is ROL?

The Regional Occupation List (ROL) or the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) list includes occupations which are in demand in regional Australia. If your occupation is on the ROL and not in other occupation lists, you cannot work in metropolitan cities of Australia, such as Melbourne or Sydney.

The RSMS ROL list is a separate skilled occupation list that only applies to the RSMS visa or visa subclass 187. You may also refer to the ROL Australia if you want to apply for visa subclass 491 or the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa. You can consult Visa2Immigration visa and immigration advisors for more details.

South Australia occupation list is currently unavailable. If you plan to apply for visa subclass 190 or Skilled Nominated visa or visa subclass 491 or Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa to live and work in South Australia, explore your options with Visa2Immigration consultants.

What happens if you already apply for a visa and then your occupation gets removed from SOL Australia?

If your visa or nomination occupation is already finalised or pending with the authorities, removal of your occupation from the skilled occupation lists will not affect your visa or candidature. But if you are going to apply for a new visa or want to switch your employer, your visa formalities may get affected.