Occupations List For Subclass 186 Visa

Last Updated on August 17, 2025 by Ozlinks Education

Occupation List for Employer Nomination Subclass 186 Visa 

The Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) outlines the occupations that are eligible for the Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186 Visa. This list includes 456 occupations identified as being in demand, enabling sponsors to nominate skilled workers to come to Australia on a temporary working visa.

Established by Legislative Instrument LIN 24/089 released on 07/12/2024, the CSOL is regularly updated to reflect the evolving needs of Australia’s labour market, ensuring that the listed occupations align with current skills in demand. The assessment of occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) considers factors such as skill shortages within the Australian labour market and the relevance of the occupation to the Australian economy.

Applicants for the Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186 Visa should carefully review the list to confirm their eligibility based on their chosen occupation.

About the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL)

The Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) details the occupations eligible for the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa Direct Entry stream. This list comprises 456 occupations identified as being in demand, allowing sponsors to nominate overseas skilled workers for permanent residency in Australia.

The Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) is regularly updated to reflect the changing needs of Australia’s labour market, as established by Legislative Instrument LIN 24/093 and released on 6/12/2024 specifically for subclass 186 visa. This process ensures that the occupations listed correspond with the current skills in demand. The evaluation of occupations on the CSOL considers various factors, including skill shortages within the Australian labour market and the significance of these occupations to the Australian economy.

Subclass 186 Visa Occupation List

The following table contains 456 occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) that are eligible for the Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186 Visa.

To search for an occupation, enter the ANZSCO code or the name of the occupation in the search box below.

Skills Assessment for Visa 186 Direct Entry

Do I need a skills assessment for the Subclass 186 Direct Entry stream?

Yes, a skills assessment is typically required for the Subclass 186 Direct Entry visa, unless you qualify for an exemption. This assessment must be conducted by a relevant assessing authority and is crucial to demonstrate that your skills and qualifications align with your nominated occupation. For further information regarding the mandatory skills assessment, click here!

Skills Assessment Visa 186

Caveat Applicable Circumstances

What is a caveat, and how does it work?

Caveats, or specific conditions, apply to certain occupations under the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) subclass 186 visa. These provisions are intended to ensure that the visas are used to address genuine skill shortages that local Australian workers cannot fill. Specifically, the caveats associated with the subclass 186 visa, particularly within the Direct Entry stream, impose additional requirements that employers must fulfil when nominating an occupation.

If a caveat is applicable to an occupation, the sponsoring employer is required to demonstrate compliance with the specific requirements outlined in that caveat. Below is the table detailing the Applicable Circumstances List relevant to the Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186 visa, Direct Entry stream.

Examples of Caveat

Chef: A chef cannot be employed to work in takeaway food services, cafés that do not provide full table service, or mass production environments within factories.

Item

Circumstance

Caveat 1

(a) the position has nominated annual earnings of less than AUD 180,001; and

(b) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies.

Caveat 2

 The position is a clerical, bookkeeper or accounting clerk position.

Caveat 3

 The position is involved in mass production in a factory setting.

Caveat 4

The position is in a limited-service restaurant.

Caveat 5

The position predominantly involves responsibility for low-skilled tasks.

Example 1: Fruit picking or packing or feeding of livestock or animals.

Example 2:  Truck driving.

Caveat 6

The position:

(a) is based in a front-line retail setting; or

(b) predominantly involves direct client transactional interaction on a regular basis; or

(c) predominantly involves selling educational courses to individual students; or

(d) is based in a call centre and does not require a significant technical knowledge of products.

Caveat 7

The position:

(a) is not a full-time position; or

(b) is not based in a therapeutic setting; or

(c) involves the provision of non-medical relaxation massage; or

(d) is in a retail setting.

Caveat 8

The position:

(a) is not located in a commercial building or shopping centre environment; or

(b) predominantly involves managing the provision of only one particular service to a facility or managing one particular relationship.

Example: Managing the cleaning contract for a facility but not other contracts relevant to the facility.

Caveat 9

 The position relates to retail mobile phone repairs or other small consumer mobile devices including tablets, smart watches, handheld gaming devices, portable media players etc.

Caveat 10

The position relates to mass or standardised production (as opposed to specialist production), including the following:

(a) a position based in a franchise or factory;

(b) a position that:

(i) involves full or partial production of food product for distribution to another location; or

(ii) predominantly involves the use of pre-prepared food product from another location.

Caveat 11

 The position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD 1,000,000.

Caveat 12

(a) the position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD 1,000,000; and

(b) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies.

(c) the position is in a business that has fewer than 5 employees; and

(i) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies.

Caveat 13

The position is in a business that has fewer than 5 employees.

Caveat 14

The position is not provided for under an International Trade Obligation

Caveat 15

The position has nominated annual earnings of less than AUD 120,000.

ANZSCO Skill Level Definition:

Skill Assessment Agency Services

Most of the evidence documentation required for your skills assessment is also required for your visa application. Ozlinks Education is an agency that can assist you in understanding and meeting the skill assessment criteria, giving you the best chance of a positive result. Click here to learn more about how our agency service can assist you.

Skills Assessment Support

Disclaimer: 

Information under ANZSCO Occupations (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) section is published in accordance with a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence guideline. ANZSCO Version 1.3 updated on 25 March 2021 and original source can be accessed on Australian Bureau of Statistics website.

This section does not intend to provide immigration assistance pursuant to section 276 of Migration Act (Cth) 1994 as described in the Migration laws. It is based on public guidelines available at Department of Home Affairs’ Website. It is your responsibility to verify accuracy and status of provided information with your Registered Migration Agent (RMA) who is bound by the MARA code of conduct before submitting any visa applications.