Before any nomination leaves our office, the position description goes through one exercise. We lay it beside the ANZSCO task list for the proposed code and mark every duty that appears in both. Where the overlap is thin, we stop. The Core Skills Occupation List is checked by duties, not by titles, and a wrong code costs the nomination charge and months.
This note sets out the check we run, in the order we run it. It also covers what changes when the occupation is not on the list at all.
In short: The Core Skills Occupation List holds 456 occupations, each tied to an ANZSCO code. A nomination passes only where the real duties of the role substantially match the tasks under a listed code.
Step one: write the job before you look at the list
The most common error we see is a position description drafted from the ANZSCO entry. It matches perfectly, which is exactly the problem. Case officers recognise the pattern and test it against the organisational chart, the advertising and the contract.
So we ask the business to describe the role in its own words first. What will the person do each week, who do they report to, and what does the business need from the position? That document becomes the schedule to the employment contract. The occupation check comes after it, not before.
Step two: map duties to the code
ANZSCO is the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations. Each code carries a title, a skill level and a list of typical tasks. The Department compares the real duties against that task list, and a job title carries little weight on its own.
We prepare a short mapping table. One column lists each major duty from the position description. The next column lists the matching ANZSCO task. A third records the share of the working week that duty takes. Where most of the week sits under one listed code, the match is substantial. Where the week splits evenly between two codes, the nomination is exposed.
Step three: confirm the code on the current instrument
The list is set by a legislative instrument on advice from Jobs and Skills Australia. It can change between the day a worker is hired and the day the nomination is lodged. We check the instrument on the lodgement day, under the ANZSCO version it names, and keep a dated copy on file.
The list gates the Core Skills stream of the subclass 482 visa and the Direct Entry stream of the subclass 186 visa. One occupation check often serves both pathways. Our note on getting a 186 nomination decision-ready picks up the permanent stage.
Is the position description ready to nominate?
Where did the position description come from?
The conditions that travel with the code
Finding the code on the list opens the gate. Four further conditions decide whether the nomination walks through it.
| Condition | What we check |
|---|---|
| Skill level and experience | The applicant holds the qualifications and one year of relevant experience within the last five years. |
| Skills assessment | Some occupation and passport combinations need a formal assessment before grant. |
| Licensing or registration | Nurses, electricians, teachers and many others need Australian registration before they can lawfully work. |
| Salary | The role must clear the Core Skills threshold of $79,423 and the market rate, whichever is higher. |
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026.
The genuine position test sits over all of this. The role must be full-time, real and needed. A position built around a visa is refused however neatly the code matches.
The occupation check in a hiring week
- Day 1The business drafts the role in its own words. Our commercial practice turns it into a contract schedule.
- Day 2The migration team maps each duty to the ANZSCO task list and records the share of the week.
- Day 3We confirm the code on the current instrument and check skills assessment and registration for the applicant's passport.
- Day 4The advertisement is drafted from the contract schedule, so labour market testing describes the same role.
- LaterThe nomination is lodged against the same schedule.
When the occupation is not listed
Missing from the list does not always mean no sponsorship. We test three things in order. First, whether a different code genuinely fits the duties better, because the first guess is often not the most accurate one. Second, whether the salary supports the Specialist Skills stream, which has no list but excludes trades, machinery operators, drivers and labourers. Third, whether a regional or industry agreement covers the occupation.
What a labour agreement or DAMA can change
A Designated Area Migration Agreement or an industry labour agreement can cover occupations the list does not, sometimes with concessions on salary or English. Each agreement has its own rules and its own paperwork. Our guide to labour agreements when the standard rules fail compares the options for a business.
The wrong response is to stretch the duties toward a listed code. That fails at the nomination stage or, worse, at a monitoring visit later.
Why the contract matters to the occupation
The nominated occupation follows the worker. If the business later restructures the role into different duties, the worker may no longer be performing the nominated occupation. That is a sponsorship breach, not a paperwork issue. We draft the duties clause so the business can vary tasks within the code, and we flag anything that would move the role outside it.
The same applies on a sale of business. A buyer inherits the workforce but not the sponsorship, and the nominated occupation is re-tested when the buyer nominates. The migration practice runs the occupation check for both sides of that transaction.
Frequently asked questions
Should the contract job title match the ANZSCO title?
It helps, but it is not required. The Department matches duties, not titles. We align the title where the business is comfortable, and we always align the duties schedule.
Is the figure of 456 occupations fixed?
No. The list is set by legislative instrument and changes on government advice. The count is current as at the verification date, and we check the instrument on the day each nomination is lodged.
Can we nominate a manager role in a small business?
Yes, where the business genuinely needs the position and the duties match a listed management code. Case officers look closely at the organisational chart, so a manager with no team and no budget invites questions.
What if the role changes after the nomination is approved?
Minor variation within the same code is usually fine. A move to different duties can take the worker outside the nominated occupation, which breaches a sponsorship obligation. Speak to us before the restructure.
Does a positive skills assessment under a different code help?
Not directly. A skills assessment shows the applicant holds the skills for that occupation. It does not show the nominated position involves those duties, and the position is assessed on the employer's evidence.
General information as at 2 September 2026. Not legal advice. Occupation lists and thresholds change, and every nomination turns on its own facts, so obtain advice before acting.