A New Visa Subclass – Skills in Demand
A new visa, called Skills in Demand, will replace the Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa to reflect the changes in economics and emerging labour market needs in Australia. Under Migration Strategy, there will be three tiers for applicants to choose from, based on their annual income and occupation.
Tier 1: Specialist Skills Pathway
The Specialist Skills Pathway is designed for highly skilled Specialists who are on the top talents in their field. The occupation is not required for this tier, which means the applicants can be in any occupation (except for machinery operators, drivers and trade workers), but they need to have an earning of at least AUD135,000 per year and no less than Australian workers’ in the same occupation.
Tier 2: Core Skills Pathway
The Core Skills Pathway is proposed for most of temporary skilled applicants whose occupations are in demand in Australia now and in the future. The Jobs and Skills Australia has released a draft Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) to determine in what occupations Australia needs more workers from overseas to foster its economics and industry.
To qualify for this pathway, the applicants need to have an occupation that is on the new CSOL list and have an income of at least AUD70,000 per year.
Tier 3: Essential Skills Pathway
This pathway is for workers who earn under AUD70,000 annually, but work in essential skill occupations.
Core Skill Occupation List (CSOL)
The Migration Strategy released in December 2023 established a role for Jobs and Skills Australia in defining skill needs in Australia and identifying what occupations should be on SCOL. As such, Jobs and Skills Australia has proposed a Draft Core Skill Occupation List to the public. The purpose of this release is to collect feedback on this list, so that they can re-analyse and give Australian Government their advice on the final CSOL.
The draft CSOL is based on the skilled occupation list in 2022 but is generated from the most updated datasets to reflect the newest changes in the Australian labour market. The draft includes 3 categories:
CSOL Confident On List
This list comprises of occupations that are currently in high demand and expected to face serious shortage of labour even in the future. For the full list, visit https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/topics/migration-strategy/draft-core-skills-occupations-list-csol-consultation/draft-csol-confident-on-list
CSOL Confident Off List
The CSOL Confident Off List includes occupations where Australia employers can find an Australian worker, and thus, overseas workers are not required for these occupations. For the full list, visit https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/topics/migration-strategy/draft-core-skills-occupations-list-csol-consultation/draft-csol-confident-off-list.
CSOL Targeted for Consultation List
This list contains occupations where Jobs and Skill Australia are currently unsure if they should be on the CSOL or not. Jobs and Skill Australia, hence, need consultation from the public for reconsidering. For the full list, visit https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/topics/migration-strategy/draft-core-skills-occupations-list-csol-consultation/draft-csol-targeted-consultation.
Conclusion
The CSOL is still in draft stage, but it provides general ideas on what occupations are in high demand in Australia. This may help international students to decide on what courses they may take when studying in this country.
FAQs
What is the skilled occupation list for Australia?
The skilled occupation list (SOL) is a documentation released by Australian Government, which includes a list of occupations that are in demand in Australia labour market. The purpose of this list is to determine eligibility for Australia’s skilled visa programs, such as Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190). This means if your occupation lies in this list, you will have a chance to apply for a permanent resident visa to stay in Australia.
When does the skilled occupation list change?
The Australian government is replacing the Visa Subclass 482 with a new visa called Skills in Demand. Following this change, a new skilled occupation list, called the Core Skilled Occupation List (CSOL), will be introduced.
The Jobs and Skills Australia has released a draft of CSOL in December 2023. All the feedback and comments on this list will be collected by 31 May 2024. After that, Jobs and Skills Australia will review and give its advice to the Australian Government on the final CSOL list.
What are the three tiers of Skills in Demand?
| Tier | Name | Annual Salary | Occupation |
| Tier 1 | Specialist Skills Pathway | At least AUD 135,000 | any occupations (except for machinery operators, drivers and trade workers) |
| Tier 2 | Core Skills Pathway | At least AUD 70,000 | the occupations in the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) |
| Tier 3 | Essential Skills Pathway | Less than AUD 70,000 | work in essential skill occupations |
Has the occupation list already been confirmed?
No, it’s only a draft list. For the 2024 CSOL, the stakeholder survey closes on Friday, 10 May 2024. Submissions will be accepted until 5:00 PM AEST on Friday, 31 May 2024.
Contact our experienced migration agents at 07 3003 1899 or hello@solmigration.com to learn more.