The occupation list that applies to your 482 nomination depends on which stream the role falls under.
For the Core Skills stream – by far the most commonly used – the nominated occupation must appear on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), which was developed by Jobs and Skills Australia and currently covers 456 occupations across a broad range of industries including healthcare, engineering, IT, construction, education, and professional services. The CSOL is contained in the Migration (Specification of Occupations—Subclass 482 Visa) Instrument 2024. It is worthwhile to note that these occupations are not static, they change from time to time, depending on the demand and supply on the Australian labour market. Further some of the occupations have caveats, which narrows the eligible occupation further down to smaller cohort of employer sponsors.
For the Specialist Skills stream, the position must fall within certain ANZSCO occupations with skill levels 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6, and must attract a salary at or above the Specialist Skills Income Threshold. This stream is designed for genuinely high-skilled, high-earning roles and does not rely on the CSOL.
A Labour Agreement stream is also available for occupations covered under an approved Labour Agreement between the employer and the Australian Government – these are negotiated arrangements typically used in industries or regions with specific workforce needs not met by the standard occupation lists.
One of the most common issues we see at nomination stage is an occupation that is close to, but not exactly, what is listed on the CSOL. How the role is classified under the ANZSCO framework, and how its duties are described in the nomination, matters significantly. A well-drafted nomination that clearly demonstrates how the role aligns with the listed occupation gives the application the best possible chance of a straightforward approval.