Applicants for skilled visas need to be working in an
eligible skilled occupation. Skilled visas are designed to grow the Australian economy by filling skills gaps or building productive capacity in the labour market. Skilled Migration lists used to determine visa eligibility include the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL), Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and the Regional Occupation List (ROL).
The numbers of occupations available under skilled migration occupations lists depend on the list and the visa subclass.
Regional employers and skilled migrants applying for regional visas have access to more occupations than are available to metropolitan areas.
For example:
- the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494) visa has 650 eligible occupations
- the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) visa has 504 eligible occupations
- the Skilled Work Regional Family Nominated (Provisional) (subclass 491) visa has 212 eligible occupations
- the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (legacy) (subclass 187) visa has 673 eligible occupations
