27 April 2017

Recent changes to the Skilled Occupation Lists

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The Australian Government announces changes that affect Skilled Visa categories

Recent Visa Changes

On 19 April 2017 The Australian Government implemented changes to the Skilled Occupation Lists. These changes are primarily targeted at reducing the number of 457 Employee Sponsored Visa applications; however some skilled visa applicants have been affected.

What changes have occurred?

Only certain occupations are approved for use under Australia's permanent and temporary skilled visa programmes. These occupations are listed on the SOL (Skilled Occupation List) and CSOL (Consolidated Skilled Occupation List).

On 19 April 2017, the:

In addition to the name changes, the occupations included within each list have been heavily reduced. You can see the occupations which have been removed on the List of removed occupations page.

Furthermore there are 16 selected occupations which are no longer eligible for State Sponsored (subclass 190 and 489) and Employee Sponsored (subclass 457) Visas. You can see these occupations on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List page (those marked with '** asterisks')

If your nominated occupation was one of 200 removed you are no longer eligible to apply for a skilled or employee sponsored visa.

Lastly, new regulations have been introduced which impact the 457 Employee Sponsored Visa. From March 2018, The Employee Sponsored Visa will be replaced by the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa. The TSS Visa programme will consist of a short-term stream of up to 2 years, and a medium-term stream of up to 4 years. This visa will be implemented to address genuine skills shortages within the Australian workforce. See more information on the Replacement of 457 visa page.


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