The Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) is the official system used by Australia to classify, name, and define occupations for statistical and administrative purposes. In immigration, ANZSCO codes are the backbone of the skilled migration system — they identify which occupations are eligible for skilled visas, determine which assessing authority assesses a specific occupation's skills, and set the skill level requirements that applicants must meet. There are currently two ANZSCO versions in use for immigration purposes: the 2022 version applies to Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) subclass 186 applications, while the 2013 version applies to all other skilled visa subclasses. This distinction matters because the same occupation may have a different code, title, or skill level in the two versions.

For the current skilled occupation lists and ANZSCO code lookup, refer to the DHA skilled occupation list page.

• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) — publishes and maintains the ANZSCO; the 2013 and 2022 versions are both available from the ABS
• Migration Regulations 1994 — occupation list and skills assessment criteria reference ANZSCO codes
• DHA: Skilled occupation list — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/skilled-occupation-list
• DHA: Skills assessment — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/skills-assessment
• DHA: Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) — uses ANZSCO codes from 2013 ANZSCO for TSS 482 occupations

What ANZSCO is

ANZSCO provides a uniform framework for classifying and describing occupations across Australia and New Zealand. It arranges occupations in a hierarchy based on:

• The nature of the work performed — the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of the occupation
• The skill level required — the formal qualifications, experience, and training typically needed
• The skill specialisation — the field of knowledge, tools, equipment, and materials used

ANZSCO is used across many areas of Australian public administration — labour market statistics, workforce planning, employment services, and immigration. It is not specifically an immigration document, but it is the classification system that Australian immigration adopts to define eligible occupations.

Two ANZSCO versions currently in use (2026)

DHA currently uses two different versions of ANZSCO, depending on the visa subclass:

• 2022 ANZSCO version: used for the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa (subclass 186) — the 2022 version updated and reorganised a significant number of occupations, particularly in emerging fields and technology. Applicants nominating under the ENS 186 must use the 2022 ANZSCO code for their occupation
• 2013 ANZSCO version: used for all other skilled visa subclasses, including the Skills in Demand (TSS) subclass 482, the Skilled Independent (189), Skilled Nominated (190), Skilled Work Regional (491), and the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (494). The 2013 version remains the reference for these visa programs and their associated occupation lists (CSOL, MLTSSL, STSOL)

This version split means that an occupation may have different codes, different titles, or different skill level assignments in the two versions. Applicants should confirm which ANZSCO version applies to their visa and ensure their skills assessment is conducted against the correct version.

ANZSCO code structure

ANZSCO uses a 6-digit hierarchical code to identify each occupation:

• First digit: Major Group (e.g. 1 = Managers, 2 = Professionals, 3 = Technicians and Trades Workers)
• First 2 digits: Sub-major Group (e.g. 13 = Specialist Managers)
• First 3 digits: Minor Group (e.g. 132 = Business Administration Managers)
• Digits 4–5: Unit Group (e.g. 1321 = Finance Managers)
• Digit 6: Individual occupation within the unit group (e.g. 132111 = Chief Finance Officer)

For immigration purposes, the 6-digit code identifies the specific occupation — applicants must match their experience and qualifications to a specific 6-digit occupation code, not just a general category.

ANZSCO skill levels

ANZSCO classifies every occupation into one of five skill levels, based on the typical qualifications and training required:

• Skill Level 1: Requires a bachelor degree or higher qualification, or at least 5 years of relevant experience. Examples: managers, professionals
• Skill Level 2: Requires an AQF Associate Degree, Advanced Diploma, or Diploma, or at least 3 years of relevant experience. Examples: some associate professionals and technical occupations
• Skill Level 3: Requires an AQF Certificate IV or Certificate III (including apprenticeships and traineeships), or at least 3 years of relevant experience. Examples: skilled trades, para-professionals
• Skill Level 4: Requires AQF Certificate II or III, or at least 1 year of relevant experience. Examples: intermediate clerical, service, and semi-skilled trade occupations
• Skill Level 5: Requires AQF Certificate I or compulsory secondary education, or less than 1 year of relevant experience. Examples: labouring, basic service occupations

Most skilled migration pathways require the nominated occupation to be at Skill Level 1, 2, or 3 — occupations at Skill Levels 4 and 5 are generally not eligible for skilled visa programs.

ANZSCO in the skills assessment process

Each occupation on the skilled occupation lists has a designated skills assessing authority — a body approved by DHA to assess whether an applicant's qualifications and work experience are comparable to Australian standards for that occupation. The assessing authority uses the ANZSCO code and definition to assess the applicant's claimed occupation. For example:

• Engineers Australia assesses engineering occupations (ANZSCO group 233)
• VETASSESS assesses a broad range of professional, managerial, and technical occupations
• ACWA assesses social work occupations
• TRA (Trades Recognition Australia) assesses trade occupations under the TSS 482 Core Skills stream

The assessing authority's decision is outcome-specific — a positive assessment for one ANZSCO code does not automatically constitute a positive assessment for a related code. For information on skills assessments, see the skills assessment process page.

Occupation lists — CSOL, MLTSSL, STSOL

Australian skilled migration uses several occupation lists that reference ANZSCO codes:

• Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL): the occupation list for the Skills in Demand (TSS 482) Core Skills stream and Skilled Independent (189), Skilled Nominated (190), and Skilled Work Regional (491) visas — published in ANZSCO 2013 codes
• Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL): the subset of CSOL occupations eligible for the longer 4-year TSS 482 grant period (as distinct from the 2-year period for non-MLTSSL occupations)
• Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL): a smaller list of critical shortage occupations that receive priority processing for certain visa applications

For the current occupation lists and ANZSCO code lookups, refer to the DHA skilled occupation list page.

The existence of two ANZSCO versions in parallel is a practical complexity that affects employer nomination applications — employers nominating under ENS 186 must use the 2022 ANZSCO code and ensure the nomination occupation is eligible under the 2022 version; applicants on other visa streams must use the 2013 code for their skills assessment. The two versions may classify the same role differently, and the assessing authority designated for an occupation may differ between versions. Before commencing a skills assessment, applicants should confirm which version applies to their target visa and which assessing authority is designated under that version. For the current occupation code lookup and the applicable version for each visa subclass, refer to the DHA skilled occupation list page.