Caveats on occupations

The below visa programs:

can no longer be used for the occupations listed below where the nominee’s position does not meet the ‘caveat’ requirements as specified in the relevant legislative instrument.

A summary of the caveats that apply to particular occupations is provided below.

The most recent update to the lists of eligible skilled occupations occurred – see:  the lists of eligible skilled occupations.

A list of the Eligible Postcodes in Regional Australia is available.

Caveats per occupation for subclass 186 and TSS visas

The specific occupations listed below are subject to an occupational caveat. The relevant ‘note’ number as listed in the legislative instrument against the relevant visa subclass(s).

ANZSCO title
(ANZSCO number)
Subclasses 186* and TSS* Instrument note(s)
Accountant (General) (ANZSCO 221111) 6, 19, 21
Aeroplane Pilot (ANZSCO 231111) 10
Agricultural Technician (ANZSCO 311111) 10
Amusement Centre Manager (ANZSCO 149111) 10
Animal Attendants and Trainers nec (ANZSCO 361199) 18
Apiarist (ANZSCO 121311) 9
Aquaculture Farmer (ANZSCO 121111) 9
Baker (ANZSCO 351111) 17
Beef Cattle Farmer (ANZSCO 121312) 9
Building and Engineering Technicians nec (ANZSCO 312999) 10, 23
Cafe or Restaurant Manager (ANZSCO 141111) 8
Caravan Park and Camping Ground Manager (ANZSCO 141211) 10
Chef (ANZSCO 351311) 7, 8
Chief Executive or Managing Director (ANZSCO 111111) 5
Cinema or Theatre Manager (ANZSCO 149912) 10
Clinical Coder (ANZSCO 599915) 10
Community Arts Worker (ANZSCO 272611) 10
Conference and Event Organiser (ANZSCO 149311) 2, 19
Conservation Officer (ANZSCO 234311) 10
Construction Estimator (ANZSCO 312114) 10
Cook (ANZSCO 351411) 7, 8
Corporate General Manager (ANZSCO 111211) 5
Corporate Services Manager (ANZSCO 132111) 4, 20, 22
Cotton Grower (ANZSCO 121211) 9
Crop Farmers nec (ANZSCO 121299) 9
Customer Service Manager (ANZSCO 149212) 2, 11, 19
Dairy Cattle Farmer (ANZSCO 121313) 9
Dental Hygienist (ANZSCO 411211) 10
Dental Therapist (ANZSCO 411214) 10
Driving Instructor (ANZSCO 451211) 10
Electrical Linesworker (ANZSCO 342211) 10, 23
Emergency Service Worker (ANZSCO 441211) 10
Environmental Health Officer (ANZSCO 251311) 10
Exercise Physiologist (ANZSCO 234915) 10
Facilities Manager (ANZSCO 149913) 14
Financial Institution Branch Manager (ANZSCO 149914) 10, 23
First Aid Trainer (ANZSCO 451815) 10
Fitness Centre Manager (ANZSCO 149112) 10
Flight Attendant (ANZSCO 451711) 10
Floor Finisher (ANZSCO 332111) 10
Flower Grower (ANZSCO 121212) 9
Flying Instructor (ANZSCO 231113) 10
Fruit or Nut Grower (ANZSCO 121213) 9
Funeral Workers nec (ANZSCO 451399) 10
Gas or Petroleum Operator (ANZSCO 399212) 10, 23
Grain, Oilseed or Pasture Grower (ANZSCO 121214) 9
Grape Grower (ANZSCO 121215) 9
Helicopter Pilot (ANZSCO 231114) 10
Horse Breeder (ANZSCO 121316) 9, 10, 23
Hotel or Motel Manager (ANZSCO 141311) 9
Human Resource Adviser (ANZSCO 223111) 10, 2, 6
Intellectual Property Lawyer (ANZSCO 271214) 10
Jockey (ANZSCO 452413) 10
Liaison Officer (ANZSCO 224912) 10, 2, 9
Livestock Farmers nec (ANZSCO 121399) 9
Maintenance Planner (ANZSCO 312911) 10
Management Accountant (ANZSCO 221112) 6, 19, 21
Management Consultant (ANZSCO 224711) 19, 21, 23
Market Research Analyst (ANZSCO 225112) 2, 10
Marketing Specialist (ANZSCO 225113) 2, 11, 19
Massage Therapist (ANZSCO 411611) 12
Mechanical Engineering Draftsperson (ANZSCO 312511) 10
Mechanical Engineering Technician (ANZSCO 312512) 16
Medical Administrator (ANZSCO 134211) 10
Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmer (ANZSCO 121411) 9
Mixed Crop Farmer (ANZSCO 121216) 9
Mixed Livestock Farmer (ANZSCO 121317) 9
Multimedia Designer (ANZSCO 232413) 2, 10
Nurseryperson (ANZSCO 362411) 10
Operating Theatre Technician (ANZSCO 311214) 10
Pastrycook (ANZSCO 351112) 17
Pathology Collector (ANZSCO 311216) 10
Pig Farmer (ANZSCO 121318) 9
Policy Analyst (ANZSCO 224412) 10
Policy and Planning Manager (ANZSCO 132411) 10, 23
Post Office Manager (ANZSCO 142115) 10
Poultry Farmer (ANZSCO 121321) 9
Procurement Manager (ANZSCO 133612) 2, 10
Project Builder (ANZSCO 133112) 10
Property Manager (ANZSCO 612112) 2, 10
Public Relations Manager (ANZSCO 131114) 10, 23
Real Estate Representative (ANZSCO 612115) 2, 10
Recruitment Consultant (ANZSCO 223112) 19, 21, 23
Regional Education Manager (ANZSCO 134412) 10
Retail Buyer  (ANZSCO 639211) 11
Safety Inspector (ANZSCO 312611) 10
Sales and Marketing Manager (ANZSCO 131112) 3, 11, 20
Sheep Farmer (ANZSCO 121322) 9
Ship’s Master (ANZSCO 231213) 10, 23
Sports Administrator (ANZSCO 139915) 10, 23
Sports Centre Manager (ANZSCO 149113) 10
Sugar Cane Grower (ANZSCO 121217) 9
Supply and Distribution Manager (ANZSCO 133611) 3, 11, 20
Surveying or Spatial Science Technician (ANZSCO 312116) 10
Taxation Accountant (ANZSCO 221113) 6, 19, 21
Technical Sales Representatives nec (ANZSCO 225499) 2, 15
Translator (ANZSCO 272413) 10
Transport Company Manager (ANZSCO 149413) 9, 19, 21
Vegetable Grower (ANZSCO 121221) 9
Vehicle Painter (ANZSCO 324311) 10
Vocational Education Teacher (ANZSCO 242211) 10
Wine Maker (ANZSCO 234213) 10
Workplace Relations Adviser (ANZSCO 223113) 10, 9
Zookeeper (ANZSCO 361114) 10
(*) means that there is a caveat on that skilled occupation for subclass 186 and TSS visas. The same caveats apply to these visas.

Caveats description

The legislative instrument note(s) listed below provide a description of the excluded positions which apply to particular occupations (as listed in table immediately above). For the specific wording of each caveat – see the legislative instrument section for the relevant visa program in the List of eligible skilled occupations.

Instrument Note(s) Description of excluded positions
1 Excludes positions which do not require minimum two years’ work experience.
Note: this exclusion does not currently apply to any occupation.
2 Excludes positions which have nominated annual earnings of less than AUD65,000.
3 Excludes positions that:

  • have nominated annual earnings of less than AUD65,000 and
  • if the person is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies.
4 Excludes positions that:

  • have nominated annual earnings of less than AUD80,000 and
  • if the person is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies.
5 Excludes positions that:

  • have nominated annual earnings of less than AUD180,001 and
  • if the person is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies.
6 Excludes clerical, bookkeeper or accounting clerk positions.
7 Excludes positions involved in mass production in a factory setting.
8 Excludes positions in a limited service restaurant.
A limited service restaurant includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • fast food or takeaway food services
  • fast casual restaurants
  • drinking establishments that offer only a limited food service
  • limited service cafes including, but not limited to, coffee shops or mall cafes
  • limited service pizza restaurants.
9 Excludes positions that predominantly involve responsibility for low-skilled tasks, for example:

  • Rostering, maintaining records, reception duties and allocating duties to housekeepers, porters or doorpersons.
  • Fruit picking or packing or feeding of livestock or animals.
  • Truck driving.
10 Excludes positions that are not located in regional Australia.
11 Excludes any positions that:

  • are based in a front-line retail setting
  • predominantly involve direct client transactional interaction on a regular basis.
12 Excludes any positions that:

  • are not full-time
  • are not based in a therapeutic setting
  • involve the provision of non-medical relaxation massage or
  • are in a retail setting.
13 Excludes positions that predominantly involve hairdressing or beauty therapy related non-managerial tasks.
Note: this exclusion does not currently apply to any occupation.
14 Excludes any positions that:

  • are not located in a commercial building or shopping centre environment
  • predominantly involve managing the provision of only one particular service to a facility or managing one particular relationship. Example: Managing the cleaning contract for a facility but not other contracts relevant to the facility.
15 Excludes any positions that:

  • are based in a front-line retail setting
  • are based in a call centre and do not require a significant technical knowledge of products
  • predominantly involves selling educational courses to individual students.
16 Excludes positions that relate to mobile phone repairs.
17 Excludes positions that relate to mass or standardised production (as opposed to specialist production), including any of the below positions which:

  • are based in a franchise or factory
  • involve full or partial production of food product for distribution to another location
  • predominantly involve the use of pre-prepared food product from another location.
18 Excludes positions that relate to animal husbandry, including caring for livestock on a farm.
19 Excludes positions that are in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD1M.
20 Excludes positions that:

  • are in a business which has an annual turnover of less than AUD1M and
  • if the person is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies.
21 Excludes positions that are in a business that has fewer than five employees.
22 Excludes positions that:

  • are in a business that has fewer than five employees and
  • if the person is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies.
23 Excludes positions that have nominated annual earnings of less than AUD90,000.