🇦🇺 Australia

Air Transport Professionals Visa Pathway Australia

✓ MARA · Last reviewed: July 2026 · 6 min read · MARN 2518872

Air Transport Professionals can migrate to Australia via the TSS 482 temporary visa or ENS 186 permanent pathway. Both require employer sponsorship and VETASSESS skills assessment. Australian aviation operators actively recruit experienced pilots, engineers, and operations specialists.

Key Facts
ANZSCO Code
231199
Air Transport Professionals nec
Pathway Type
Employer Sponsored
Skills in Demand · 186
Skills Assessor
VETASSESS
VETASSESS
Skills Shortage
In shortage
Shortage in: ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA · Jobs and Skills Australia, 2025-10
Visa Pathways
482, 186
Subclasses this occupation is eligible for
Source: DHA CSOL, March 2026
Note: This occupation is on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) only. Immigration pathways are employer-sponsored: Skills in Demand visa (Subclass 482 replacement) and Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186). Independent points-tested visas (189, 190, 491) are not available.

Skills demand for Air Transport Professionals nec

Demand is the first thing to establish, because it quietly determines the rest: the visas worth considering, the competitiveness of an invitation round, and whether a state nomination is a credible option at all.

Jobs and Skills Australia records this occupation as in shortage. A shortage rating does not guarantee an invitation or a nomination; it tells you the labour-market conditions are working in your favour rather than against you.

Visa pathways for Air Transport Professionals nec

Your visa options follow directly from the occupation lists your ANZSCO code sits on. Each list unlocks a different set of subclasses, and appearing on one says nothing about the others.

Inclusion on the Core Skills Occupation List makes the Skills in Demand visa's Core Skills stream available, subject to the usual sponsorship and nomination requirements.

Skills assessment for Air Transport Professionals nec

Skills assessment fees

PathwayFee
Full skills assessment for change of occupation AUD $819
Skills Assessment AUD $1,205
Assessment of employment for final Skills Assessment AUD $937
Qualifications online application AUD $342
Outcome Review - Qualification AUD $374

Every skilled application turns on the skills assessment. An independent authority — not the Department — decides whether your qualifications and experience genuinely correspond to the occupation you are nominating, and there is no way around it.

Fees are set by the authority, not by the Department. The pathways below come from the authority's own published schedule and are reconciled against it. Always confirm the current charge directly with the authority before lodging.

Employer Sponsorship Requirements

Your Australian employer must be an approved Department of Home Affairs sponsor and willing to nominate you for either TSS 482 or ENS 186. Employers include major airlines (Qantas, Virgin, regional carriers), charter operators, flight training schools, and aircraft maintenance organisations. For TSS 482, your employer must conduct labour market testing to demonstrate that the position cannot be filled by Australian citizens or permanent residents. For ENS 186, they nominate you directly for permanent residency.

Most established aviation operators have existing sponsorship approval and can fast-track nominations.

The role must be advertised at market rates—underpaying overseas workers is grounds for sponsorship rejection and employer penalties. Your employer will manage payroll tax obligations and may assist with relocation, visa fees, and professional licensing transition costs as part of the employment package.

How to apply, step by step

  1. Confirm the correct ANZSCO code for your occupation. Everything downstream depends on it, and an assessment obtained for the wrong code does not transfer.
  2. Obtain a positive skills assessment from the assessing authority for that occupation.
  3. Meet the English language requirement for the visa you are applying for.
  4. Lodge an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect, claiming only points you can evidence.
  5. If you are seeking state nomination, apply to the nominating body separately and on its terms.
  6. Wait to be invited. You cannot apply for the visa until an invitation is issued.
  7. Lodge the visa application within the period allowed by the invitation, with the evidence for every claim you made.
Practitioner Note
The single most common reason a skilled application fails is that the occupation was chosen to fit the applicant rather than the evidence. Get the ANZSCO code right first, and make sure your employment references actually describe the duties that code requires — not the job title.
MARN 2518872 (AU) · immi.tv
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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a skills assessment for this occupation?
Yes — and it must be for this occupation specifically. A positive assessment in a neighbouring occupation does not transfer, which is why establishing the correct ANZSCO code first is not a clerical detail.
Does meeting the minimum points score mean I will be invited?
No. The minimum allows you to lodge an Expression of Interest. Invitations are issued in rank order from the highest scores down, so the score that actually secures an invitation depends on who else is in the pool for your occupation.
Can a state nominate me for this occupation?
That depends entirely on the state. Each maintains its own list and its own requirements, both of which change regularly, so the answer today may not be the answer next quarter. Work from the nominating body's own page.

Are you an Air Transport Professional planning to migrate to Australia on a TSS 482 or ENS 186 visa?

Book a free 15-minute assessment with our MARA registered migration agent.

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General Information Only

This page provides general information only and does not constitute migration advice, legal advice, or any form of professional advice. It is not tailored to your individual circumstances and must not be relied upon as the basis for any decision, action, or omission.

Migration law, visa conditions, and skilled occupation lists change frequently — occupations may be added to or removed from lists by ministerial direction, and visa conditions on your grant letter are the operative document. While we endeavour to keep content current, immi.tv makes no representation that any information is accurate, complete, or up to date at the time you read it. Always verify independently before acting.

No client or adviser relationship is created by your use of this site. To the maximum extent permitted by law, immi.tv expressly disclaims all liability for any loss or damage — including visa refusals, cancellations, condition breaches, application costs, and consequential loss — arising from reliance on this content. See our full Terms of Use.

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