🇦🇺 Australia

Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist Visa Pathway Australia

✓ MARA · Last reviewed: July 2026 · 5 min read · MARN 2518872

Aquaculture and Fisheries Scientists are in strong demand across Australia's thriving aquaculture industry, particularly in Tasmania. You can migrate via the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) 482 visa or employer-sponsored Permanent Residency through the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) 186 visa.

Key Facts
ANZSCO Code
234116
Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist
Pathway Type
Employer Sponsored
Skills in Demand · 186
Skills Assessor
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 Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist

Before anything else, it is worth knowing where this occupation sits in the labour market. Demand drives which visa pathways are realistic and how a state is likely to view a nomination.

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 Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist

Which visas are available to you depends on which of the government's skilled occupation lists your occupation appears on. The lists are not interchangeable, and being on one of them does not put you on 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 Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist

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.

The authority sets and publishes its own fees. The pathways and charges below are taken from the authority's own fee schedule, and we check them against that source. Confirm the current figure with the authority before you apply — fees change, and the authority is the only source that can be relied on.

Employer Sponsorship for Aquaculture Scientists

Both TSS 482 and ENS 186 visas require your employer to be a registered sponsor and to nominate you for a specific position. Your employer must demonstrate that they have tried to recruit Australian citizens or permanent residents for the role and were unable to find suitable candidates through Labour Market Testing (LMT).

Your employer will lodge a sponsorship or nomination application with the Department of Home Affairs. They are responsible for compliance with all visa conditions, including ensuring your employment is genuine, your salary meets the market rate, and you are not displacing Australian workers.

Once your employer's sponsorship is approved and your skills assessment is positive, you can lodge your TSS 482 or ENS 186 visa application. See current processing times for the subclass 186 visa.

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
Before you spend anything on an assessment, check that your work history can be evidenced the way the authority asks for it. Most negative outcomes I see are not about capability; they are about references that describe a role in the applicant's words rather than in the authority's.
MARN 2518872 (AU) · immi.tv
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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a skills assessment for this occupation?
Yes. A positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority is a requirement for the skilled visas, and it must be for the occupation you are nominating. An assessment for a related but different occupation will not carry over.
Does meeting the minimum points score mean I will be invited?
No — and this is the single most consequential misunderstanding in the skilled program. The minimum is a lodgement threshold. Invitations go to the highest-ranked candidates first, so the effective requirement is set by your competition, not by the minimum.
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 Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist planning to migrate to Australia?

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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.

Skilled occupation lists change frequently — occupations may be added, removed, or transferred between lists at any time by ministerial direction. This page reflects list status at the date shown above. Always verify current list membership on the Department of Home Affairs website before lodging a visa application.

Migration law changes frequently. While we endeavour to keep this content current, immi.tv makes no representation that the information is accurate, complete, or up to date at the time you read it. You should independently verify all information before acting on it.

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, application costs, and consequential loss — arising from reliance on this content. See our full Terms of Use.

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