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Australia

Chef Visa Pathway Australia

Chef appears on the points-tested, employer-sponsored and post-study routes, and five of the six states and territories that list by occupation include it. There is no published shortage rating for this occupation. The sections below set out what each requires. It did not appear in the most recent published round; the last time it did was November 2024, so treat that figure as history rather than a guide.

ANZSCO 351311Published 31 March 2026Last updated 23 September 2026Read time 11 min
Overview

The facts that shape your strategy

Start with the four signals that affect pathway choice. Detailed evidence and caveats remain available below.

Occupation code351311Chefs unit group
Skills assessmentTRATrades Recognition Australia
Visa access7 routes186, 189, 190, 482, 485, 491 and 494
Typical earnings$1,270Average weekly cash earnings, unit group
Duties

What Chef does

Your duties—not your job title—are what determine whether ANZSCO 351311 is the right code for your assessment.

Two ANZSCO versions apply to this occupationThe summary and duties below follow your selection.
Official occupation summary

“plan and organise the preparation and cooking of food in dining and catering establishments. Cooks, Fast Food Cooks and Kitchenhands are excluded from this unit group. Cooks are included in Unit Group 3514 Cooks . Fast Food Cooks and Kitchenhands are included in Minor Group 851 Food Preparation Assistants”

Unit group 3513
Official occupation summary

“Plans and organises the preparation and cooking of food in a dining or catering establishment.”

Occupation 351311
  • planning menus, estimating food and labour costs, and ordering food supplies
  • monitoring quality of dishes at all stages of preparation and presentation
  • discussing food preparation issues with Managers, Dietitians and kitchen and waiting staff
  • demonstrating techniques and advising on cooking procedures
  • preparing and cooking food
  • explaining and enforcing hygiene regulations
  • may select and train staff
  • may freeze and preserve foods

Default edition — 27 June 2013

  • planning menus, estimating food and labour costs, and ordering food supplies
  • monitoring quality of dishes at all stages of preparation and presentation
  • discussing food preparation issues with Managers, Dietitians and kitchen and waiting staff
  • demonstrating techniques and advising on cooking procedures
  • preparing and cooking food
  • explaining and enforcing hygiene regulations
  • may select and train staff
  • may freeze and preserve foods

Employer nomination only — 482, 186, 187

Salary

Salary context for this unit group

This is a unit-group benchmark, not a promise of individual earnings. Location, experience, employment type and overtime all affect pay.

$1,270average weekly total cash earnings
Lower-paid unit groupsHigher-paid unit groups

Chefs, all employees — May 2025 survey. The bar shows the unit group’s relative position across the ABS earnings survey.

Official source: ABS, Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia.
Visa pathways

Compare routes by how they work

Visa numbers alone are hard to interpret. Grouping them by applicant goal makes the shortlist easier to understand.

Choose your pathway type

These are occupation-level possibilities, not a personal eligibility result.

189Skilled IndependentNo state or employer sponsorPermanentMLTSSL
190Skilled NominatedRequires state nomination+5 pointsMLTSSL
491Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)State or family nomination+15 pointsMLTSSL
482Skills in Demand — Core Skills streamEmployer sponsorship, temporarySponsoredCSOL
186Employer Nomination Scheme — Direct Entry streamEmployer-sponsored permanent residencePermanentCSOL
494Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) — Employer Sponsored streamEmployer-sponsored, regionalSponsoredMLTSSL
485Temporary GraduateFor eligible recent Australian graduatesTemporaryMLTSSL
Points test

What the invitation record shows

Two different scores get called “the minimum”. Here is which is which.

Latest published round
85points

Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent — November 2024 · lowest score invited, not a pass mark.

Read this as history, not a current signal. The most recent published round naming this occupation was November 2024.

What the record shows

Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent

between 85 and 95, most recently 85.

Round-by-round recordLowest score invited

  • November 202485
  • September 202490
  • June 202495
Minimum to lodge an EOI:65 points

Scores move between rounds. The most recent result does not set the next one.

🔒 Points check — ChefBuilt from SkillSelect’s published invitation rounds and the Schedule 6D points test
FREE WITH POINTS CHECK
📈
Where your score sits against the last published roundThe lowest score invited for this occupation, from SkillSelect’s published round results — not a prediction
📅
Which rounds named this occupationThe published invitation rounds that list it, with the date and minimum for each
⚖
What the points test actually awards youYour score built from Schedule 6D, factor by factor, so you can see what moves it
See where you would rank

Takes about two minutes. No obligation.

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EOI pool

Expressions of interest lodged in SkillSelect

How many expressions of interest name this occupation, and the scores they hold.

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) - Points tested stream

A permanent visa for invited workers with skills Australia needs, to live and work anywhere in the country.

11,348expressions of interest · August 2026
90+360 (3%)
80–891,762 (16%)
70–794,598 (41%)
60–693,784 (33%)
under 60844 (7%)

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

A permanent visa for skilled workers nominated by a state or territory.

13,176expressions of interest · August 2026
90+892 (7%)
80–893,231 (25%)
70–795,421 (41%)
60–693,265 (25%)
under 60367 (3%)

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)

A provisional visa for skilled workers who want to live and work in regional Australia, nominated by a state or territory.

15,994expressions of interest · August 2026
90+4,001 (25%)
80–895,948 (37%)
70–794,802 (30%)
60–691,181 (7%)
under 6062 (0%)

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)

A provisional visa for skilled workers who want to live and work in regional Australia, sponsored by an eligible family member.

962expressions of interest · August 2026
90+191 (20%)
80–89345 (36%)
70–79329 (34%)
60–6987 (9%)
under 6010 (1%)

⚠ These pools are counted separately by visa subclass and are not additive — one expression of interest can name more than one subclass.

Source: Australian Government SkillSelect data, August 2026. Counts EOIs with a submitted or lodged status.

Application plan

Your first four decisions

A shorter, action-led sequence replaces the original seven-step list. Later lodgement steps only matter once the pathway is confirmed.

1Confirm your code

Match your actual duties—not only your job title—to Chef 351311.

2Check TRA evidence

Map qualifications, employment proof and practical experience.

3Compare pathways

Compare the routes above side by side before committing to one.

4Build your application

Improve English and points, then pursue the strongest route first.

Skills assessment

Trades Recognition Australia

TRA decides whether your skills and experience meet the Australian standard for Chef 351311.

Assessing authorityTRASets its own fees and timing
  • A skills assessment is tied to the occupation you nominate — the code on this page is what gets assessed, not your job title
  • Requirements, fees and timing are set by the assessing authority, not by the Department
  • A positive assessment does not by itself produce an invitation or a visa
  • Most skilled visa applications need it decided before you lodge, so start early
State nomination

Published list snapshot

Select a state or territory to inspect its published-list status. Always confirm on the nominating body's own page.

On published listNot on published listNo list published
Choose a jurisdiction

Select a region on the map — or use Tab and Enter — to see its published-list status.

Select a region for details · Use Tab + Enter with a keyboard

  • NSWNot on published list
  • VICNo list published
  • QLDOn published list
  • SANo list published
  • WAOn published list
  • TASOn published list
  • NTOn published list
  • ACTOn published list
Labour agreements

Employer-led alternatives

Some employers can sponsor workers under an agreement negotiated with the government. Whether one is open to you depends on the employer, the industry and the terms of that agreement.

10 industry labour agreements are currently published.

There is no published list of which occupations each agreement covers, so this page cannot tell you either way. Only the employer holding the agreement can.

Career pathways

Where these skills sit

Related roles may share duties, but a migration assessment is always against the single occupation you nominate.

Current groupChefsUnit group 3513
Skill neighboursBakers and Pastrycooks · Butchers and Smallgoods Makers · CooksCompare duties first
FAQs

What applicants usually need clarified

This page names a skills assessing authority. Does that body decide my visa?

No. A skills assessing authority assesses whether your qualifications and experience meet the Australian standard for the occupation, and issues an assessment. The Department of Home Affairs decides the visa. A positive assessment is one requirement among several — it does not create an entitlement to a visa and it does not bind the Department’s decision. Which body assesses a given occupation is set by legislative instrument; it is not a choice you or we make.

This occupation is listed for a visa on this page. Does that mean I qualify for it?

No. A listing means a legislative instrument specifies this occupation for that visa. That is one criterion. Each visa has its own separate requirements — which may include age, English, a skills assessment, nomination or sponsorship, work experience, and in some cases a points score — and those are assessed against your circumstances, not against the occupation. A listing tells you a door exists. It does not tell you that you can walk through it.

Why does this page show two sets of duties, and does the code I nominate matter?

ANZSCO — the occupation classification — has more than one edition, and different migration instruments designate different editions. The Skills in Demand and Employer Nomination instruments specify ANZSCO as in force on 23 November 2022. Both editions appear here because which one applies depends on the instrument governing the visa you are applying for.

The code matters. Visa routes are specified per code, so two codes describing similar work can carry different routes. Establishing the correct code before you apply is not a clerical step.

Free with a points check

See where you stand against everyone else applying in this occupation

Check my points →

Takes about two minutes. No obligation.

General Information Only

This page provides general information only and does not constitute migration, legal or other 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.

Every figure on this page comes from an official source. 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. Where this page and the official source differ, the official source prevails. 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.

For advice specific to your circumstances, consult a registered migration agent or immigration consultant. MARN 2518872 (AU) · RCIC R705748 (CA).
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