Chief Executive Visa Australia — 482 & 186 Guide — ANZSCO 111111

Chief Executive or Managing Director Visa Pathway Australia

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

Chief Executives and Managing Directors can migrate to Australia via employer sponsorship through the Temporary Skill Shortage (482) or Employer Nomination Scheme (186) visas. Both pathways require IML skills assessment and a sponsoring employer, with PMSOL priority processing available.

Skills demand for Chief Executive or Managing Director

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 does not currently assess this occupation as being in shortage. That does not close off a skilled pathway, but it does mean you are competing on the strength of your own claims rather than on the strength of the labour market.

Visa pathways for Chief Executive or Managing Director

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.

This occupation appears on the Core Skills Occupation List, which is the list used for the Skills in Demand visa's Core Skills stream.

This occupation also appears on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List, which the Department uses to prioritise processing.

Skills assessment for Chief Executive or Managing Director

Skills assessment fees

Pathway	Fee
Migration Skills Assessment outcome extension request	AUD $158
Review of Migration Skills Assessment outcome	AUD $578
Migration Skills Assessment	AUD $788
Appeal against Migration Skills Assessment outcome	AUD $788
Qualification Assessment for Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) V	AUD $536

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 Requirements

Your Australian employer must be a registered sponsor with the Department of Home Affairs before nominating you. The employer must demonstrate that the position is genuine, the salary is market-competitive (meeting the Temporary Skill Shortage Work Agreement or award wage requirements), and that they have attempted to fill the role with Australian citizens and permanent residents first.

Labour market testing is mandatory. The employer must advertise the position for at least four weeks in Australian media or industry publications before sponsoring you. All advertising must reflect the actual role, location, and salary. Some exemptions exist for specialist or internal transfer positions, but executive roles typically require full market testing. The employer must also show that no Australian citizen or resident is reasonably available for the role.

Once sponsorship is approved, the employer enters into a Temporary Skill Shortage Work Agreement (482) or Employer Nomination Scheme agreement (186) with the Department. The agreement stipulates wage and employment conditions, compliance obligations, and the employer's undertaking to meet all statutory requirements. Wage obligations are monitored—employers must not underpay sponsored workers compared to Australian employees in equivalent roles.

How to apply, step by step

Confirm the correct ANZSCO code for your occupation. Everything downstream depends on it, and an assessment obtained for the wrong code does not transfer.
Obtain a positive skills assessment from the assessing authority for that occupation.
Meet the English language requirement for the visa you are applying for.
Lodge an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect, claiming only points you can evidence.
If you are seeking state nomination, apply to the nominating body separately and on its terms.
Wait to be invited. You cannot apply for the visa until an invitation is issued.
Lodge the visa application within the period allowed by the invitation, with the evidence for every claim you made.

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.