Skills demand for Developer Programmer
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 does not record a shortage for this occupation at present. A skilled pathway remains open, but the case will rest on your individual claims rather than on the labour market doing any of the work for you.
Visa pathways for Developer Programmer
The occupation lists decide the pathway. Each list maps to a different group of visa subclasses, so the first question is always which list — or lists — this occupation appears on.
This occupation appears on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, which is the list that opens the independent and state-nominated skilled visas as well as the regional pathway.
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.
This occupation also appears on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List, which the Department uses to prioritise processing.
Skills assessment for Developer Programmer
A skills assessment is not a formality. It is the step where an independent authority decides whether your qualifications and experience actually match the occupation you are claiming — and a negative outcome ends the application before it starts.
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.
The points test and Developer Programmer
The points test is the most misunderstood part of the skilled program, and almost all of the confusion sits on a single distinction.
The minimum is a threshold for lodging an Expression of Interest, not for receiving an invitation. Because invitations go out in rank order, the score you actually need is the score of the people ahead of you — which is generally well above the minimum.
The Department has not published a minimum for this occupation in the most recent round data we hold. We do not state one. Absence from the published table is not evidence that no invitations were issued, and inventing a figure — or reporting zero — would be worse than saying nothing. Check the Department's own round results.
State and territory nomination
Each state and territory nominates on its own terms, against its own list, and revises both regularly. A nomination from one state carries no weight with another. The nominating body's own page is the only reliable source.
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.