🇦🇺 Australia

Environmental Scientists Visa Pathway Australia

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

Environmental Scientists can migrate to Australia via employer sponsorship: the 482 Temporary Skill Shortage visa for skilled temporary work, or the 186 Employer Nomination Scheme for permanent residence. Both require VETASSESS skills assessment and employer sponsorship.

Key Facts
ANZSCO Code
234399
Environmental Scientists nec
SkillSelect minimum
80 pts
DHA round 2026-06-04 · tie-break 24/04/2026
Skills Assessor
VETASSESS
Skills Shortage
Not in shortage
No state-level shortage · Jobs and Skills Australia, 2025-10
Visa Pathways
189, 190, 491, 485, 482, 186
Subclasses this occupation is eligible for
Source: DHA SkillSelect, March 2026

Skills demand for Environmental Scientists nec

Whether an occupation is in demand shapes almost everything else about a skilled application — which visas are realistic, how competitive an invitation round is likely to be, and whether a state has any reason to nominate you.

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 Environmental Scientists nec

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 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.

Skills assessment for Environmental Scientists 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.

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 Environmental Scientists nec

More applicants misread the points test than any other part of the skilled program, and it is nearly always the same misreading.

Meeting the minimum lets you submit an Expression of Interest. It does not get you invited. The Department invites in rank order from the top down, which means the effective bar is whatever the strongest applicants in your occupation happen to score.

The Department publishes a minimum for this occupation, shown above. It is specific to this occupation and to that round; it is not a general cut-off and it will move.

State and territory nomination

State and territory nomination is a separate process with its own rules. Each state publishes its own list and its own criteria, they change without much notice, and being nominated by one state does not help you with another. Check the nominating body directly.

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.

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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.

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