✓ MARA·Last reviewed: July 2026·6 min read·MARN 2518872
Fruit or Nut Growers can migrate to Australia via regional sponsorship visas (491 or 494). Both pathways require VETASSESS skills assessment and state nomination. These regional pathways suit agricultural professionals seeking permanent residence in high-demand horticultural zones.
Not published in the current Occupation Shortage List
Source: DHA SkillSelect, March 2026
Note: This occupation is on the Short-term Skilled
Occupation List (STSOL). The independent Subclass 189 visa is not
available. PR pathways require state nomination (190), regional
nomination (491), or employer sponsorship (482 → 186).
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 has not published a shortage rating for this occupation. We do not state one — an absent rating is not the same as 'not in shortage', and treating it as such would be guesswork dressed up as information.
Visa pathways for Fruit or Nut Grower
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 Regional Occupation List, which is oriented to regional nomination and regional employer sponsorship.
Skills assessment for Fruit or Nut Grower
Skills assessment fees
Pathway
Fee
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.
Fees are set by the authority, not by the Department. The pathways below come from the authority's own published schedule and are reconciled against it. Always confirm the current charge directly with the authority before lodging.
State and territory nomination
Nomination is run by the states and territories, not by the Department, and each maintains its own occupation list and its own requirements. These move frequently. Always work from the nominating body's current page rather than from a summary anywhere else — including this one.
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.
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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Do I need a skills assessment for this occupation?
Yes — and it must be for this occupation specifically. A positive assessment in a neighbouring occupation does not transfer, which is why establishing the correct ANZSCO code first is not a clerical detail.
Does meeting the minimum points score mean I will be invited?
No. The minimum allows you to lodge an Expression of Interest. Invitations are issued in rank order from the highest scores down, so the score that actually secures an invitation depends on who else is in the pool for your occupation.
Can a state nominate me for this occupation?
Only if the occupation is on that state's own list at the time you apply, and only if you meet that state's criteria. State lists are separate from the national lists and are revised often — check the nominating body's current page.
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.
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. 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. Always verify independently before acting.
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