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Australia

Music Director Visa Pathway Australia

Music Director appears on the points-tested, employer-sponsored and post-study routes, and none of the six states and territories that list by occupation includes it. It is not rated in shortage. The sections below set out what each requires. It was invited in the most recent published round.

ANZSCO 211212Published 31 March 2026Last updated 1 October 2026Read time 12 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 code211212Music professionals unit group
Skills assessmentVETASSESSVocational Education and Training Assessment Services
Visa access7 routes186, 189, 190, 482, 485, 491 and 494
Typical earnings$1,048Average weekly cash earnings, unit group
Duties

What Music Director does

Your duties—not your job title—are what determine whether ANZSCO 211212 is the right code for your assessment.

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

“write, arrange, orchestrate, conduct and perform musical compositions”

Unit group 2112
Official occupation summary

“Conducts choirs, orchestras, bands, ensembles, opera companies and musical performances. This occupation requires high levels of creative talent or personal commitment and interest as well as, or in place of, formal qualifications or experience.”

Occupation 211212
  • creating melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures to express ideas and emotions in musical form
  • translating ideas and concepts into standard musical signs and symbols for reproduction and performance
  • undertaking research and liaising with clients when composing musical backing for television commercials, popular recordings, and radio, television and film productions
  • auditioning and selecting musicians and Singers
  • selecting music for performances and assigning instrumental parts to musicians
  • directing musical groups at rehearsals and performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance, rhythm and tempo
  • studying and rehearsing repertoire and musical scores prior to performances
  • playing music in recital, as an accompanist, or as a member of an orchestra, band or other musical group, from score and by memory
  • performing music and songs according to interpretation, direction and style of presentation, using highly developed aural skills to reproduce music

Default edition — 27 June 2013

  • creating melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures to express ideas and emotions in musical form
  • translating ideas and concepts into standard musical signs and symbols for reproduction and performance
  • undertaking research and liaising with clients when composing musical backing for television commercials, popular recordings, and radio, television and film productions
  • auditioning and selecting Musicians and Singers
  • selecting music for performances and assigning instrumental parts to musicians
  • directing musical groups at rehearsals and performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance, rhythm and tempo
  • studying and rehearsing repertoire and musical scores prior to performances
  • playing music in recital, as an accompanist, or as a member of an orchestra, band or other musical group, from score and by memory
  • performing music and songs according to interpretation, direction and style of presentation, using highly developed aural skills to reproduce music

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.

$1,048average weekly total cash earnings
Lower-paid unit groupsHigher-paid unit groups

Music professionals, 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.

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

What the 80-point figure means

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

Latest published round
80points

Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent — June 2026 · lowest score invited, not a pass mark.

What the record shows

Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent

between 80 and 90, most recently 80.

Round-by-round recordLowest score invited

  • June 202680
  • November 2025—
  • August 2025—
  • November 202490

— not listed in that round’s published results. DHA publishes the occupations invited in each round, not the ones that were not, so this does not mean nobody with this occupation was invited.

Minimum to lodge an EOI:65 points

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

🔒 Points check — Music DirectorBuilt 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

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Processing order

Where this occupation sits in the queue

Ministerial Directions set the order applications are considered in.

Priority sector: Not Listed. Its processing priority depends on where you apply from and who applies with you.

Subclass 189Skilled IndependentMD-122
On shorePriority 2 of 4
Off shore, applying alonePriority 3 of 4
Off shore, with familyPriority 4 of 4
Subclass 190Skilled NominatedMD-122
On shorePriority 2 of 4
Off shore, applying alonePriority 3 of 4
Off shore, with familyPriority 4 of 4
Subclass 491Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)MD-122
On shorePriority 2 of 4
Off shore, applying alonePriority 3 of 4
Off shore, with familyPriority 4 of 4
Subclass 482Skills in DemandMD-121
Specialist Skills streamPriority 2 of 5
On shorePriority 3 of 5
Off shore, applying alonePriority 4 of 5
Off shore, with familyPriority 5 of 5
Subclass 186Employer Nomination Scheme — Direct Entry streamMD-122
On shorePriority 2 of 4
Off shore, applying alonePriority 3 of 4
Off shore, with familyPriority 4 of 4
Subclass 494Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) — Employer Sponsored streamMD-122
On shorePriority 2 of 4
Off shore, applying alonePriority 3 of 4
Off shore, with familyPriority 4 of 4
Subclass 485Temporary Graduate
Processing priorityNot ListedNo Ministerial Direction sets an order for this subclass.
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.

3expressions of interest · August 2026
90+0 (0%)
80–891 (33%)
70–791 (33%)
60–690 (0%)
under 601 (33%)

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

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

3expressions of interest · August 2026
90+0 (0%)
80–891 (33%)
70–791 (33%)
60–690 (0%)
under 601 (33%)

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.

3expressions of interest · August 2026
90+0 (0%)
80–890 (0%)
70–792 (67%)
60–691 (33%)
under 600 (0%)

⚠ 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 Music Director 211212.

2Check VETASSESS 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

Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services

VETASSESS decides whether your skills and experience meet the Australian standard for Music Director 211212.

Assessing authorityVETASSESSSets 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
  • QLDNot on published list
  • SANo list published
  • WANot on published list
  • TASNot on published list
  • NTNot on published list
  • ACTNot on published list
Labour agreements

Employer-led alternatives

Some employers can sponsor workers under an agreement negotiated with the government. Only that employer can say whether one is open to you.

No industry labour agreement names this occupation.

Not Named InOther agreements
Career pathways

Where these skills sit

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

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

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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.

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