Skills demand for Natural and Physical Science Professionals nec
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 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 Natural and Physical Science Professionals 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.
Because this occupation is on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, the independent, state-nominated and regional skilled visas are all in scope.
This occupation appears on the Core Skills Occupation List, which is the list used for the Skills in Demand visa's Core Skills stream.
Skills assessment for Natural and Physical Science Professionals nec
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.
The points test and Natural and Physical Science Professionals nec
More applicants misread the points test than any other part of the skilled program, and it is nearly always the same misreading.
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 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
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.