🇦🇺 Australia

Solicitor Visa Pathway Australia

✓ MARA · Last reviewed: July 2026 · 6 min read · MARN 2518872
Key Facts
ANZSCO Code
271311
Solicitor
SkillSelect minimum
80 pts
DHA round 2026-06-04 · tie-break 24/04/2026
Skills Assessor
LSAB
LSAB
Skills Shortage
In shortage
Shortage in: ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA · 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 Solicitor

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 records this occupation as in shortage. A shortage rating does not guarantee an invitation or a nomination; it tells you the labour-market conditions are working in your favour rather than against you.

Visa pathways for Solicitor

Your visa options follow directly from the occupation lists your ANZSCO code sits on. Each list unlocks a different set of subclasses, and appearing on one says nothing about 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.

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 Solicitor

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.

No fee is stated here. We publish a charge only where we can source it from the authority reliably and keep it current; where we cannot, we send you to the authority instead of guessing. A reader one click from the truth is better served than a reader given a number we cannot stand behind.

The points test and Solicitor

There is one distinction in the points test that matters more than all the others, and it is the one most often got wrong.

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.

A published minimum for this occupation appears above. Read it as occupation-specific and round-specific — it is not a standing cut-off, and it changes between rounds.

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

  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
Claim only what you can prove. Points you cannot evidence at the visa stage are worse than points you never claimed, because an invitation obtained on an unprovable claim ends in a refusal rather than a grant.
MARN 2518872 (AU) · immi.tv
Free Tool
Australian Points Calculator
Calculate your points score as a solicitor and find the best visa pathway for your profile.
Calculate Points →

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Are you a solicitor seeking to migrate to Australia? Let us help you navigate the visa pathway.

Book a free 15-minute assessment with our MARA registered migration agent.

Book Free Assessment →
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.

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.

No client or adviser relationship is created by your use of this site. To the maximum extent permitted by law, immi.tv expressly disclaims all liability for any loss or damage — including visa refusals, cancellations, condition breaches, application costs, and consequential loss — arising from reliance on this content. See our full Terms of Use.

Book Free Assessment →