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Australia

Sonographer

Sonographer appears on the points-tested, employer-sponsored and post-study routes, and all five states and territories that list by occupation include it, while New South Wales lists its unit group. It is rated in shortage nationally. The sections below set out what each requires. It was invited in the most recent published round.

ANZSCO 251214Published 31 March 2026Last updated 26 August 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 code251214Medical imaging professionals unit group
Skills assessmentASMIRTAustralian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy
Visa access7 routes186, 189, 190, 482, 485, 491 and 494
Typical earnings$2,042Average weekly cash earnings, unit group
Duties

What Sonographer does

Your duties—not your job title—are what determine whether ANZSCO 251214 is the right code for your assessment.

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

operate X-ray and other radiation producing and imaging equipment for diagnostic, monitoring and treatment purposes under the direction of Radiologists and other Medical Practitioners

Unit group 2512
Official occupation summary

Operates ultrasound equipment to acquire, interpret and selectively record anatomical images, physical data and real-time physiological information for medical diagnostic purposes in conjunction with Medical Practitioners.

Occupation 251214
  • receiving referrals from Medical Practitioners to perform medical imaging and radiation treatment of patients
  • determining the appropriate equipment to use, such as X-ray equipment, radiation scanners, fluoroscopes, ultrasound equipment, nuclear instrumentation, angiography equipment and computed tomography (CT) equipment, and selecting the appropriate equipment settings to provide the diagnostic information requested by Medical Practitioners
  • calculating details of procedures such as length and intensity of exposure to radiation, size and strength of dosage of isotopes, and settings of recording equipment
  • explaining procedures to patients and answering patients' inquiries about processes
  • ensuring patients' welfare during procedures
  • positioning patients, screens and equipment preparatory to procedures
  • viewing the screen and deciding if images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes, and selecting images to show Medical Practitioners
  • conveying findings of procedures to Medical Practitioners

Default edition — 27 June 2013

  • receiving referrals from Medical Practitioners to perform medical imaging and radiation treatment of patients
  • determining the appropriate equipment to use, such as X-ray equipment, radiation scanners, fluoroscopes, ultrasound equipment, nuclear instrumentation, angiography equipment and computed tomography (CT) equipment, and selecting the appropriate equipment settings to provide the diagnostic information requested by Medical Practitioners
  • calculating details of procedures such as length and intensity of exposure to radiation, size and strength of dosage of isotopes, and settings of recording equipment
  • explaining procedures to patients and answering patients' inquiries about processes
  • ensuring patients' welfare during procedures
  • positioning patients, screens and equipment preparatory to procedures
  • viewing the screen and deciding if images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes, and selecting images to show Medical Practitioners
  • conveying findings of procedures to Medical Practitioners

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.

$2,042average weekly total cash earnings
Lower-paid unit groupsHigher-paid unit groups

Medical imaging 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.

189Skilled IndependentNo state or employer sponsorPermanent
190Skilled NominatedRequires state nomination+5 points
491Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)State or family nomination+15 points
482Skills in Demand — Core Skills streamEmployer sponsorship, temporarySponsored
186Employer Nomination Scheme — Direct Entry streamEmployer-sponsored permanent residencePermanent
494Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) — Employer Sponsored streamEmployer-sponsored, regionalSponsored
485Temporary GraduateFor eligible recent Australian graduatesTemporary
Points test

What the 85-point figure means

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

Latest published round
85points

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

What the record shows

Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent

between 65 and 85, most recently 85.

Round-by-round recordLowest score invited

  • June 202685
  • November 202575
  • August 202580
  • November 202475
  • September 202480
  • June 2024
  • December 202365

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 — SonographerBuilt 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

Takes about two minutes. No obligation.

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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.

15expressions of interest · July 2026
90+1 (7%)
80–893 (20%)
70–797 (47%)
60–694 (27%)
under 600 (0%)

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

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

27expressions of interest · July 2026
90+7 (26%)
80–898 (30%)
70–799 (33%)
60–693 (11%)
under 600 (0%)

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.

9expressions of interest · July 2026
90+0 (0%)
80–897 (78%)
70–792 (22%)
60–690 (0%)
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, July 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 Sonographer 251214.

2Check ASMIRT 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

Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy

ASMIRT decides whether your skills and experience meet the Australian standard for Sonographer 251214.

Assessing authorityASMIRTSets 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

  • NSWUnit group on published list
  • VICNo list published
  • QLDOn published list
  • SANo list published
  • WAOn published list
  • TASOn published list
  • NTOn published list
  • ACTOn published list
Labour agreements

Employer-led alternatives

Some employers can sponsor workers under an agreement negotiated with the government. Whether one is open to you depends on the employer, the industry and the terms of that agreement.

10 industry labour agreements are currently published.

There is no published list of which occupations each agreement covers, so this page cannot tell you either way. Only the employer holding the agreement can.

Career pathways

Where these skills sit

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

Current groupMedical imaging professionalsUnit group 2512
Skill neighboursNutrition Professionals · Occupational and Environmental Health Professionals · Optometrists and Orthoptists · Pharmacists · Other Health Diagnostic and Promotion ProfessionalsCompare duties first
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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Takes about two minutes. No obligation.

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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