Data source: Migration (Specification of Occupations, Subclass 482 Visa) Instrument 2024 (F2024L01620), Federal Register of Legislation. Secondary reference: Department of Home Affairs, Skilled occupation list. SVH production dataset ref_csol_occupations, 456 rows queried 30 July 2026. Sources re-checked 31 August 2026.
What the CSOL is
The Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) is specified in the Migration (Specification of Occupations, Subclass 482 Visa) Instrument 2024, registered as F2024L01620 with a commencement of 6 December 2024. The Skills in Demand visa opened the following day, 7 December 2024. It replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage stream inside subclass 482 rather than the subclass itself, and the Department still lists Skills in Demand (subclass 482) and Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) as separate line items.
The Department of Home Affairs publishes a combined skilled occupation list that shows, for each occupation, its ANZSCO code, its assessing authority, any caveats, and which lists it sits on: the CSOL, the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, the Short-term Skilled Occupation List, or the Regional Occupation List. The Department is explicit that the authoritative list for any visa program is the one in that program's legislative instrument, not the web page. That is the instrument cited above.
The CSOL is used for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) Core Skills stream and for the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). Both use the 2022 version of ANZSCO. Other skilled subclasses still use the 2013 version.
The list is reviewed periodically to align with the migration program year, which starts 1 July. The Department can adjust it outside that cycle.
The occupation count
As at 30 July 2026, SVH's production dataset recorded 456 occupations on the CSOL, queried directly from ref_csol_occupations.
The breakdown by ANZSCO major group
The 456 occupations sit in six of ANZSCO's eight major occupation groups. This breakdown is queried directly from SVH's production dataset, not modelled or estimated.
| ANZSCO major group | Occupations on CSOL | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2, Professionals | 235 | 51.5% |
| 3, Technicians and Trades Workers | 141 | 30.9% |
| 1, Managers | 47 | 10.3% |
| 4, Community and Personal Service Workers | 23 | 5.0% |
| 5, Clerical and Administrative Workers | 8 | 1.8% |
| 6, Sales Workers | 2 | 0.4% |
| 7, Machinery Operators and Drivers | 0 | 0.0% |
| 8, Labourers | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: SVH production dataset, ref_csol_occupations (456 rows), grouped by the first digit of each ANZSCO 2022 occupation code. Queried 30 July 2026.
Professionals and Technicians and Trades Workers together account for 376 of the 456 occupations, 82.4% of the list. Two major groups have no occupations on the list at all: Machinery Operators and Drivers, and Labourers.
What the CSOL did not replace
The Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List is often described as the CSOL's predecessor. The Department's own record does not support that. Its page for that list states that "Use of the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List ceased on 28 October 2022", more than two years before the CSOL commenced, and directs readers to the skilled visa processing priorities instead. The two lists also did different jobs: the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List set processing order, while the CSOL sets eligibility.
The Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, the Short-term Skilled Occupation List and the Regional Occupation List all remain in use for the other skilled subclasses, on the 2013 version of ANZSCO.
What SVH's own data does not yet show
SVH's occupation_visa_eligibility table currently records the same visa subclass pairing, 482 and 186, against every CSOL occupation uniformly. It does not yet distinguish which CSOL occupations carry a points-tested permanent pathway, 189, 190 or 491, from those limited to employer sponsorship.
That is a gap in SVH's own dataset, not a distinction the Department has declined to publish. SVH will update this article once the gap is closed.
The CSOL does not establish, and this article does not claim, any relationship between a specific education course and a specific occupation. That mapping is not published by any Australian authority.
If an occupation is removed
The Department states that pending nomination and visa applications are not adversely affected by the later removal of an occupation from the skilled occupation lists, and that existing skilled visa holders are not affected unless their circumstances change and their employer needs to lodge a new nomination.
Sources: Migration (Specification of Occupations, Subclass 482 Visa) Instrument 2024 (F2024L01620): https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L01620/asmade/text. Department of Home Affairs, Skilled occupation list: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skill-occupation-list. SVH production dataset ref_csol_occupations, queried 30 July 2026. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
StudyVisaHub is not a registered migration agent and does not provide immigration assistance. This article reports published Australian Government information and is general information only.