The ACT Government has announced that a number of new occupations have been added to the Critical Skill List. This means that skilled migrants who are qualified in these roles can apply for an Australian visa with greater ease. The Government of the Australian Capital Territory updated its Critical Skills List on June 24, 2022. The list was expanded to 95 new professions or occupations, demonstrating how serious a shortage of skilled labor there is in the national capital.

The Australian Capital Territory Government reviewed a variety of metrics when developing the List, including job openings, employment levels, anticipated employment growth by occupation, and feedback from industry and stakeholders. These are genuine shortages and actual jobs. If you are interested in applying for a visa to work in Canberra, make sure you check out the list of newly-approved occupations and see if you qualify.

What is the ACT Critical Skills List?

The ACT Critical Skills List identifies the occupations in current demand in the Australian Capital Territory. This List is important if you want to apply for ACT nomination for either a:

Points may also be earned in the Canberra Matrix if your selected profession is on the Critical Skills List or you are working in an occupation that is on the list.

What are the new occupations added to the ACT's Critical Skill List?

Published on 24 June 2022, it is welcome that 95 more occupations join ACT's Critical Skills List. However, three occupations are removed from the list. The current Critical Skills List applies to all Canberra Matrix, regardless of when they were submitted.

The ACT Government informs that 2000 allocation of nomination places for 2021-22 nearly met, with an average of 171 approvals a month and a 19% refusal rate. One of the main reasons for refusing was the evidence of current employment.

The 2021-22 allocation for ACT nomination is:

ACT permanent 190 nomination: 600 places
ACT provisional 491 nomination: 1400 places

10 more occupations were added into the list on 11 July 2022. (Highlighted on the table)

ANZSCO NOMINATED OCCUPATION

133112 project builder (491 only)

133511 production manager (forestry)

134211 medical administrator (491 only)

134212 nursing clinical director

134213 primary health organisation manager

134214 welfare centre manager

134299 health and welfare services managers (nec)

134412 regional education manager (491 only)

134499 education managers (nec)

139913 laboratory manager

139914 quality assurance manager

139999 specialist managers (nec)

141311 hotel or motel manager

142115 post office manager (491 only)

149912 cinema or theatre manager (491 only)

149914 financial institution branch manager (491 only)

222311 financial investment adviser

222312 financial investment manager

223112 recruitment consultant

223113 workplace relations adviser (491 only)

224712 organisation and methods analyst

225113 marketing specialist

232212 surveyor

232213 cartographer

232214 other spatial scientist

232413 multimedia designer (491 only)

233511 industrial engineer

233512 mechanical engineer

233513 production or plant engineer

233914 engineering technologist

233916 naval architect

233999 engineering professionals (nec)

234311 conservation officer (491 only)

234312 environmental consultant

234313 environmental research scientist

234399 environmental scientist (nec)

234911 conservator

234912 metallurgist

234913 meteorologist

234914 physicist

234915 exercise physiologist (491 only)

234999 natural and physical science professionals (nec)

241511 special needs teacher

241512 teacher of the hearing impaired

241513 teacher of the sight impaired

242211 vocational education teacher (491 only)

251211 medical diagnostic radiographer

251212 medical radiation therapist

251213 nuclear medicine technologist

251214 sonographer

251511 hospital pharmacist

251512 industrial pharmacist

251999 health diagnostic and promotion professionals (nec)

253211 anesthetists (491 only)

253312 cardiologist

253317 intensive care specialist

253318 neurologist

253321 pediatrician

253411 psychiatrists

253912 emergency medicine specialist

253917 diagnostic and interventional radiologist

253999 specialist physicians (nec)

254111 midwife

254311 nurse manager

272412 interpreter

272413 translator (491 only)

272499 social professionals (nec)

311211 anesthetic technician

311212 cardiac technician

311213 medical laboratory technician

311214 operating theatre technician (491 only)

311215 pharmacy technician

311216 pathology collector (491 only)

311299 medical technicians (nec)

312111 architectural draftsperson

312113 building inspector

312114 construction estimator (491 only)

312116 surveying or spatial science technician (491 only)

312199 architectural, building, and surveying technicians (nec)

324111 panel beater

331111 bricklayer

331112 stonemason

332211 painting trades worker

333211 fibrous plasterer

333212 solid plasterer

334112 airconditioning and mechanical services plumber

334113 drainer

334114 gasfitter

334115 roof plumber

341111 electrician (general)

341112 electrician (special class)

341113 lift mechanic

361111 dog handler or trainer

361112 horse trainer

361114 zookeeper (491 only)

361199 animal attendants and trainers (nec)

391111 hairdresser

411611 massage therapist

452312 gymnastics coach or instructor

452313 horse riding coach or instructor

452314 snowsport instructor

452315 swimming coach or instructor

452316 tennis coach

452317 other sports coach or instructor

452321 Sports development officer

Occupations have been removed from the ACT Critical Skill List:

ANZSCO NOMINATED OCCUPATION

149211 Call or Contact Centre Manager (491 Only)

342111 Airconditioning and refrigeration mechanic

599612 Insurance Loss Adjuster

The Australian Capital Territory Government has just released an updated Critical Skills List, which includes 95 new occupations in demand in Canberra. The ACT reviewed a variety of metrics including job openings, employment levels, expected employment growth and retirement by occupation, and feedback from industry and stakeholders in order to update the list. If your occupation is on the list, you may be able to migrate directly to Canberra from your home country. We encourage you to review the list and contact us if you are interested in making the move to Australia. There are real shortages in these areas, so don't miss out on this opportunity! Contact us immediately.

How can Agape Henry Crux Help You?

In addition to what the law does and doesn’t allow you to do, there are also practical considerations that may mean that travelling overseas jeopardises your visa application. If you want to find out more about the risks of travelling overseas, do not hesitate to contact us. You can book a Migration Planning Session with one of our immigration lawyers to seek professional advice by calling 02 8310 5230 or email us to book a time at info@ahclawyers.com.

We speak fluent English, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian, Burmese and Malay. If these aren’t your language, we can also help you arrange an interpreter.

This article/presentation (“publication”) does not deal extensively with important topics or changes in law and is not intended to be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other advice that may be relevant to the reader's specific circumstances. If you find this publication of interest and would like to know more or wish to obtain legal advice relevant to your circumstances, please contact our office.