Chef Migration to Australia: CSOL, TRA, Subclass 482, 189, DAMA and the PR Path
Can you migrate to Australia in this occupation?
Chef (ANZSCO 351311) is a skilled occupation (Skill Level 2) with several different migration pathways to Australia. The occupation appears on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) and is eligible for the subclass 482 visa, the subclass 189 visa (independent points stream), the subclass 190/491 visas (state nomination), the subclass 186 visa (employer-sponsored permanent residence), and a number of DAMAs (Designated Area Migration Agreements) in regions such as Darwin, South Australia and Tasmania. The key conditions are completing a skills assessment through the TRA and meeting the English requirement that applies to each visa.
ANZSCO and CSOL: position on the occupation list
The Chef occupation carries ANZSCO code 351311 (Chef) and is classified at Skill Level 2. It is important to distinguish 351311 (Chef) from 351411 (Cook). The two codes have different skills assessment conditions and processes, and they are not interchangeable when lodging a visa application. Anyone working in a kitchen who wishes to migrate must identify the correct ANZSCO code they qualify under before beginning any step.
Code 351311 currently appears on the CSOL , meaning the occupation is open for the subclass 482 Core Skills stream and allows an Expression of Interest (EOI) to be lodged in SkillSelect for points-based assessment for the subclass 189 and 190/491 visas. Being on the CSOL does not mean a visa is granted automatically — each visa still has its own conditions that must be fully met.
The skills assessment authority: TRA (Trades Recognition Australia) via the Job Ready Program
The skills assessment authority for the Chef occupation (351311) is TRA (Trades Recognition Australia), delivered through the Job Ready Program (JRP). This is a multi-step process, not a one-off assessment, and usually takes 12 to 18 months to complete in full.
The JRP has three main stages: (1) PSA (Pre-Skills Assessment) — a preliminary review of whether the applicant is eligible to enter the JRP, based on their qualifications and work experience; (2) JRE (Job Ready Employment) — a period of real employment in Australia (usually a minimum of 12 months and 1,725 hours, verified by a supervisor registered with the TRA); (3) JRFA (Job Ready Final Assessment) — a final assessment comprising a practical and theoretical examination at a TRA-recognised centre. Only after passing the JRFA is there an official skills assessment outcome that can be used for a visa application.
The total cost of the entire JRP is estimated at around (current fee — check the assessing authority’s official site), combining the fees for each PSA, JRE and JRFA step. In addition, the applicant must hold a valid visa to work in Australia throughout the JRE stage — typically a subclass 500 (student) visa, a subclass 485 visa, or a subclass 482 visa. The JRP cannot be completed from outside Australia.
Suitable visas: an overview
The Chef occupation (351311) is eligible for four main visa streams: subclass 482 (employer-sponsored, temporary); subclass 186 (employer-sponsored permanent residence); subclass 189 (independent points, no employer sponsor required); and subclass 190/491 (state or regional nomination). In addition, certain DAMAs open further entry for the occupation in regions experiencing labour shortages. Choosing the right pathway depends on your points, your ability to find a sponsoring employer, and your long-term settlement plans.
Subclass 482 — employer-sponsored
The subclass 482 Core Skills stream is the most widely used route for chefs wanting to work in Australia in the short to medium term (usually 4 years for an occupation on the CSOL). To be sponsored, a worker needs at least the required relevant work experience in the occupation within the most recent 5 years, must meet the English requirement, and must have an employer approved by the Department of Home Affairs as a Standard Business Sponsor (SBS). The Chef occupation (351311) is eligible under the Core Skills stream .
A key requirement for the subclass 482 is that the salary must meet the TSMIT (Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold), currently (current TSMIT — check homeaffairs.gov.au), or the market salary rate for the position (whichever is higher). This is where many chef applications run into difficulty, because the actual salary of an entry-level chef may not reach this threshold, depending on the region and type of restaurant (see Reference salaries below for the verified median income figure from an official source). The sponsor must demonstrate a genuine need to recruit (Labour Market Testing) before sponsoring a foreign worker, unless an exemption applies. Some hospitality businesses approach this through a Labour Agreement to gain additional flexibility in the sponsorship conditions.
Subclass 186 — employer-sponsored permanent residence
The most common route to permanent residence (PR) for a person holding a subclass 482 visa is the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) pathway of the subclass 186 visa. After working for 2 years for the same sponsoring employer on a subclass 482 visa, a worker may be nominated by that employer to lodge a subclass 186 TRT application. The conditions include: working full-time over those 2 continuous years, meeting the skills requirement (a TRA assessment or an exemption depending on the case), meeting the English requirement, and being under 45 years old at the time of application (some cases are exempt from the age requirement). The Chef occupation (351311) is eligible under this stream.
Besides the TRT, the subclass 186 also has a Direct Entry pathway — which does not require a prior 482 — but this requires a TRA skills assessment and the required relevant work experience. In practice, Direct Entry is less common for chefs because most arrive via the 482 route first. When the subclass 186 visa is granted, the holder becomes an Australian permanent resident immediately.
Subclass 189 — independent points, no employer sponsor
The subclass 189 is a permanent residence visa based on the points test, requiring no employer sponsor and no state nomination. The process begins by lodging an EOI (Expression of Interest) through SkillSelect with a valid TRA skills assessment outcome. The applicant then waits to be invited to apply (ITA — Invitation to Apply) in the periodic points-selection rounds. The Chef occupation (351311) is eligible for this visa stream.
In practice, the cut-off score for the Chef occupation fluctuates and is often high — commonly 85 points or more, depending on the time. To reach this, a typical applicant needs to combine: an age of 25–32 (up to 30 points), English at Superior or Proficient level (20 points), relevant qualifications and experience, plus bonus points from Australian study or Australian work experience. Without a completed skills assessment, an EOI cannot be lodged.
Subclass 190 and 491 — state nomination
The subclass 190 (state-nominated permanent residence) and subclass 491 (state/regional-nominated temporary residence) visas open opportunities for chefs with a lower points score than the subclass 189, thanks to 5 bonus points (190) or 15 bonus points (491) from nomination. Many Australian states and territories include Chef (351311) on their nomination lists, particularly states short of hospitality workers such as Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
Each state has its own conditions: some require the applicant to be already working in that state, while others target overseas applicants with suitable skills. A subclass 491 holder must live and work in the designated region for at least 3 years and meet a certain income threshold before becoming eligible for the subclass 191 visa (permanent residence from 491). The subclass 491 suits those who accept settling in a region outside the major cities in exchange for higher bonus points.
English requirements
English requirements vary by visa. For the subclass 482 Core Skills stream, the minimum is IELTS overall 5.0 (minimum 4.5 in each band), or PTE Academic 36 (minimum 30 in each section). For the subclass 189, 190 and 491 — being PR visas or pathways to PR — the requirement is higher: IELTS overall 6.0 (minimum 6.0 in each band) for Competent English, or a higher score to earn English bonus points in the points test (Proficient: IELTS 7.0 in each band; Superior: IELTS 8.0 in each band). For the subclass 186, the requirement is similar — at least Competent English (IELTS 6.0 in each band or equivalent).
It is worth noting that English is often the area applicants take the longest to improve. Investing early in English — particularly if targeting the subclass 189 — can significantly shorten the overall time to PR.
Reference salaries
The figures below are reference points, not guaranteed salaries. Actual pay depends on city/region, level and experience, the type of employer, full-time/part-time/casual status, award classification level, penalty rates, compulsory superannuation, and the visa/sponsorship context.
Labour-market benchmark (official): According to the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile (figures from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours), the median weekly earnings for the Chefs occupation group (ANZSCO 3513) is 1,423 AUD/week — roughly 6,170 AUD/month or 74,000 AUD/year if simply converted over 52 weeks/year (pre-tax, a reference point only, not a guaranteed salary). This is the median for full-time, non-managerial, adult-rate, pre-tax workers — neither the minimum nor the maximum, and it is a figure for the whole occupation group rather than a single position.
Salary range from job ads (market): Sites such as SEEK Salary Insights publish salary ranges based on job advertisements, reflecting what employers are offering and often broad by level. At the time of this update, AustraliaHub has not been able to verify a salary range from SEEK; you should look it up directly on SEEK for the specific position and compare it against the median benchmark above.
Legal floor (minimum): The restaurant and hospitality sector applies awards such as the Restaurant Industry Award (MA000119) or the Hospitality Industry (General) Award (MA000009). This is a legal minimum floor, different from the market salary; the exact rate depends on the job classification. Look up the rate that applies to your classification using the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool (https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/). For subclass 482 sponsorship specifically, the salary must meet the minimum income threshold (the Core Skills Income Threshold, formerly called TSMIT) set by Home Affairs and changing each financial year — look it up on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
Official sources (checked 12/06/2026):
- Jobs and Skills Australia — Chefs occupation profile (ANZSCO 3513): https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/3513-chefs
- Fair Work Ombudsman: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/
The path to permanent residence: a summary
The most common route for chefs is: complete the TRA skills assessment through the JRP (usually requiring a work visa in Australia first), then be sponsored by an employer for a subclass 482 Core Skills visa (4 years), work for 2 years for the same employer, then transition to a subclass 186 TRT visa for permanent residence. If no sponsoring employer can be found, the alternative is to accumulate points and lodge an EOI for the subclass 189 (independent) or 190/491 (state/regional) visas. A DAMA is also worth considering if the applicant is willing to settle in a labour-shortage region. None of these routes is quick — the entire path from starting the JRP to actually holding PR usually takes 4 to 7 years.
Common mistakes
- Confusing ANZSCO 351311 (Chef) with 351411 (Cook): The two codes have different assessment conditions and visa processes. Lodging under the wrong code leads to refusal and non-refundable lost fees.
- Starting the JRP without a valid work visa in Australia: The TRA’s JRE stage requires real employment in Australia. It cannot be done from outside Australia, and you cannot work unlawfully to accumulate hours.
- Accepting a salary below TSMIT because an employer promises to “sort out the visa later”: An employment contract below (current TSMIT — check homeaffairs.gov.au) does not qualify for the subclass 482 Core Skills, no matter how well-intentioned the sponsor is.
- Leaving the English requirement until close to lodgement: Many applicants focus only on the trade skills and leave English aside, ending up needing an extra 1–2 years just to reach the minimum IELTS.
- Not verifying whether a state is currently nominating Chef (351311) before lodging an EOI: Nomination occupation lists change frequently by state and by round; applicants need to check directly on the state’s website at the time of lodging, rather than relying on outdated information or an agent who is not up to date.