Architect (ANZSCO 232111)

On the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List and Core Skills Occupation List

From the official Home Affairs skilled occupation lists, as at 2026-08-12. Lists change at each government update — always confirm on the official page before acting.

Which lists is Architect on?

MLTSSL — Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List. The widest list — occupations on the MLTSSL can access the points-tested permanent skilled visas including the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), which needs no state nomination or employer.

CSOL — Core Skills Occupation List. The employer-sponsorship list — occupations on the CSOL can be nominated for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) and the Employer Nomination Scheme 186.

Visas this occupation can access

Being on a list makes the occupation nominatable for these visas — each visa still has its own requirements (points, age, English, a positive skills assessment, and for sponsored visas a willing employer or state).

Skills assessment

A positive skills assessment for Architect comes from:

What the assessment actually involves

The Architects Accreditation Council of Australia runs one of two pathways depending on qualification. Overseas-qualified applicants with a recognised architecture degree go through the Overseas Qualifications Assessment — a two-stage process ending in a Competency Assessment: a portfolio of three to four architectural projects, written summary statements addressing the National Standard of Competency for Architects, and a Competency Assessment Interview. Applicants without a recognised qualification but with substantial practice experience instead apply through the National Program of Assessment, which tests eligibility first and then a design response to a hypothetical brief.

Where these applications come unstuck

The portfolio and summary statements are assessed against the current National Standard of Competency, and projects chosen to look impressive rather than to demonstrate specific competency elements — siting, structure, services, technical integration — routinely fall short at the interview stage when the assessor probes what the applicant actually decided versus what a senior colleague or the firm's process determined.

An honest read on this pathway

A demanding, multi-stage assessment even before registration exams are considered — a positive AACA skills assessment for migration purposes is not the same as being licensed to practise as an architect in Australia, which still requires the Architectural Practice Examination and state registration afterward.

Whichever authority assesses you, the paperwork is the part applicants underestimate. The Document Vault keeps a single register of every document, what it was needed for, and what is still missing.

Talk it through with a registered agent

Whether nominating Architect is your best route depends on your points, experience evidence and timing — exactly what a MARA-registered agent works through in an initial consultation. Describe your situation once through Migratio and compare real consultation quotes from registered agents, free.

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