Urban and Regional Planner (ANZSCO 232611)

On the Short-term Skilled Occupation 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 Urban and Regional Planner on?

STSOL — Short-term Skilled Occupation List. Occupations on the STSOL can access state-nominated and regional skilled visas (190/491), but not the Skilled Independent 189.

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 Urban and Regional Planner comes from:

What the assessment actually involves

VETASSESS assesses Urban and Regional Planner under its Group A pathway: a qualification comparable to an AQF Bachelor degree or higher in a field highly relevant to the occupation — specifically Urban Planning — plus at least one year of highly relevant post-qualification employment in the last five years, at 20 or more hours a week. VETASSESS states that degrees in Architectural studies are generally not assessed positively for this code unless the course includes a sufficient range of urban-planning-related studies, considered case by case. Self-employed applicants face an extended evidence list: business registration, an accountant's or solicitor's statement, invoices and a statutory declaration of duties.

Where these applications come unstuck

This is the one code in the family that does not carry MLTSSL — it sits on the STSOL tier of the CSOL instead, so it does not reach the same permanent-stream visa subclasses as its five family neighbours. VETASSESS also explicitly excludes Landscape Architect from consideration under this code and distinguishes the two by focus: planners weigh environmental factors, community needs and long-term regional development, while landscape architects focus specifically on the layout and features of outdoor areas. Nominating the wrong one of the two sends the application to the wrong evidence set entirely.

An honest read on this pathway

The visa pathway is open but narrower than the rest of this family — no 189 or 485 route, only 186, 190, 407, 482, 491 and 494 apply. This research found no state licensing or protected-title regime for the occupation the way "architect" and licensed cadastral surveying carry one; that is not confirmed absent, simply not found in the authority sources checked this session.

VETASSESS assesses qualifications and employment separately. Both need documentation that agrees with itself. The Employment History Builder and Document Vault organise each trail before you lodge.

Talk it through with a registered agent

Whether nominating Urban and Regional Planner 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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