Registered Nurse (Perioperative) (ANZSCO 254423)

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 Registered Nurse (Perioperative) 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).

Processing priority

Registered Nurse (Perioperative) is a healthcare occupation under Directions 121 and 122 (ANZSCO Sub-Major Group 25, Health Professionals). Since 19 September 2026, skilled visa applications by a primary applicant in this occupation are in the first group processed: for the 482 under Direction 121, and for the permanent and provisional skilled visas, including the 186, 189, 190, 491 and 494, under Direction 122.

Priority changes the order in which lodged applications are looked at, not whether they are granted. Who is invited to apply through SkillSelect is decided separately. See all 202 occupations in the priority sectors.

Skills assessment

A positive skills assessment for Registered Nurse (Perioperative) comes from:

What the assessment actually involves

As with every RN code, ANMAC's qualification/English/pathway assessment is identical; what changes is the specialty reference. Perioperative requires a professional reference a recent, documented period of paid work in an operating theatre setting — scrub, scout or anaesthetic nursing duties — within ANMAC's recency window (confirm the current period with ANMAC).

Where these applications come unstuck

Perioperative nursing is a distinct skill set from general surgical ward nursing (pre- and post-operative patient care), and the two are commonly confused because both sit under "surgical." A reference describing ward-based post-operative care does not evidence theatre-based perioperative duties, and vice versa.

An honest read on this pathway

A genuinely specific, skills-distinct pathway — worth double-checking against the separate Surgical code before nominating, since only a theatre-based role will actually support this one.

Registration and assessment both need paperwork. Nursing and health applications run two document trails at once — the skills assessment and professional registration. The Document Vault keeps one register of what you hold, what each body has asked for, and what is still outstanding.

Talk it through with a registered agent

Whether nominating Registered Nurse (Perioperative) 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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