Software and Applications Programmers nec (ANZSCO 261399)

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 Software and Applications Programmers nec 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

Software and Applications Programmers nec isn't in any of the ANZSCO groups that Directions 121 and 122 list for the priority sectors. Some of the first group is defined by the job rather than the code: a nominated position directly involved in agriculture, aquaculture or fishing, one that directly supports mining, oil and gas or coal production, or one related to defence. Otherwise the application is processed after the priority sectors. For the permanent and provisional skilled visas, applicants who were in Australia when they applied come next, then those who applied from outside Australia. For the 482, Specialist Skills stream applications come before both.

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 Software and Applications Programmers nec comes from:

What the assessment actually involves

This is the catch-all code for programming roles that do not sit cleanly under Analyst Programmer, Developer Programmer, Software Engineer or Software Tester. ACS assesses it under the same framework and the same experience matrix, and its published definition covers designing, developing, testing, maintaining and documenting program code under user requirements and technical specifications. The nec label describes where the code sits in the classification, not a lower standard of assessment.

Where these applications come unstuck

Nominating nec because you are unsure which of the named codes fits is the wrong instinct. ACS's own mechanism for uncertainty is to nominate up to three occupations in a single application and receive a separate outcome letter for each one assessed successfully, which is a better answer than defaulting to the catch-all. Use this code when your work genuinely does not match the named definitions, not as a way of avoiding the choice.

An honest read on this pathway

On the MLTSSL and CSOL, so it is not a lesser code in visa terms, and it appears on South Australia's Adelaide City Technology and Innovation DAMA list like the rest of the family. There is no licence or registration standing between a positive outcome and working: ACS states plainly that a suitable letter is not a formal IT award, qualification or licence, and nothing further is required in this occupation group.

Assembling an ACS application? ACS wants employment evidence that lines up exactly with the dates and duties you claim elsewhere. The Skilled Visa EOI Organiser keeps your claims consistent across the skills assessment, EOI and Form 80 — inconsistencies between them are a common cause of delay.

Talk it through with a registered agent

Whether nominating Software and Applications Programmers nec 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.

Compare registered agents

Related occupations

All skilled occupations · Points calculator · Skilled visa agents