Social Professionals nec (ANZSCO 272499)
On the Short-term Skilled 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 Social Professionals nec 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.
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).
- Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) — Permanent, state or territory nominated · all occupations for the 190
- Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) — Provisional, regional, points-tested · all occupations for the 491
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa (subclass 494) — Provisional, regional employer sponsored · all occupations for the 494
- Training visa (subclass 407) — Temporary, workplace training · all occupations for the 407
Processing priority
Social Professionals 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 Social Professionals nec comes from:
- Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services (VETASSESS) (official site) · our guide to the VETASSESS process
What the assessment actually involves
Social Professionals nec is a VETASSESS Group A occupation — one pathway only, an AQF Bachelor degree or higher highly relevant to the nominated occupation, plus at least one year of highly relevant employment in the last five years. Suitable titles cover a wide spread, including Anthropologist, Criminologist, Geographer, Heritage Consultant, Linguist, Political Scientist, Sociologist and Philosopher. VETASSESS is specific about what does not count: a Social Work qualification is treated as not highly relevant, given how differently that degree and career path are structured, and PhD study funded only by a living allowance or scholarship is not accepted as employment.
Where these applications come unstuck
VETASSESS names the exact occupations this code is not for, directly on its own page: Historian, Interpreter, Translator and Archaeologist are all explicitly excluded, on the basis that they are classified elsewhere in ANZSCO. Someone doing historical or archaeological research could reasonably read this code's own broad description — researching human behaviour and society from historical perspectives — and assume it fits; VETASSESS's page closes that door by name. Group A's single-pathway shape also means there is no employment-length trade-off available if the qualification itself is judged not highly relevant enough.
An honest read on this pathway
This code covers genuine breadth across the social sciences and humanities, but the exclusion list narrows it more than the occupation title alone suggests, and the Social Work exclusion in particular catches people who might not expect it. Anyone weighing this code against Historian or Archaeologist for a research-heavy role should check VETASSESS's stated exclusions first, rather than picking whichever code's visa list looks more useful — the fit decision belongs to VETASSESS, not to the applicant's list preference.
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 Social Professionals 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.
Related occupations
All skilled occupations · Points calculator · Skilled visa agents