Dental Hygienist (ANZSCO 411211)
On the Regional 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 Dental Hygienist on?
ROL — Regional Occupation List. Occupations on the ROL are limited to the regional provisional visas — mainly the Skilled Work Regional 491 and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional 494.
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).
- Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) — Provisional, regional, points-tested · all occupations for the 491
- Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) — Temporary, employer sponsored · all occupations for the 482
- Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) — Permanent, employer sponsored · all occupations for the 186
- 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
Dental Hygienist is a healthcare occupation under Directions 121 and 122 (ANZSCO Minor Group 411, Health and Welfare Support Workers). 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 Dental Hygienist comes from:
- Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services (VETASSESS) (official site) · our guide to the VETASSESS process
What the assessment actually involves
VETASSESS classifies Dental Hygienist as a Group A occupation, requiring a qualification comparable to an AQF Bachelor degree or higher in a highly relevant field. A specific route on its own page, Pathway 2, is keyed directly to registration: "This pathway requires an overseas qualification recognised by the Dental Board of Australia." That naming of the Dental Board on Dental Hygienist's own page is a genuine anchor this code offers that most other VETASSESS occupations in this family do not — a direct, sourced link between the migration assessment pathway and the actual registration body. Dental Hygienist sits on ROL plus CSOL, reaching five visas, notably without 189 or 190.
Where these applications come unstuck
The trap here is not on VETASSESS's own page — its Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist pages both sit at the same Group A, Bachelor-level bar, and this dossier's research did not find VETASSESS distinguishing the two by day-to-day task on the pages it could reach. The split has to be made on the applicant's actual documented scope of practice, since nothing in the assessment pathway itself spells out the difference between preventive hygiene work and the broader restorative scope a dental therapist's training typically covers. Nominate against the evidence your qualification and employment history actually support, not against whichever code sounds closer to the job title you used overseas.
An honest read on this pathway
Dental Hygienist's list position — ROL plus CSOL, five visas, no 189 or 190 — rules out the general skilled points-tested permanent route entirely; access runs through 186, 407, 482, 491 and 494 instead. The Dental Board of Australia connection named directly on this code's own Pathway 2 is a real anchor for the registration question, but it does not remove the second step: a positive VETASSESS assessment supports the visa application, and Dental Board recognition of the qualification is a separate matter this guide did not further verify beyond the Pathway 2 wording itself. Confirm current registration requirements directly with the Dental Board before assuming the assessment alone is enough.
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 Dental Hygienist 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