Funeral Workers nec (ANZSCO 451399)
On the Regional 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 Funeral Workers nec 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.
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
- 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
Funeral Workers 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 Funeral Workers nec comes from:
- Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services (VETASSESS) (official site) · our guide to the VETASSESS process
What the assessment actually involves
VETASSESS assesses Funeral Workers nec as a Group D occupation — AQF Certificate III or higher plus highly relevant employment — covering hands-on preparation and assistant roles rather than the coordinating role of Funeral Director. Its own suitable-occupation list names Embalmer and Funeral Director's Assistant specifically. Like Funeral Director, its page carries the "registration or licensing may be required" hedge. VETASSESS is explicit about the nec classification rule on this occupation's own page: work highly relevant to another named ANZSCO occupation cannot be assessed under an nec code even if that named occupation isn't itself available for migration — assessment runs case by case, not as a lower-scrutiny fallback.
Where these applications come unstuck
The visa-reach inversion runs opposite to what the job title suggests: this catch-all, assistant-level code reaches 407, 491 and 494, while the senior, named Funeral Director code beside it reaches only 494. Assuming the more senior-sounding title opens more doors is wrong here specifically. The nec case-by-case rule is a real trap too — employment genuinely matching the Funeral Director role cannot simply be re-filed under this nec code for a broader visa list; VETASSESS tests the fit against this occupation's own description, not against convenience.
An honest read on this pathway
This code is the wider door of the two funeral occupations, both in visa reach and, per VETASSESS's own hedge, potentially in licensing exposure — checked here only in NSW (no licence required) and WA (a cemetery-specific Funeral Director's Licence, which attaches to the coordinating role rather than assistant work). Whether any state licenses embalming or preparation work separately from the funeral-director role itself was not established in this research pass.
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 Funeral Workers 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.
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All skilled occupations · Points calculator · Skilled visa agents