How to Move to Australia as a Chef: Visa, TRA Assessment & Costs

How chefs migrate to Australia — why the Chef vs Cook classification decides your entire visa pathway, what the TRA skills assessment involves, and English and cost requirements across the 189, 190, 491, 482 and DAMA options. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 Chef or Cook?
  2. 0:13 Chef: 351311, Skill Level 2, MLTSSL.
  3. 0:39 Menu planning and supervision
  4. 0:50 TRA assessment (MSA):
  5. 1:02 Job Ready Program:
  6. 1:13 482: IELTS 5.0.
  7. 1:30 IELTS 7.0 adds 10 points.
  8. 1:41 Total budget:
  9. 1:53 Processing times:
  10. 2:08 DAMA agreements:
  11. 2:20 The top refusal reason:
  12. 2:31 Where to read more

Transcript

Two job titles look almost identical on paper — Chef and Cook — but only one opens the points-tested visas to permanent residency in Australia.

Chef is ANZSCO 351311, Skill Level 2, on the MLTSSL — permanent pathways through 186, 189, 190 or 491. Cook is 351411, Skill Level 3 — it can be sponsored under the Skills in Demand visa and later move to the 186, but it isn't on the lists for the 189 or 190.

The line comes down to evidence: menu planning, kitchen management, staff supervision, and full-service kitchens — not just following someone else's recipes.

Assessment runs through Trades Recognition Australia. Offshore applicants use the Migration Skills Assessment: $300 to $700, taking 8 to 12 weeks.

Onshore VET graduates go through the Job Ready Program instead — four stages over about 12 months, including at least 863 hours of paid work in the occupation.

English requirements shift by pathway. The 482 needs Vocational English: IELTS 5.0, no band below 5.0. Points-tested visas need Competent English: IELTS 6.0 in each band.

Higher scores add points too. IELTS 7.0 in each band adds 10 points. IELTS 8.0 adds 20.

All up, a single applicant budgets $9,000 to $13,500 — covering the assessment, English test, visa charge, health check, police clearance, and documents.

Processing varies by visa. The 482 takes 2 to 4 months. The 189 can take 8 to 18 months. The 190 or 491 usually takes 6 to 12 months after nomination.

Regional DAMA agreements can drop English as low as IELTS 4.5, with salary concessions below the Core Skills Income Threshold and age concessions up to 50.

The most common refusal reason isn't paperwork — it's evidence that reads like a Cook's duties, not a Chef's: no menu planning, no staff supervision, no food costing.

The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.

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