MLTSSL Explained: The Occupation List Behind Your Subclass 189 (2026)
What the MLTSSL is, how it differs from the CSOL and the STSOL after the December 2024 changes, and how to check whether your occupation is on it. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 One list decides your
- 0:10 MLTSSL: 216 occupations
- 0:21 Subclass 189: MLTSSL
- 0:33 Also underpins the
- 0:45 482 and 186 now run
- 1:00 CSOL: 458 occupations.
- 1:14 The STSOL still exists —
- 1:30 Classified by your duties —
- 1:41 Search by title or ANZSCO
- 1:51 Not on the MLTSSL?
- 2:06 Common mistake: assuming
- 2:21 Where to read more
Transcript
Whether you can apply for a subclass 189 comes down to one list: the MLTSSL.
The MLTSSL is the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List. As at 12 August 2026 it holds 216 occupations.
For a subclass 189, it's MLTSSL occupations only. If your occupation isn't on it, the 189 isn't available to you.
The MLTSSL also underpins state nomination for a subclass 190 or 491, and it feeds a subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa for most of the occupations on it.
On 7 December 2024, employer sponsorship changed. The subclass 482 Core Skills stream and the subclass 186 Direct Entry stream moved to a different list: the Core Skills Occupation List, or CSOL.
The CSOL holds 458 occupations as at 12 August 2026 — more than double the MLTSSL's 216. The two lists overlap, but they aren't the same list.
One list that didn't disappear: the Short-term Skilled Occupation List, the STSOL. It's still current in 2026, it just doesn't reach a subclass 189 anymore, and it's no longer the operative list for the 482 or 186.
Every occupation on these lists carries a six-digit ANZSCO code. That code is based on your actual duties, not your job title.
To check where you stand, search the skilled occupation lists on immi dot homeaffairs dot gov dot au by your occupation title or ANZSCO code.
If your occupation isn't on the MLTSSL, the subclass 189 is closed, but a subclass 190 or 491 with state nomination may still be open — and a subclass 482 sponsor might find you on the CSOL instead.
The most common mistake: assuming one list covers every visa. The MLTSSL, the CSOL and the STSOL are three separate lists, and an occupation can sit on one, more than one, or none of them.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description.
Short versions
- MLTSSL vs CSOL — not the same list (0:41)
- The STSOL didn't disappear (0:34)
- It's your duties, not your job title (0:35)
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