491 Visa Occupation List 2026: The ROL Explained and Which Occupations Qualify

Before you start your skills assessment or submit an Expression of Interest, you need to confirm that your occupation appears on the correct list. The 491 visa uses a different — and importantly, broader — occupation list than the Subclass 189. Getting this wrong means investing in an assessment for an occupation that cannot be nominated, or targeting the wrong visa entirely.

Two Lists, Two Visa Pathways

Australia's skilled migration program uses several occupation lists. For the 491 visa, the relevant list is the Regional Occupation List (ROL).

The ROL is distinct from the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), which governs the Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) visa. The ROL contains all occupations on the MLTSSL, plus additional occupations that are specifically needed in regional areas but not necessarily in the major metropolitan centres.

This means that if your occupation does not appear on the MLTSSL — disqualifying you from the 189 — it may still appear on the ROL, making you eligible for the 491 pathway. This is a significant practical difference that many candidates miss.

What the ROL Includes That the MLTSSL Does Not

The ROL's expanded coverage reflects the labour market realities of regional economies, which differ from the metropolitan workforce in meaningful ways. Occupations that commonly appear on the ROL but not the MLTSSL include:

• Agricultural and environmental occupations: Agricultural Consultant, Agricultural Scientist, Environmental Health Officer, Environmental Research Scientist
• Healthcare specialties: Sonographer, Nuclear Medicine Technologist, Radiation Therapist, various allied health roles
• Trades in regional demand: Electrician, Plumber, Bricklayer, Cabinetmaker, Flooring trades — many of these are on the MLTSSL as well, but trades occupations on the ROL have historically received strong invitation volumes in states like Western Australia
• Specific engineering roles: Some engineering specialisations appear on the ROL where their MLTSSL coverage is narrower
• Education roles: Certain teacher categories that do not appear on the MLTSSL

The exact composition of the ROL changes periodically. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations reviews both lists and updates them when labour market conditions change. Always verify your occupation against the current published list before lodging your EOI.

State Occupation Lists Add Another Layer

Beyond the federal ROL, each state and territory operates its own occupation list for nomination purposes. These state-specific lists are subsets of the ROL — they identify which occupations the state will actively nominate in a given program year.

Your occupation must appear on both the federal ROL and the occupation list of the state where you want to be nominated. If your occupation is on the ROL but not on Western Australia's Schedule 2 list for that month, WA cannot nominate you regardless of your points score.

Key state lists to know:

• Western Australia: The WASMOL (Western Australia Skilled Migration Occupation List) is divided into Schedule 1 (Health and Medical) and Schedule 2 (General Occupations). Most trades and engineering occupations appear on Schedule 2.
• South Australia: SA operates a large occupation list and has historically been one of the more inclusive states, particularly for ICT and engineering. In the March 2026 round, SA directed all 42 ICT nominations to the 491 pathway.
• Victoria: Uses a Registration of Interest (ROI) system and prioritises health, social services, early childhood education, advanced manufacturing, and construction.
• Queensland: Targets healthcare, education, and trades for traditional skilled streams. Also offers the Small Business Owner pathway which is occupation-agnostic — eligibility is based on business investment, not occupation.
• Tasmania: Uses a tiered priority system (Gold/Green/Orange-plus passes) that weights critical sectors — health, allied health, and teaching — for fast-track invitation.

High-Priority Occupations for the 491 in 2026

Based on 2025–26 program data, the occupations generating the most 491 activity are:

Building and Construction Trades (especially WA) Western Australia's construction boom is driving strong demand for Electricians, Plumbers, Carpenters, Bricklayers, and Cabinetmakers. WA's current 2,200-place allocation — the largest of any state — is heavily weighted toward trades. Some trades occupations have been receiving WA nominations at base scores of 65 points (inclusive of the 15-point bonus), meaning applicants with a pre-nomination score of just 50 base points are being invited.

Civil and Structural Engineering (WA and SA) Civil engineers are in demand across WA's infrastructure pipeline and SA's defence-adjacent construction projects. Engineers Australia assessments for civil and structural ANZSCO codes are among the highest-volume assessment applications.

Registered Nurses and Allied Health (all states) Nursing and allied health occupations (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers, sonographers) appear across multiple state lists. Tasmania, Victoria, and SA specifically prioritise health professionals in their invitation matrices.

ICT Professionals (SA and ACT) Software engineers, systems analysts, ICT project managers, and cybersecurity specialists are in demand, particularly in SA (where the ICT 491 funnel noted above is currently operational) and in Canberra, where federal government tech projects drive demand.

Accountants and Financial Professionals Accounting occupations remain consistently present across most state occupation lists, though competition is high given the volume of applicants in these fields.

How ANZSCO Codes Work With the Occupation Lists

Both the ROL and state-specific lists reference occupations by their ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) code. The ANZSCO code determines:

1. Which assessing authority is designated for your occupation
2. Whether your occupation appears on the applicable federal list
3. How your occupation is categorised within state lists

Your skills assessment is issued for a specific ANZSCO unit group. When you submit your EOI, the nominated occupation must match the ANZSCO code on your skills assessment. Mismatches — for example, applying as a Software Engineer when your assessment was issued for a different ICT unit group — result in an invalid EOI.

If your assessment was issued under an ANZSCO code that no longer appears on the ROL due to a list update, you may need to seek a reassessment under a different, currently-eligible code before lodging your EOI.

Confirming Your Occupation Before You Start

The most practical way to confirm your occupation's status is to check the Department of Home Affairs website directly for the current ROL, then cross-check against the occupation lists of the states you are targeting. This takes about 20 minutes and prevents the most common eligibility mistake in the 491 process.

Do not rely on information more than six months old. Both the federal ROL and state lists are reviewed and updated periodically, sometimes with occupations added mid-program-year.

If your occupation sits close to the boundary — for instance, an ICT role that could map to multiple ANZSCO codes — seek clarity from your assessing authority (typically ACS for ICT) about which code best fits your actual employment duties before investing in the assessment.

The Australia Skilled Work Regional Visa (491) Guide includes a current occupation guide, state-by-state nomination playbooks for 2025–26, and a step-by-step walkthrough of the EOI submission process.