Software Engineer, Nurse, and Accountant Australia Visa from Indonesia: Occupation-Specific Pathways

Three occupations account for a disproportionate share of Indonesia's skilled migration pipeline to Australia: ICT professionals (software engineers, systems analysts, IT business analysts), registered nurses, and accountants. Each has a different assessing authority, a different English test requirement, and a different realistic points score — which means a different fastest route to an invitation.

Software Engineers and IT Professionals

The Indonesian tech sector — centred in Bandung and Jakarta, with a growing presence in Yogyakarta — has produced a generation of software engineers with international-standard skills. For this group, Australia's IT labour shortage makes the pathway relatively favourable, but the ACS assessment process has specific traps.

Assessing authority: Australian Computer Society (ACS)

Common ANZSCO codes for Indonesian IT professionals:

• Software Engineer: 261313
• ICT Business Analyst: 261111
• Systems Analyst: 261112
• Database Administrator: 262111
• ICT Security Specialist: 262112
• Developer Programmer: 261312

All of these occupations appear on the MLTSSL (eligible for 189, 190, and 491).

The ACS assessment process for Indonesians:

ACS evaluates your degree transcript to determine whether your Indonesian qualification is a "Major" or "Minor" in computing. For an S1 Computer Science, Informatics, or Information Systems degree from Universitas Indonesia, ITB, Binus, Telkom University, or similar, at least 33% of the curriculum must be ICT-related for a "Major" classification — a threshold most 4-year Indonesian CS degrees meet.

The experience deduction is where most Indonesian IT professionals are surprised. ACS typically deducts 2 years for an S1 ICT Major graduate as a "qualifying period," meaning 4 years of experience produces only 2 years of credited experience. If your degree is classified as a "Minor" (non-ICT degree with some IT subjects), the deduction increases to 4 to 6 years.

English test for ACS: ACS requires English proficiency evidence at the time of assessment, not at visa lodgement. IELTS Academic or PTE Academic at Competent level (6.0 / 50) or above is required. For points purposes, targeting Superior (8.0 / 79) adds 10 more points.

Typical points score for Indonesian software engineers aged 28–33:

To reach the 85–90 points typically needed for 189 invitations in IT: Superior English (+10) and state nomination 190 (+5) = 80, or skilled partner (+10) = 90. The 491 regional pathway at 65 + 15 = 80 is the most accessible route for those without the Superior English score yet.

Indonesian IT community context: Reddit's r/AusVisa and WhatsApp groups like "Pejuang PR Australia" are active Indonesian IT communities where members share real-time invitation round results. Software engineers from Tokopedia, Gojek, and Traveloka backgrounds have become increasingly visible in the Australian tech job market — an employer's familiarity with Indonesian tech companies is no longer an obstacle.

Registered Nurses

Indonesian nurses represent one of the fastest-growing migration pathways to Australia, driven by Australia's persistent nursing shortage. The path is longer than IT migration and involves additional regulatory steps, but Australian starting salaries for registered nurses (AUD 65,000 to AUD 85,000 per year) make it one of the highest-ROI migration pathways from Indonesia.

Assessing authority: Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC)

ANZSCO code: 254111 (Registered Nurse — General)

The Indonesian nursing pathway requires two distinct stages that many applicants confuse:

Stage 1 is ANMAC skills assessment — this establishes that your Indonesian nursing degree and experience are comparable to Australian standards. ANMAC assesses your Indonesian nursing education against their accreditation standards.

Stage 2 is AHPRA registration (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) — this is the registration required to actually practice nursing in Australia. AHPRA registration is separate from the ANMAC skills assessment and happens after visa grant.

AHPRA may require Indonesian nurses to complete a bridging program (IRON — International Registered Nurse Orientation Program) and pass an OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination). The IRON program and OSCE are completed in Australia, usually within the first 6 to 12 months after arriving.

English test for nurses: The preferred language test for ANMAC and AHPRA is the Occupational English Test (OET) — specifically the Nursing version. OET is offered in Jakarta at approximately IDR 6,000,000 per sitting. IELTS and PTE Academic are also accepted by ANMAC at the specified scores, but AHPRA's English requirements for registration are stricter. Confirm the specific requirements with ANMAC before booking your test.

The Tuberculosis screening: Indonesian nurses applying for Australian visas face a heightened focus on the chest X-ray component of the medical examination, given Indonesia's TB classification. Allow for potential additional sputum testing if any chest X-ray findings require follow-up.

Points and pathway: Registered Nurse appears on both MLTSSL and most state occupation lists. Indonesian nurses who are willing to work in regional Australia — where nursing shortages are most acute — typically receive the fastest pathway via 491 nomination. States including SA, WA, and Queensland actively recruit offshore nurses for 491.

Accountants

Accounting is one of Australia's persistent skill shortage occupations, and Indonesian accountants — particularly those with international certification or experience with Indonesian branches of global firms — are well-positioned to qualify.

Assessing authority: This depends on your specific occupation and professional membership.

• CA ANZ (Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand): For Accountants (General, ANZSCO 221111) with CA or CPA membership
• VETASSESS: For accountants without professional body membership, or for occupations like Management Accountant (221112) or Tax Accountant (221113)
• CPA Australia: Also a recognised assessing body for accounting occupations

The professional membership advantage: Indonesian accountants who hold or are eligible for membership of CA ANZ or CPA Australia have a streamlined assessment pathway. CA ANZ has a reciprocal recognition arrangement with certain Indonesian accounting bodies. Check whether your Indonesian accounting qualification and experience makes you eligible for CA ANZ membership before choosing an assessing authority — the CA ANZ pathway is typically faster and more straightforward than VETASSESS for accounting roles.

Employment documentation for accountants: VETASSESS and CA ANZ both require detailed employment evidence. For Indonesian accountants working in public practice or corporate finance, the Surat Keterangan Kerja must include the specific types of accounting work performed (audit, tax compliance, management accounting, financial reporting), the standards applied (PSAK Indonesian Accounting Standards, IFRS), and the scale of the work (client revenue, transaction volumes). Indonesian CPAs from Big Four and mid-tier firms (KPMG, EY, PwC, Deloitte, BDO Indonesia) generally have employer letterheads and systems that produce internationally credible documentation.

Common ANZSCO codes:

• Accountant (General): 221111 — on MLTSSL
• Management Accountant: 221112 — on MLTSSL
• Taxation Accountant: 221113 — on MLTSSL
• External Auditor: 221213 — on MLTSSL

Typical points scenario: Indonesian accountants aged 28–34 with an S1 in Accounting, 5 years of experience, and Proficient English typically start at 65 base points. The 190 nomination (+5) plus Superior English (+10) = 80 — invitation-eligible in most rounds for accounting occupations, which see lower cutoffs than IT in many months.

The Common Thread: Indonesian Employment Evidence

Regardless of occupation, the single most common reason Indonesian skilled visa applications face requests for information is inadequate employment documentation. Australian assessing authorities expect employer letters that most Indonesian HR departments have never been asked to produce:

• Specific duties listed against the ANZSCO description for the nominated occupation
• Technologies, systems, or standards applied (not just "worked in finance" but "prepared consolidated financial statements under PSAK 22")
• Duration and nature of responsibilities for each major task
• The letter on company letterhead, signed by direct supervisor or HR manager, with contact details for verification

For each occupation, the Indonesia → Australia Skilled Migration Guide includes sample reference letter structures formatted for ACS, VETASSESS, and CA ANZ requirements — adapted for the Indonesian employer context where these requests are unfamiliar.

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