PR Pathway for Trade and TAFE Graduates in Australia (2026)

If you trained in a trade in Australia – electrician, chef, carpenter, plumber, hairdresser – the migration pathway you are on looks completely different from the one university graduates use, and even different from occupation to occupation within trades themselves. The assessing body is different, the process has two separate stages instead of one, and – as with teaching and nursing – which exact occupation you trained in changes which visas are realistically open to you. Chef and Cook sound almost interchangeable. On the skilled occupation list, they are not.

This guide sources every occupation, list status and fee directly from the Department of Home Affairs skilled occupation list and Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) – the Australian Government body that assesses most trade occupations for skilled migration – so you can see exactly where your trade stands before you pay for an assessment. For how skilled occupation lists and ANZSCO codes work in general, see our skills assessment and skilled occupation list guide.

Quick Facts

The One Thing Most Guides Get Wrong: Chef and Cook Are Not on the Same List

Most competitor content treats “Chef” and “Cook” as interchangeable words for the same job. On the current skilled occupation list they sit on genuinely different tiers, and the gap has real visa consequences:

• Chef (ANZSCO 351311) sits on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) plus the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) – the full pathway, including the points-tested Skilled Independent visa (189) and the Temporary Graduate visa (485).
• Cook (ANZSCO 351411) sits on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) plus CSOL only. No 189, no 485 – you are limited to state nomination (190/491) or employer sponsorship (482/186/494).

The distinction usually comes down to the complexity and autonomy of the role, not the kitchen you work in – but which title your qualification and employment actually map to is worth confirming with TRA before you assume either way.

Trade Occupations on the Skilled Occupation List

This is the current list status for common trade occupations that international student graduates in Australia typically train in, sourced directly from the Home Affairs skilled occupation list and cross-checked against the in-force legislative instrument. “Full pathway” means MLTSSL-eligible occupations that can use the 189 points-tested stream and the 485 Temporary Graduate visa, in addition to state and employer sponsorship. “Sponsored only” means STSOL occupations limited to state nomination (190/491) and employer sponsorship (482/186/494) – no 189, no 485. All of the occupations below also sit on the CSOL, so the Skills in Demand visa (482) and Employer Nomination Scheme (186) are on the table for every one of them regardless of MLTSSL/STSOL status.

*Electrician (General and Special Class), Plumber (General) and Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic are MLTSSL occupations for visa-eligibility purposes, but are treated as “licensed occupations” and excluded from TRA’s Job Ready Program specifically – more on what that means below. This list is not exhaustive; dozens of other trade occupations, from Baker to Automotive Electrician, also appear on the skilled occupation list under TRA. Confirm your own occupation directly on the Home Affairs skilled occupation list or with TRA before relying on this table.

The Two-Step TRA Pathway for International Student Graduates

Unlike a university graduate who typically completes a single skills assessment, most international students who complete an Australian VET (TAFE-level) trade qualification and want to stay on and migrate go through two separate TRA programs in sequence, not one.

Step 1: Provisional Skills Assessment Program (PSAP)

PSAP is the compulsory first step for recent graduates. It is designed for international students who completed their trade qualification in Australia through a CRICOS-registered training provider and want to apply for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485).

• Eligibility: your qualification must have been completed in Australia through a CRICOS-listed provider, your nominated occupation must be one TRA assesses, and you need a valid passport.
• Cost: AUD $130 total, confirmed directly from TRA’s official fee schedule.
• Processing time: TRA’s own reporting shows average processing tracking at around 12 weeks as of July 2026.
• Outcome: a positive PSAP Outcome Letter is valid for 3 years and can be used both to apply for the 485 visa and to register for the Job Ready Program.

Step 2: Job Ready Program (JRP)

The Job Ready Program is the full, employment-based skills assessment most international student graduates working in Australia use to get the final assessment outcome that supports a skilled visa application. It requires a positive PSAP outcome first, plus a minimum of 12 months of relevant, approved employment.

1. Job Ready Employment ($490): TRA confirms your employer and role meet the program’s requirements before your workplace assessment stage begins.
2. Job Ready Workplace Assessment ($2,845): the core stage – a minimum 12-month, on-the-job assessment of your trade skills in your actual workplace.
3. Job Ready Final Assessment ($75): the final review that produces your Job Ready Outcome Letter, the document used to support a skilled visa application.

Combining TRA’s own processing benchmarks – registration contact within 2.5 months, workplace assessment starting within 8 months, assessment referral within 3 months and a final outcome letter within 2 months of that – with the mandatory 12-month employment period, a realistic total timeline from finishing your course to holding a Job Ready Outcome Letter is closer to 18-24 months than the “few weeks” some competitor content implies, before you have even lodged a visa application.

Two Separate Processes: TRA Skills Assessment vs State Occupational Licensing

This is the same distinction that trips up nursing graduates between ANMAC and AHPRA, and teaching graduates between AITSL and state teacher registration – and for trades it matters even more. A positive TRA skills assessment is only for skilled migration purposes. It tells the Department of Home Affairs your qualifications and experience meet the standard for your nominated occupation. It does not, on its own, give you permission to legally perform licensed trade work in Australia.

For licensed trades – electrical work is the clearest example – you separately need a trade licence from the relevant state or territory regulator before you can legally work unsupervised, regardless of your visa or TRA assessment status:

• New South Wales: electrical licensing sits with NSW Fair Trading and Building Commission NSW.
• Victoria: Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) issues electrical licences.
• Queensland: the Electrical Safety Office (ESO) is the licensing regulator.
• Every other state and territory, and every other licensed trade (plumbing, gas fitting, refrigeration and air-conditioning work), has its own regulator – check your target state’s fair trading or consumer affairs department directly, since requirements and fees change and mutual recognition between states is not automatic.

Unlicensed trades such as Chef, Cook, Carpenter (in most states) and Hairdresser generally do not require this second licensing step, but always confirm current requirements for your specific occupation and state before assuming either way.

Visa Options Once You Have an Occupation and an Assessment

Which visas are realistically open to you depends on where your occupation sits on the list.

The Skills in Demand visa (482) and the Employer Nomination Scheme (186) Direct Entry pathway both carry an annual market salary requirement – the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) was AUD $79,423 following the 1 July 2026 indexation, confirmed directly from Home Affairs. An employer sponsoring a tradesperson needs to demonstrate the position meets this threshold. For the general mechanics of how these routes work, see our dedicated guides on state nomination visas (190 and 491) and employer-sponsored visas (482, 186 and 494).

What This Means in Practice

If you trained as an Electrician, Plumber, Carpenter, Chef, Bricklayer or Motor Mechanic, you have the same broad set of options as any other MLTSSL occupation – build points toward the 189, consider state nomination, or line up employer sponsorship. If you are one of the three licensed trades excluded from the Job Ready Program, your realistic first move is contacting TRA directly to confirm which assessment pathway actually applies to you before enrolling in anything or paying a fee.

If you trained as a Cook, Hairdresser or Landscape Gardener, the sequencing looks different. Your strongest routes are state nomination – many states actively nominate hospitality and personal-service trades for regional shortages – or employer sponsorship through a business willing to sponsor a 482 or 186 visa. Neither requires you to independently qualify under the points test the way a 189 application would, but a positive TRA skills assessment in your nominated occupation is still very likely required for state nomination and employer sponsorship alike – being STSOL rather than MLTSSL changes which visas are open to you, not whether an assessment is required at all.

If your trade qualification was a Certificate III or IV, our guides to what a Certificate III or IV actually means and to popular trade courses for international students cover the study side of this pathway. If your trade is hairdressing specifically, see our dedicated guide to becoming a hairdresser in Australia for the full study-to-registration picture.

Frequently asked questions

Last verified: 31 August 2026, against the Department of Home Affairs skilled occupation list and Trades Recognition Australia’s official program and fee pages. Skilled migration rules, occupation lists and fees change regularly – always confirm current details directly with Home Affairs and TRA before acting, and consider speaking with a MARA-registered migration agent for advice specific to your situation.