Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) now available ahead of 6 December 2024 release date
While it was previously announced that the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) would be replacing the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) on 6 December 2024, it appears that the first edition of the OSCA has now been published on the Australian Bureau of Statistic’s website.
The OSCA is now available on the ABS website but does not presently have any legal application to the existing skilled and employer-sponsored visa programs in Australia: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/osca-occupation-standard-classification-australia/2024-version-1-0
Nonetheless, remains to be seen whether any further changes will be made to the OSCA before it is implemented into legislation, as well as how and when it will apply to the existing and upcoming skilled and employer-sponsored visa programs in Australia.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see how the OSCA is going to affect:
the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) that was released by the Department of Home Affairs on 3 December 2024, which will reportedly apply to the upcoming Skills in Demand visa (which will be replacing on the Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) visa on 7 December 2024) and the Direct Entry stream of the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa;
This CSOL still refers to the ANZSCO and not the OSCA.
the Skilled Independent (Subclass 189) visa, Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) visa and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 491) visa, particularly in relation to persons who have lodged an Expression of Interest (EOI) and/or Registration of Interests to be considered for invitation (and who have already obtained positive skills assessments in their nominated ANZSCO occupations);
the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 494) visa; and
the Temporary Residence Transition stream of the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa.
In this regard, grandfathering provisions should ordinarily apply to allow current Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) visa holders to transition to permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa through the ANZSCO occupation in which they were granted a Subclass 482 visa.
Background to the introduction of the OSCA
On 8 October 2024, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Statistics New Zealand, which established the joint Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) in 2006, announced that each country would be introducing their own tailored occupational statistical classifications.
In particular, it was announced that a new classification called the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA), 2024, version 1.0 would be released on Friday 6 December 2024.
The ABS is committed to regular updates of OSCA and is developing a plan for ongoing feedback, and will continue to engage and consult on the OSCA in 2025. In particular, ABS’s website states that the OSCA will be in a “maintenance phase” in 2025: https://www.abs.gov.au/about/consultation-and-conferences/updating-anzsco/about-osca. This may indicate a delay in the OSCA’s application to Australia’s skilled and employer-sponsored visa programs.
Our immigration lawyers at Inclusive Migration have extensive experience in advising prospective migrants to Australia about their employer-sponsored, skilled migration and family migration options in Australia. Should you wish to discuss your eligibility for migration to Australia through employer-sponsored and/or general skilled migration pathways, please email info@inclusivemigration.com.au or submit an enquiry using the contact form on our website.
