Australia's skilled occupation lists in 2026: what's in force and what moves on 1 July

Halfway through 2026, the structure of Australia’s skilled occupation lists is the one that took effect with the Skills in Demand (SID) visa on 7 December 2024. The headline change this year is not the lists themselves — it is the salary thresholds that move with annual indexation on 1 July 2026.

The short version

• The Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) is still the operative list for the SID subclass 482 Core Skills stream and the ENS subclass 186 Direct Entry pathway. Your nominated occupation must appear on it. It currently lists 456 occupations, each identified by its ANZSCO code.
• The MLTSSL, STSOL, and ROL did not go away. They still apply to other visa subclasses, as set out on the Home Affairs skill occupation list page.
• Migration still runs on ANZSCO codes, not OSCA. The ABS has published OSCA as the successor statistical classification, but the occupation lists and skills assessments continue to use ANZSCO.
• The income thresholds index up on 1 July 2026 (details below). Thresholds are reviewed and lifted each 1 July, so the figure that applies is the one in force on the day a nomination is lodged.

What moves on 1 July 2026

The two Skills in Demand income thresholds rise with annual indexation:

Threshold	To 30 June 2026	From 1 July 2026
Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT)	AUD 76,515	AUD 79,499
Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT)	AUD 141,210	AUD 146,717

The CSIT is the salary floor for the Core Skills stream (the list-based pathway). The SSIT is the floor for the Specialist Skills stream, which covers occupations not on the CSOL but is gated by the higher salary instead of a list. Both figures are set by the Department of Home Affairs; confirm the current numbers on the salary requirements page before relying on them, because the rate that applies is the one current when the nomination is lodged.

What hasn’t changed

List membership opens a pathway; a shortage rating is a separate labour-market read. As a worked example, Civil Engineer (233211) is on the CSOL and was rated national shortage in the 2025 Occupation Shortage List. Those are two distinct facts: the CSOL membership is what opens the Core Skills stream, while the shortage rating is a point-in-time signal that does not, by itself, change visa eligibility. Software Engineer (261313) and Registered Nurse (Aged Care) (254412) are two more occupations whose list and shortage status are worth checking individually rather than assuming.

Check your occupation

The lists are live documents. Home Affairs can add or remove occupations, and the thresholds change every 1 July. Always check the current CSOL PDF and the salary requirements page before acting on anything here.

To find your ANZSCO code and see whether it appears on the CSOL, browse the occupation index. If you are unsure which code fits your background, the CV matcher at app.anzscofinder.com shows your closest matches with a confidence score.

For advice on whether a pathway is right for your situation, speak to a registered migration agent. We find codes and show sources. We do not give migration advice.