Before anything else, you need your occupation code.
Everyone in skilled migration keeps asking for your “ANZSCO code”. Here's what that actually is, why your job title isn't enough, and why getting it right is the very first step — long before any visa.
“ANZSCO code” just means the official name for your job.
ANZSCO is the catalogue of every skilled job Australia and New Zealand recognise. Each job has a 6-digit code. For example, 261313 is “Software Engineer”, and 261312 is “Developer Programmer”.
They sound like the same job. To the migration system, they are not — they can have different assessors, sit on different occupation lists, and qualify for different visas. That's why “I'm a software developer” isn't an answer the system can use. It needs the code.
The trap most people fall into. They pick a code that matches their job title, not their actual duties. ANZSCO codes are defined by what you do day-to-day — so the same title can map to a different code. Get this wrong and you can be assessed against the wrong standard and waste months and fees.
Where your code sits in the whole process.
Skilled migration has many steps. They all depend on one fact established at the very start — your occupation code. That's the part we do.
Identify your occupation code This is us
Read your CV, match your real duties and experience to the right ANZSCO code(s) across all three code packs. Free, about a minute, no agent required.
Skills assessment
Your code decides which authority validates you — ACS for IT, Engineers Australia for engineers, VETASSESS for many professions, TRA for trades. A positive skills assessment is required for most skilled visas.
Check eligibility
Is your code on the right occupation list for a visa you can actually get? Lists differ by visa — and that's exactly why running your CV against all three code packs matters.
Choose a pathway
Points-tested, employer-sponsored, or state/region nominated in Australia; SMC, AEWV, or Green List in New Zealand. This is where you talk to a registered agent.
Lodge your application
Through ImmiAccount (Australia) or Immigration New Zealand — usually with a Registered Migration Agent or Licensed Immigration Adviser. We don't do this part, and we'll always tell you so.
Your code decides three things you can't skip.
Who assesses you
Each occupation has a designated assessing authority. The code points to the right one — assess against the wrong authority's standard and you start over.
Which visas you can get
Codes sit on specific occupation lists. Whether you're eligible for a given visa depends on whether your code is on that visa's list — today.
A good conversation
Walk into an agent's office already knowing your code(s) and you skip the slow, expensive guessing. You arrive at step one, not step zero.
We identify the code. We do not give migration advice. Knowing your code is the start, not the answer. Whether you're eligible, which visa fits, and how to lodge are decisions for a Registered Migration Agent (Australia, MARA) or a Licensed Immigration Adviser (New Zealand, IAA). We'll never tell you which visa to apply for or predict whether you'll succeed.