Who this may suit
Fashion and costume designers, freelance designers and apparel professionals reviewing Australian migration options.
Key considerations
- VETASSESS currently treats 232311 as a Group B occupation.
- A portfolio is required alongside the qualification and employment evidence.
- The occupation is on the STSOL and is not currently listed on the CSOL.
Separate design work from garment production
VETASSESS includes Costume Designer under 232311. It distinguishes fashion design from work primarily involving cutting, patternmaking or making garments to another person’s design.
For a role review, describe how you developed a concept, responded to a brief and made choices about form, materials or construction. Explain whether you originated the design, adapted an existing collection or implemented instructions supplied by someone else.
A person may perform several of these activities in a small label. The assessment still needs an accurate account of the principal professional role rather than an inflated title based on owning the business.
Review the current Group B requirements
Group B requires a qualification comparable to an AQF Bachelor degree or higher. The pathway depends on whether the study is highly relevant and on the timing and duration of suitable employment. A fashion-design major is the most direct study connection described by VETASSESS.
The highly relevant degree pathway includes at least one year of relevant post-qualification work within the last five years at 20 hours or more per week. Different educational backgrounds have longer employment requirements. Check the complete current pathways before deciding you qualify.
Experience and commercial success do not automatically remove the qualification requirement. If you completed a diploma, short course or unrelated degree, clarify the appropriate assessment position before investing in a portfolio submission.
Build a portfolio that makes authorship clear
VETASSESS requires a portfolio of completed work for this occupation. Follow its current instructions for links or uploaded samples, together with the separate employment evidence.
For preparation, select a manageable range of work that helps explain your process. Label what you designed, when it was produced and whether it was a paid commission, employment project or student exercise. Show your individual contribution to collaborative collections.
A polished catalogue may demonstrate the finished product while hiding who designed it. Prepare a short explanation connecting each selected example to your actual responsibilities. Do not claim another designer’s concept or disclose confidential future collections without permission.
Connect freelance work to verifiable records
A self-employed designer should be able to connect the business, commissions, work periods and payment evidence. VETASSESS publishes specific self-employment documentation requirements; the portfolio does not replace those records.
Create a timeline that distinguishes paid design work from running an online store, reselling garments or marketing the label. For mixed businesses, explain which activities generated the employment you intend to claim.
Keep client identities and financial records out of an initial public enquiry. Use the proper assessment channel and required evidence format when submitting a formal application.
Check the visa pathway before assuming sponsorship
232311 is an STSOL occupation. State-nominated 190 and 491 may be considered subject to selection and other criteria; the code does not meet the MLTSSL requirement for a new 189 Points-tested or family-sponsored 491 application.
Fashion Designer is absent from the current CSOL instruments for 482 Core Skills and 186 Direct Entry. An Australian job offer is therefore not enough to assume either route. Any alternative sponsored stream or arrangement needs its own review.
Keep the classification edition in mind: Home Affairs uses ANZSCO 2022 for 482/186 and ANZSCO 2013 for other skilled subclasses. A skills assessment is not itself a visa decision.
How we can help
Ausdirect can help review the relationship between your design education, portfolio and employment, then assess the visa pathways actually available to the occupation.
Questions to consider
Can a costume designer be assessed under 232311?
VETASSESS lists Costume Designer as suitable under the occupation. The qualification, employment and portfolio requirements still apply.
Will a portfolio replace employment references?
No. It supports the design claim alongside the required evidence of qualifications and professional employment. Keep artistic authorship and employment verification clearly connected.
Does running a clothing brand establish fashion-design work?
Not necessarily. Explain your own design responsibilities separately from purchasing, retail, administration and marketing. A business name alone does not establish the nominated occupation.
Your next step
Bring your study history, a portfolio overview and a timeline of paid design work. General information checked on 17 October 2026.