Who this may suit
Qualified chefs, Australian cookery graduates and employers considering a sponsored chef role.
Key considerations
- Chef and Cook are separate occupations; a job title alone does not establish the correct code.
- TRA assessment programs have different entry requirements and purposes.
- Occupation-list inclusion does not guarantee sponsorship, an invitation or permanent residence.
Does your work fit Chef 351311?
Chef covers planning and organising food preparation and cooking in dining or catering establishments. Duties include menu planning, costing, purchasing, food-quality control, demonstrating techniques and maintaining hygiene standards. Evidence should show what you actually do across the role, not simply repeat an occupation description.
Chef de Partie, Commis Chef and Sous Chef are recognised specialisations, but the work still needs to match the occupation. Cook, fast-food cook and kitchenhand are different classifications. ANZSCO’s indicative skill level is also not a substitute for TRA’s program-specific qualification and employment rules.
Choose the correct TRA assessment program
Trades Recognition Australia is the designated assessing authority for Chef. Your passport country, qualifications, employment and intended visa determine the relevant program. Use TRA’s Pathfinder and current guidelines before paying for an assessment.
- Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP): relevant to specified occupation and passport-country combinations. TRA-approved registered training organisations conduct the assessment. Its pathways distinguish applicants with and without a relevant Australian VET qualification; check the applicable evidence and assessment stages.
- Migration Skills Assessment (MSA): a documentary assessment for eligible applicants who are not required to use another TRA program. It is not the assessment program for subclass 482 or 485 applications.
- Job Ready Program (JRP): an employment-based route for eligible international graduates of Australian VET courses. Entry requires a successful Provisional Skills Assessment within the preceding three years and eligible employment. A qualification alone is not completion of the JRP.
- Subclass 482: applicants who need a TRA assessment for the Skills in Demand visa continue to use TRA’s program named Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS). Check the occupation, passport-country rules and any exemption; do not assume every chef needs the same assessment.
Prepare qualifications and employment evidence
For MSA, relevant formal qualifications are required: work experience cannot simply replace them. This matters because the general ANZSCO description discusses experience as a possible qualification substitute, while the assessment program applies its own standards.
Collect award certificates, transcripts, apprenticeship records where relevant, detailed employer evidence and verifiable pay records. Check the required skill level, duration and recency of work under your chosen program. Explain gaps and changes of duties accurately. Self-employment requires appropriate business and payment evidence, rather than a personal statement alone.
Compare skilled and employer-sponsored visas
Chef is included in the current MLTSSL and the Core Skills Occupation List, but these lists serve different visa purposes. Home Affairs currently uses ANZSCO 2022 for subclasses 186 and 482 and ANZSCO 2013 for other relevant skilled visas. Check the actual instrument and stream, rather than treating one list as approval for every pathway.
Potential points-tested routes include permanent subclass 189, permanent state-nominated subclass 190 and provisional regional subclass 491. The 491 requires state or territory nomination or eligible family sponsorship. A suitable assessment, an invitation and the other visa requirements still matter. Reaching 65 points does not guarantee selection.
Employer-sponsored alternatives include temporary Skills in Demand subclass 482, permanent subclass 186 and provisional regional subclass 494. Skills-assessment requirements and exemptions differ by stream. A later permanent visa requires a separate application and eligibility assessment; sponsorship is not automatic permanent residence.
Check the restaurant and position caveats
For current subclass 482 Core Skills and subclass 186 Direct Entry nominations, Chef is subject to caveats covering mass production in a factory setting and positions in limited-service restaurants. The legal definition of a limited-service restaurant includes categories such as fast-food or takeaway services and certain limited-service cafés and pizza restaurants.
The business model and actual position need careful review. A restaurant’s trading name, cuisine or willingness to sponsor does not settle this issue. Salary, genuine duties, employer requirements and your own visa eligibility must also be considered.
Plan the next step before lodging
Confirm your assessment pathway first, then map the visa evidence and timing. Keep qualification records, work dates and English evidence consistent across applications. Check the current English rules for your intended visa, including the test date and any exemption. Do not choose a cookery course, accept a role or rely on a processing estimate as a guaranteed migration outcome.
How we can help
Ausdirect can review the proposed occupation and visa route, identify the appropriate assessment questions and examine sponsorship caveats before you commit to an application.
Questions to consider
Does completing a cookery course guarantee a chef skills assessment?
No. Course relevance, the assessment program and any required employment or workplace assessment still need to be checked.
Can work experience replace a qualification for TRA MSA?
No. MSA requires a relevant formal qualification. Other programs have their own rules and must be considered separately.
Can any restaurant sponsor a chef?
No. The employer, position and visa stream must satisfy the relevant requirements, including any applicable occupation caveats.
Your next step
Bring your passport country, qualifications, employment history, current visa details and any job offer to a consultation. General information checked on 17 October 2026.