Peeking New Core Skill Occupation List: Chef is Chopped Out?

Would The Government Chop Out Chef from the New Core Skill Occupation List?

In the Migration Strategy, the Australian Government announced replacing the Temporary Skills Shortage (subclass 482) with the Skill In Demand Visa. To ensure inclusivity and democratic decision-making, Job and Skill Australia (JSA) has opened a crucial consultation for the new core skills occupation list, actively seeking the valuable insights of immigration consultants and other stakeholders. However, concerns arose after the JSA announced the draft of the core skill occupation list. The draft shows a possibility of some in-demand occupations, including Chef, to be chopped out. So, would the Government remove Chefs from the core skill occupation list and completely close the chef sponsorship program?

New Core Skill Occupation List Draft

The JSA categorises the draft of the new core skill occupation list into three:

• CSOL Confident On List – skilled jobs that the JSA Migration Model is sure should be on the CSOL.
• CSOL Confident Off List – skilled jobs that the JSA Migration Model recommends are not on the CSOL.
• CSOL Targeted for Consultation List – skilled jobs that require further independent research and labour market surveys, company recruitment experiences, and the opinions of Australian and migrant workers and job seekers.

Chef is on the “Targeted for Consultation List” What Does It Imply?

The list of occupations targeted for consultation implies that all professions on this list require further research and consultation to keep the occupations on or off the list.

This implies that the Government might keep or remove the occupation of “Chef” from the list. It might force local restaurants and cafes to look for local chefs and will force a permanent closure on sponsorship programs for Chefs.

The JSA schedules the survey submissions to be lodged until 5:00 pm AEST on Friday, 31 May 2024.

So, let’s see how it goes.

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How likely will the government chop out Chefs from the core skill occupation list?

Chefs have been among the most in-demand occupations in Australia. Cheffing is one of the “keystone occupations” in popular tourist locations, which has significant ramifications for tourism as well. Businesses lose money when positions go unfilled.

Seeing this, the Government will face big problems if it removes Chefs from the Core Skill Occupation List. They may suffer massive losses in the currently popular tourism industry, and imagine how stressful it would be for businesses to keep up.

So, are they brave enough to face these situations?

So, I can’t migrate to Australia as a Chef?

Don’t worry—it’s just a draft. The draft is being released for consultation purposes only.

But assume the worst case happens: the chef’s occupation is not on the Core Skill Occupation List, and the sponsorship program for Chefs is forcefully closed. You may still have a chance to migrate to Australia as a Chef with another type of work visa, like the Skilled Point Test Visa.

The Skilled Point Test Visa even offers you a direct permanent residency! So, it’s not a bad option!

Does it affect other occupations?

Yes, it may affect other occupations, too. Currently, the JSA is “unsure” about 307 occupations, including cooks, bakers, managers, IT workers, accountants, hairdressers, and even those in the construction industry. This uncertainty could have significant implications for the job market and migration opportunities in Australia. 

Employer groups are concerned about it because they believe it does not fairly reflect skill shortages. However, the Government’s proposal to offer visas to anyone earning more than $130,000, regardless of profession, may save some occupations.

There are also odd discrepancies in the list. Like, farmers who raise chickens are given preference; however, farmers who raise cows, sheep, pigs, and goats may not. Additionally, private music instructors might be added to the list, but private dance, drama, and art instructors won’t.

Read more: 2024-25 Migration Program Planning Levels

How exactly did the JSA build these Core Skill Occupation List drafts?

The Core Skill Occupation List draft does not consider other temporary skill migration measures in the Migration Strategy; instead, it is based on labour market analysis for ANZSCO Skill Level 1 to 3 occupations. Jobs that, for instance, have a median salary in Australia that falls below $70,000 (the salary threshold for the Core Skills Stream of the SID visa) and above $135,000 (the salary threshold for the Specialist Skills Stream of the Skills in Demand (SID) visa) may be included in the draft CSOL.

The draft CSOL is not easily comparable to the present March 2019 Skilled Migration Occupation Lists (SMOL) for temporary skill visas. These lists, which also mention the draft CSOL, are based on various approaches and represent various policy settings:

• is not benchmarked to ANZSCO 2013 (which came before the targeted skill level and phased reviews of ANZSCO) but rather to ANZSCO 2022 (which includes new and modified jobs).
• is derived from the most recent datasets and/or 2023 datasets, whereas the current SMOL is derived from stakeholder discussions and 2018 datasets (i.e., pre-COVID pandemic).
• excluding jobs where, according to the Australian Constitution, federal, state, and territory laws, the national interest, or other factors, Australian citizenship is required for employment, engagement, or appointment.

What should I do now?

While the JSA is still working on the new Core Skill Occupation List and the Australian Government is still preparing the Skill In Demand Visa, it’s best to take proactive action now. Are you planning on obtaining a sponsorship as a Chef? Go for it. Approach the nearest Registered Migration Agent to discuss your visa option and the best way to get the sponsorship visa as a Chef. Just a friendly reminder: the Skill In Demand Visa is expected to commence at the end of 2024!

Our team at ONE derland Consulting is ready to assist you in navigating these changes and finding the best visa options for your situation.