When Australia rewrote its General Skilled Migration rules on 1 July 2010, the Department of Immigration published four separate lists instead of one. The core document, Skilled Occupation List Schedule 3, replaced the old ASCO-based list with ANZSCO occupation codes and cut the number of eligible occupations to roughly 180. The other three schedules existed only to manage the transition. This guide explains what each schedule did, who it applied to and why the change still matters when you read older visa advice.

Archive note: the four PDFs linked here are the original Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) documents from July–August 2010. They are kept for reference only. The current skilled lists are published by the Department of Home Affairs.

Why the Skilled Occupation List was rewritten in 2010

Before 2010 the SOL had grown to more than 400 occupations, many of them chosen because they were easy to study rather than because Australia needed them. Hairdressing and cookery courses became a well-known pathway from a student visa to permanent residence. In February 2010 the government announced that the list would be rebuilt around genuine, long-term skill shortages identified by Skills Australia, and that the ASCO classification would be retired in favour of ANZSCO.

The result was a much shorter list focused on professions, engineering, health, IT and licensed trades. Occupations such as general cook, hairdresser and many hospitality roles disappeared from the independent skilled stream overnight.

Schedule 3: the new list that everyone used

Schedule 3 is the document most people mean when they say "the 2010 SOL". It applied to every General Skilled Migration application lodged from 1 July 2010 and to transitional applicants who chose to use the new list. Each row shows:

• ANZSCO code and occupation – for example 221111 Accountant (General) or 334111 Plumber (General).
• The ASCO occupation it replaced – so an applicant with an older ASCO skills assessment could map it across.
• Assessing authority – Engineers Australia, ACS, TRA, VETASSESS, CPA/ICAA/NIA, ANMC and others.
• Points – 60 for most professional and trade occupations, 50 for a smaller group such as construction project manager and internal auditor.

Trades remained strongly represented. Carpenters, joiners, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, roof tilers and wall and floor tilers all stayed on the list with 60 points, as did aircraft maintenance engineers in avionics, mechanical and structures streams.

Schedule 1: the old ASCO list for pipeline applications

Applications that had been lodged before 1 July 2010 but not yet decided were still assessed against the list that applied when they were lodged. Schedule 1 reproduces that older ASCO list, including occupations that no longer appeared on Schedule 3. It is the reason some people who applied in 2009 as cooks or hairdressers were still able to receive a visa in 2011.

Schedule 2: protection for students already in Australia

The government had promised that international students who were already in Australia on 8 February 2010 would not be stranded by the change. Schedule 2 set out the arrangement: holders of certain student visa subclasses (572, 573 and 574) and holders or applicants of the Subclass 485 graduate visa could lodge a Subclass 885, 886 or 487 application on or before 31 December 2012 and nominate an occupation from either the old or the new list. The schedule includes the DIAC-endorsed ASCO to ANZSCO correlations so that assessments did not have to be repeated.

Schedule 4: the State Migration Plans

State and territory governments were given their own, broader lists so they could sponsor occupations that mattered locally even if they were not in national shortage. Schedule 4 lists the occupations available for state nomination under subclasses 176, 886, 475 and 487. It is noticeably longer than Schedule 3 and includes roles such as aeroplane pilot and helicopter pilot (assessed by CASA), visual artists, and a wider range of managers.

How points, assessments and lists fitted together

Being on a schedule was only the first step. An applicant also needed a positive skills assessment from the authority named on the list, a competent English result, and enough points under the test that applied at lodgement. In 2010 the pass mark was still based on occupation points (40, 50 or 60) plus age, English, work experience and qualifications. From 1 July 2011 the occupation points were removed entirely and the current SkillSelect-style points test took their place, which is why the point values printed in these PDFs are historical.

A worked example from 2010

A 28-year-old external auditor with a CPA Australia assessment and IELTS 7 in each band would have looked up 221213 External Auditor on Schedule 3, found 60 occupation points and CPA/ICAA/NIA as the assessing bodies, and then added points for age and English. A plumber with a TRA assessment followed exactly the same path via 334111 Plumber (General).

What changed after 2010

• July 2011: the points test was overhauled and occupation points removed.
• July 2012: SkillSelect introduced expressions of interest and invitations.
• 2016 onward: the SOL became the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), with the Short-term list (STSOL) for employer and state streams.
• 2024–2025: the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) replaced the earlier lists for the Skills in Demand visa.

Despite all of these changes, the basic structure first set in 2010 – a shortage-based national list, state lists for regional needs, a named assessing authority per occupation – is still recognisable today.

Using the archived schedules today

The 2010 PDFs are useful if you are reviewing an old application, researching how a family member obtained their visa, or writing about the history of Australian skilled migration. They should never be used to decide whether you are eligible now. Check the current skilled occupation lists and consider a registered migration agent for advice on your own circumstances.

Related reading on this site: General Skilled Migration and Working Holiday visas.