ORTHOPTIST | ANZSCO 251412

WHAT DOES AN ORTHOPTIST DO?

An Orthoptist under ANZSCO 251412 diagnoses and manages eye movement disorders and associated sensory deficiencies, working alongside Ophthalmologists and other Medical Practitioners in hospitals, private ophthalmology practices, and low vision and rehabilitation settings. The occupation sits at ANZSCO Skill Level 1, meaning the usual entry point is an accredited Australian Bachelor degree in orthoptics, or a recognised overseas equivalent.

Typical day to day duties include:

• Examining patients' eyes and conducting tests to determine the nature and extent of vision problems and abnormalities
• Assessing ocular health and visual function, including visual acuity, refractive error, visual pathways, visual fields, and intraocular pressure
• Diagnosing eye movement disorders, strabismus, amblyopia, and defects of binocular function
• Detecting and diagnosing eye disease, and referring patients to, and receiving referrals from, other health providers
• Assisting Ophthalmologists in surgical and clinical settings, including pre and post-operative assessment
• Conducting low vision assessments and rehabilitation programs for the visually impaired
• Advising patients on visual health matters, including occupational and industrial eye safety
• Maintaining accurate clinical records and patient documentation in line with Australian healthcare and privacy standards

SUBCLASS 482 FOR ORTHOPTISTS – CSOL LIST

The Subclass 482 Skills in Demand (SID) visa replaced the older Temporary Skill Shortage visa in December 2024, bringing in a new occupation list. The Core Skills Occupation List, known as the CSOL, consolidated the previous strategic skills lists into a single list covering several hundred occupations across professional, trade, and technical fields.

Orthoptist sits on the CSOL under the code ANZSCO 251412, and this is the code an employer nominates against for a Core Skills stream 482 visa. Because the role sits at Skill Level 1, well-paid nominations, particularly senior orthoptists in hospital or ophthalmology surgical settings, may also qualify for the Specialist Skills stream, which carries a higher income threshold but faster processing. Which stream is the right fit depends on the offered salary and the role itself, so it's worth confirming with a migration agent before a nomination is lodged.

SUBCLASS 482 ANZSCO REQUIREMENT FOR ORTHOPTISTS

A nominated occupation has to genuinely match the work an applicant will actually be doing for their sponsoring employer. The Department looks past job titles and checks the duties described in the nomination against the ANZSCO definition for 251412.

Orthoptist sits at ANZSCO Skill Level 1, which lines up with a Bachelor degree or higher qualification. If the day-to-day duties look more like an Optometrist role, or a general Ophthalmic Assistant position without clinical diagnostic responsibility, the correct and separate occupation code should be used instead. Getting the occupation description right at this stage saves a lot of back and forth later.

ANZSCO requirement for Orthoptist: "Bachelor degree or higher qualification (ANZSCO Skill Level 1). At least five years of relevant experience may substitute for the formal qualification. Registration or licensing may be required."

SC 482 VISA REQUIREMENT FOR ORTHOPTISTS

To be granted a Subclass 482 visa under the Core Skills (or Specialist Skills) stream as an Orthoptist, applicants generally need to meet the following:

• A genuine, approved sponsor. Your employer must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor, or in the process of becoming one
• An approved nomination for ANZSCO 251412, with a salary at or above the relevant income threshold and the market rate for the role
• At least one year of full time equivalent relevant work experience within the past five years
• English requirements as outlined below, unless an exemption applies
• A clear health examination through an approved panel physician
• Police clearance certificates from every country lived in for twelve months or more

The visa can be granted for a period of up to four years (up to five years for Hong Kong passport holders), and a partner and dependent children can be included as secondary applicants. Salary and income thresholds are indexed annually, so it's always worth confirming the current figure before an employer lodges a nomination.

SALARY THRESHOLDS: CSIT, SSIT, AND AMSR EXPLAINED

Three separate salary concepts apply to an Orthoptist nomination, and all three need to be satisfied at once: employers must pay whichever figure is highest.

• Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT): The minimum guaranteed annual earnings for a Core Skills stream nomination under Subclass 482, and for Subclass 186 nominations. The current CSIT is AUD $79,423, up from AUD $76,515.
• Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT): The higher minimum guaranteed annual earnings that applies to the Specialist Skills stream of Subclass 482, relevant where an orthoptist role is well remunerated and the employer prefers the faster Specialist Skills processing pathway. The current SSIT is AUD $146,576, up from AUD $141,210.
• Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR): The rate an equivalent Australian worker would be paid in the same role, location, and industry, based on enterprise agreements, awards, job advertisements, or remuneration survey data. The AMSR has no fixed dollar figure; it is assessed case by case.

These thresholds are indexed each year against Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE), so the applicable figure depends on when a nomination is lodged, not when it's decided. Existing visa holders and nominations lodged before an indexation date are not affected by a later increase. It's always worth confirming the current threshold with a migration agent, or on the Department of Home Affairs website, before a nomination is lodged.

SUBCLASS 482 SID VISA COST

On top of meeting the relevant income threshold, applicants and their employer need to budget for the government charges that apply to a Subclass 482 application.

*Figures shown are the base Visa Application Charge only, current at time of writing and reviewed annually by the Department of Home Affairs. Additional charges may apply, including the employer's $330 nomination fee per position and the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy, along with health examinations, police checks, and English testing where required. These figures do not include the second instalment charge that applies to some dependants, or any professional or agent fees. Always confirm current charges with your migration agent or the Department of Home Affairs before lodging.

SKILLS ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT FOR ORTHOPTIST – SUBCLASS 482

VETASSESS (Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services) is the relevant skills assessing authority for Orthoptist (ANZSCO 251412).

A skills assessment is not required for every Subclass 482 applicant. It is only mandatory where required under the Department of Home Affairs' mandatory skills assessment requirements, which apply to specified occupations and passport countries. Applicants should confirm current requirements for their passport country before lodging.

The VETASSESS assessment generally requires:

• A qualification assessed as comparable to an Australian Qualifications Framework Bachelor degree or higher, in a field highly relevant to the nominated occupation
• At least one year of post-qualification, highly relevant employment at an appropriate skill level within the last five years
• A positive assessment for both the qualification and the employment component, as VETASSESS requires both to reach a successful outcome
• Documentary evidence that the employment duties align closely with the ANZSCO 251412 description

Applicants should provide comprehensive documentary evidence, including:

• Academic transcripts and qualification certificates from an accredited orthoptics program
• Employment reference letters outlining job title, duties, employment dates, and hours worked
• Evidence of any professional registration already held, such as a home-country orthoptics licence
• Payslips, taxation records, or other evidence supporting claimed employment

Providing complete and well-prepared evidence helps VETASSESS assess an application efficiently and may reduce processing delays.

SUBCLASS 186 FOR ORTHOPTISTS – EMPLOYER NOMINATION SCHEME

The Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme is Australia's main permanent employer sponsored visa, and for many Orthoptists already working in Australia on a 482 visa, it's the natural next step. The Direct Entry stream is the relevant pathway for applicants who haven't yet worked long enough with their employer to qualify for the Temporary Residence Transition stream, or who are applying from outside Australia altogether.

Unlike the 482, a grant under the 186 gives the applicant and their family permanent residency from the day it's approved, with no further visa renewals needed.

SC 186 VISA REQUIREMENT FOR ORTHOPTISTS

For the Direct Entry stream, applicants generally need to meet the following:

• A nomination from an approved Australian employer for a genuine, full time, ongoing orthoptics position
• A salary that meets or exceeds the Core Skills Income Threshold and the market rate for the role
• A positive skills assessment in the nominated occupation, unless an exemption applies
• At least three years of relevant work experience, unless exempt from the skills assessment and experience requirements
• Being under 45 years of age at the time of application, with limited exemptions
• Competent English, at an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with no band below 6.0, or an accepted equivalent
• Health and character clearances

This is a noticeably higher bar than the 482, both on English and on work experience, which is one reason many orthoptists use the 482 as a stepping stone before applying for the 186.

SKILLS ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT FOR ORTHOPTISTS – SC 186 VISA

Unlike the 482, a positive skills assessment from VETASSESS is mandatory for almost every Direct Entry 186 applicant in this occupation, and it needs to be current at the time the visa application is lodged.

Because the Direct Entry stream also requires three years of relevant experience on top of the assessment itself, it helps to start gathering employment evidence, reference letters, and qualification documents well before applying, since both VETASSESS processing and document preparation take time.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Every skilled or employer sponsored visa in Australia comes with an English language test, and the score required depends on which visa is being applied for. For orthoptists looking at the 482 and 186 pathways, the bar is different at each stage, which catches a lot of applicants off guard.

For the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa, Core Skills stream, applicants generally need Competent English, which works out to an overall IELTS score of 5.0 with no band below 5.0, or an accepted equivalent test result.

For the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, Direct Entry stream, the standard is higher. Competent English here means an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with no band below 6.0.

EXEMPTIONS ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Citizens of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland are generally exempt from formal English testing, along with applicants who have completed a set period of study conducted in English. Test results typically need to be current within three years of lodgement, so if a score is getting old, it's worth sitting the test again before applying rather than finding out partway through processing.

AUSTRALIAN ORTHOPTIC BOARD REGISTRATION

Orthoptics is one of the few allied health disciplines that sits outside AHPRA's national registration scheme. Instead, the profession is regulated through the Australian Orthoptic Board (AOB), a separate body from the professional association, Orthoptics Australia. Whether registration is legally compulsory depends on scope of practice.

• Registration with the AOB is not compulsory for orthoptists in every setting, but it is required by legislation for orthoptists whose scope includes refraction, prescribing optical lenses, ultrasonography, or the administration of drugs and poisons
• Most public hospitals, many private ophthalmology clinics, and Australian private health funds require AOB registration as a condition of employment or reimbursement
• AOB registration is also generally required to access Medicare benefits for orthoptic services under the Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination
• Graduates of recognised Australian orthoptics degree programs are automatically eligible for AOB registration; overseas-qualified applicants are assessed against the AOB's international qualification pathway
• Ongoing AOB registration requires participation in the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program

Because AOB registration, the VETASSESS skills assessment, and the visa application all run on separate timelines with separate document requirements, it's worth starting all three in parallel rather than treating them as one process.

SALARY EXPECTATIONS IN AUSTRALIA

Orthoptists working in major public hospitals, surgical ophthalmology settings, and regional Australia tend to command the highest wages, and specialist paediatric or low vision roles can significantly boost total remuneration.

WHY ORTHOPTISTS ARE IN DEMAND IN AUSTRALIA

• An ageing population driving sustained growth in demand for eye disease diagnosis and management
• Rising rates of diabetes and other chronic conditions with ocular complications
• Ongoing investment in public ophthalmology, low vision, and eye rehabilitation services
• Growing demand for orthoptic support in surgical and paediatric ophthalmology settings
• A small, specialised domestic graduate pipeline relative to hospital and clinic demand
• Strong demand for orthoptists in regional and outer-metropolitan eye care services

EMPLOYER SPONSORSHIP FOR ORTHOPTISTS IN AUSTRALIA

Australian hospitals, ophthalmology practices, and eye care providers can sponsor overseas Orthoptists through the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa, the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa, and other eligible employer-sponsored visa pathways when suitably qualified Australian workers are unavailable. With ongoing demand for eye care professionals across Australia, employer sponsorship has become an effective way for public hospitals, private ophthalmology clinics, and low vision services to recruit experienced overseas orthoptists and address workforce shortages.

At Migration Republic, we assist employers with every stage of the employer sponsorship process, including Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) applications, nomination applications, visa lodgements, and ongoing sponsorship compliance. Our Registered Migration Agents ensure your organisation meets all Department of Home Affairs requirements while making the sponsorship process as straightforward and efficient as possible.

We help hospitals and eye care employers with:

• Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) applications
• Sponsoring overseas Orthoptists under the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa
• Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) applications
• Employer nomination applications and salary benchmarking against CSIT, SSIT, and AMSR
• Employer sponsorship compliance obligations
• Permanent residency pathways for sponsored orthoptists

If your organisation is looking to sponsor an Orthoptist in Australia or recruit skilled overseas eye care professionals, Migration Republic can provide expert advice and manage the entire employer sponsorship process from start to finish, allowing you to focus on patient care while we take care of your migration requirements.

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HOW MIGRATION REPUBLIC CAN HELP YOU

Migrating to Australia as an Orthoptist means navigating a VETASSESS skills assessment, an Australian Orthoptic Board registration process that sits outside AHPRA, and two employer sponsored visa pathways with different English and experience thresholds. Our registered migration agents at Migration Republic handle this every day, and we can help you get it right the first time.

Here's what we take care of for you:

• Confirming ANZSCO 251412 correctly matches your qualifications and duties
• Preparing a complete, decision-ready VETASSESS skills assessment application
• Structuring your employment references so they meet the assessing authority's requirements
• Coordinating your Australian Orthoptic Board registration timeline alongside your visa application
• Comparing the 482 and 186 pathways to find the right fit for your circumstances
• Managing your full visa application from lodgement through to grant

Frequently Asked Questions – Employer Sponsorship for Orthoptists