INSURANCE BROKER | ANZSCO 222113

WHAT DOES AN INSURANCE BROKER DO?

An Insurance Broker under ANZSCO 222113 operates as an independent agent, arranging life, fire, accident, industrial and other forms of insurance cover on behalf of clients, drawing on a range of insurance companies rather than representing just one. The occupation sits at ANZSCO Skill Level 1, so most employers expect a bachelor degree or a closely related qualification, sometimes paired with several years of hands on experience in the industry.

Unlike an Insurance Agent, who can usually only offer the products of one company, a broker works for the client rather than the insurer, and is generally expected to act in the client's best interest when recommending cover.

Typical day to day duties include:

• Interviewing prospective clients to understand their risk profile, insurance needs and financial position
• Explaining policy conditions, exclusions, premium rates and the level of cover on offer
• Arranging insurance for clients through a range of banks, lenders, financiers and insurance companies
• Researching and comparing insurance products across the market to find the most suitable option
• Advising clients on significant changes in risk that could affect their existing cover
• Compiling and following up lists of prospective clients from directories and referrals
• Managing and growing an existing portfolio of insurance clients
• Working toward retention and revenue targets set by the brokerage

SUBCLASS 482 FOR INSURANCE BROKERS – CSOL LIST

The Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa replaced the older Temporary Skill Shortage visa in December 2024, and a new occupation list came with it. 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.

Insurance Broker sits on the CSOL under the code 222113, and this is the code an employer nominates against when sponsoring a broker under the Core Skills stream. The occupation is grouped alongside related roles such as Finance Broker and Financial Investment Adviser, but each of these carries its own distinct code and its own skills assessment requirements, so getting the occupation code right at the outset matters.

SUBCLASS 482 ANZSCO REQUIREMENT FOR INSURANCE BROKERS

The nominated occupation has to genuinely match the work the applicant will actually be doing for the sponsoring employer. The Department looks past the job title on the contract and checks the duties described in the nomination against the ANZSCO definition for 222113.

Roles such as Insurance Agent, Finance Broker, Business Broker and Insurance Consultant are treated as separate occupations under ANZSCO, even though the titles sound similar in everyday conversation. If the actual duties look more like selling one insurer's products rather than sourcing cover across the market on behalf of clients, the nomination can run into difficulty. Getting the occupation description right at the nomination stage saves a great deal of back and forth further down the track.

SC 482 VISA REQUIREMENT FOR INSURANCE BROKERS

To be granted a Subclass 482 visa under the Core Skills stream as an Insurance Broker, applicants generally need to meet the following:

• A genuine, approved sponsor. The employer must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor, or in the process of becoming one
• An approved nomination for ANZSCO 222113, with a salary at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold and the market rate for the role
• At least one year of full time equivalent work experience in insurance broking, or a closely related field, within the past five years
• English requirements as outlined further down this page, 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

Salary and income thresholds are indexed each year under the Department's usual review process, so it is always worth checking the current figure on the Home Affairs website before an employer lodges a nomination. The visa itself can be granted for a period of up to four years depending on individual circumstances, and a partner and dependent children can be included as secondary applicants.

SKILLS ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT FOR INSURANCE BROKER – SUBCLASS 482 SKILLS IN DEMAND (SID) VISA

Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services, known as VETASSESS, is the relevant skills assessing authority for Insurance Broker under ANZSCO 222113.

A skills assessment is not required for every Subclass 482 Skills in Demand applicant. It is only mandatory where required under the Department of Home Affairs' mandatory skills assessment settings, which apply to specific occupations and passport countries. Applicants should confirm their own situation against the current mandatory skills assessment list before lodging, since these settings can change.

Insurance Broker is a VETASSESS Group C occupation. This means it generally requires a qualification assessed as comparable to an Australian Qualifications Framework Diploma or higher, in a field such as insurance broking, combined with relevant post qualification employment. VETASSESS offers several pathways depending on how closely the applicant's qualification matches the occupation and how much relevant experience they hold, ranging from one year of highly relevant employment where the qualification is a close match, through to four years of broader employment experience where the qualification is less directly related.

The VETASSESS assessment generally looks at:

• Whether the qualification is comparable to the required Australian Qualifications Framework level
• Whether the field of study is highly relevant to insurance broking
• Employment history and whether the tasks performed match the highly relevant duties for the occupation, such as interviewing clients on cover and risk, or arranging insurance through multiple providers
• Whether the employment was undertaken at 20 hours or more a week within the assessment period

Applicants should provide comprehensive documentary evidence, including:

• Employment reference letters outlining job title, duties, employment dates and hours worked each week
• Payslips, tax records or other evidence supporting the employment claimed
• Qualification certificates and academic transcripts
• Details of any relevant licences, registrations or professional development undertaken

VETASSESS notes that time spent as an Insurance Agent representing a single company is not generally treated as highly relevant experience for this occupation, since the core of broking work is arranging cover independently across a range of insurers. Applicants who have worked mostly as agents should get their employment history reviewed carefully before applying.

SUBCLASS 186 FOR INSURANCE BROKERS – EMPLOYER NOMINATION SCHEME

The Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme is Australia's main permanent employer sponsored visa, and for many brokers already working in Australia on a 482 visa, it becomes the natural next step. The Direct Entry stream is the relevant pathway for applicants who have not 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 is approved, with no further visa renewals needed.

SC 186 VISA REQUIREMENT FOR INSURANCE BROKERS

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 insurance broking position
• A salary that meets or exceeds the relevant 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 a good number of brokers use the 482 as a stepping stone before applying for the 186.

SKILLS ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT FOR INSURANCE BROKERS – 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. Applicants who moved between broking and agency roles during their career should pay particular attention to how each period of employment is described, since only genuinely relevant broking duties will count toward the assessment.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Every skilled or employer sponsored visa in Australia comes with an English language test, and the score needed depends on which visa is being applied for. For Insurance Brokers looking at the 482 and 186 pathways, the bar is different at each stage, which catches a fair number 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 is worth sitting the test again before applying rather than finding out partway through processing.

LICENSING FOR INSURANCE BROKERS IN AUSTRALIA

A positive skills assessment and a granted visa get an applicant through the migration process, but they do not on their own authorise anyone to give financial advice or arrange insurance for clients in Australia. Providing financial services, which includes broking and advising on insurance products, generally requires operating under an Australian Financial Services Licence issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, either as a licence holder in your own right or as an authorised representative of an existing licensee.

Getting set up under an AFSL, or being appointed as a representative of an established brokerage's licence, is a separate process from the visa application, and it involves its own competence, training and supervision requirements. Most overseas brokers joining an established Australian firm are brought on as authorised representatives under the employer's existing licence rather than applying for their own licence from day one.

It is worth raising licensing arrangements with a prospective employer early, since the way a broker is authorised to operate can affect both the nomination and the day to day scope of the role.

SALARY EXPECTATIONS IN AUSTRALIA

Actual pay varies quite a bit depending on the state, the size of the brokerage and the class of insurance being handled, with commercial and corporate risk brokers in Sydney and Melbourne generally sitting toward the higher end of the scale. Bonuses tied to portfolio growth and client retention can also make up a meaningful part of total pay for experienced brokers.

WHY INSURANCE BROKERS ARE IN DEMAND IN AUSTRALIA

• Ongoing growth in commercial insurance, driven by construction, mining and infrastructure activity across the country
• Rising demand for specialist cover in areas such as natural disaster risk, cyber liability and professional indemnity
• An ageing broker workforce in parts of the industry, with fewer new entrants coming through domestically
• Growing complexity in insurance products, which pushes clients toward brokers rather than direct purchase
• Population growth and business formation driving demand for both personal and commercial insurance advice
• Insurance Broker's continued presence on the Core Skills Occupation List, reflecting recognised workforce need

EMPLOYER SPONSORSHIP FOR INSURANCE BROKERS IN AUSTRALIA

Australian brokerage firms, underwriting agencies and financial services groups can sponsor overseas Insurance Brokers through the Skills in Demand Subclass 482 visa, the Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186 visa, and other eligible employer sponsored pathways when suitably qualified Australian workers are not available. With steady demand for experienced brokers across commercial, corporate and personal lines, employer sponsorship has become a practical way for insurance businesses to bring in skilled overseas talent and fill gaps in their teams.

At Migration Republic, we assist employers with every stage of the employer sponsorship process, including Standard Business Sponsorship applications, nomination applications, visa lodgements and ongoing sponsorship compliance. Our registered migration agents make sure your business meets all Department of Home Affairs requirements while keeping the sponsorship process as straightforward as possible.

Whether you need to sponsor a broker for personal lines, commercial risk, corporate insurance or a specialist class of cover, we can help you identify the most suitable employer sponsored visa pathway.

We help insurance businesses with:

• Standard Business Sponsorship applications
• Sponsoring overseas Insurance Brokers under the Skills in Demand Subclass 482 visa
• Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186 applications
• Employer nomination applications
• Employer sponsorship compliance obligations
• Permanent residency pathways for sponsored brokers

If your business is looking to sponsor an Insurance Broker or recruit skilled overseas talent for your team, Migration Republic can manage the entire employer sponsorship process from start to finish, so you can focus on running your business while we take care of the migration side of things.

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HOW MIGRATION REPUBLIC CAN HELP YOU

Migrating to Australia as an Insurance Broker means navigating a detailed VETASSESS skills assessment and two visa pathways with different English and experience thresholds. Our registered migration agents at Migration Republic handle this regularly, and we can help you get it right the first time.

Here's what we take care of for you:

• Confirming that your qualification and experience genuinely align with ANZSCO 222113
• Preparing a complete, decision ready VETASSESS skills assessment application
• Structuring your employment references so they meet VETASSESS documentation standards
• 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 INSURANCE BROKERS