NAVAL ARCHITECT / MARINE DESIGNER | ANZSCO 233916

WHAT DOES A NAVAL ARCHITECT / MARINE DESIGNER DO?

A Naval Architect / Marine Designer under ANZSCO 233916 designs and oversees the construction and repair of marine craft and floating structures. The occupation sits at ANZSCO Skill Level 1, which generally means a bachelor's degree or higher qualification in naval architecture, marine engineering, or a closely related field, sometimes combined with additional experience.

Typical day to day duties include:

• Designing ships, boats, submarines, and other marine craft, taking into account hydrodynamic performance and stability
• Overseeing the construction, repair, and modification of vessels and floating structures
• Preparing technical drawings, specifications, and documentation for shipbuilding or repair projects
• Carrying out structural, stability, and safety analysis to ensure vessels meet regulatory codes
• Running simulations and calculations to test design performance under different marine conditions
• Working with engineers, naval architects, and trades workers to deliver a project through construction
• Advising on the selection of materials, propulsion systems, and equipment for marine vessels
• Ensuring designs and completed vessels comply with relevant Australian and international maritime standards

SUBCLASS 482 FOR NAVAL ARCHITECTS / MARINE DESIGNERS – CSOL LIST

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

Naval Architect / Marine Designer sits on the CSOL under the code ANZSCO 233916, and this is the code an employer nominates against for a Core Skills stream 482 visa. The occupation also appears on the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), which means it can support points tested skilled migration in addition to employer sponsored pathways. Confirming the correct list and stream for your circumstances is something worth checking with a migration agent before a nomination is lodged.

SUBCLASS 482 ANZSCO REQUIREMENT FOR NAVAL ARCHITECTS / MARINE DESIGNERS

Your nominated occupation has to genuinely match the work you will actually be doing for your sponsoring employer. The Department looks past job titles and checks the duties described in your nomination against the ANZSCO definition for 233916.

Naval Architect / Marine Designer sits at ANZSCO Skill Level 1, which lines up with a bachelor's degree or higher qualification in naval architecture, marine engineering, or a closely related field. If the role on paper looks more like a general drafting or technician position rather than a naval design role, or if your day to day duties do not reasonably fit the ANZSCO description, the nomination can run into trouble. Getting the occupation description right at this stage saves a lot of back and forth later.

ANZSCO requirement for Naval Architects / Marine Designers include “a bachelor's degree or higher qualification in naval architecture, marine engineering, or a closely related field, sometimes combined with relevant experience or on the job training (ANZSCO Skill Level 1)”.

SC 482 VISA REQUIREMENT FOR NAVAL ARCHITECTS / MARINE DESIGNERS

To be granted a Subclass 482 visa under the Core Skills stream as a Naval Architect / Marine Designer, 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 233916, 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 naval architecture or marine design, or a closely related field, 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 Core Skills Income Threshold currently sits at AUD 79,423 per year, applying to nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 onward, and it is indexed each year, 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.

SUBCLASS 482 VISA APPLICATION CHARGES

Visa application charges are indexed and change from 1 July each year. The government charges are structured as a base charge for the main applicant, a matching charge for each adult dependent aged 18 or over, and a reduced charge for each dependent child under 18. Because these figures move every financial year, it is worth confirming the current charge on the Home Affairs website at the time of lodgement rather than relying on a figure from a previous year, and budgeting separately for any nomination fee, the Skilling Australians Fund levy paid by the employer, and the Engineers Australia skills assessment fee.

Skills Assessment Requirement for Naval Architect / Marine Designer – Subclass 482 Skills in Demand (SID) Visa

Engineers Australia is the relevant skills assessing authority for Naval Architect / Marine Designer, ANZSCO 233916.

A skills assessment is not required for every Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa 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 with Engineers Australia or a registered migration agent whether their specific passport and occupation combination triggers a mandatory assessment.

Applicants who hold an accredited qualification from Australia, or from a country that is a full signatory to the Washington Accord, Sydney Accord, or Dublin Accord, are generally assessed through the qualification recognition pathway. Applicants whose qualification is not accredited, or who are seeking assessment for an occupation that differs from their accredited qualification title, need to apply through the Competency Demonstration Report pathway.

A Competency Demonstration Report generally includes:

• Three career episodes describing real naval architecture or marine design projects the applicant has worked on
• A summary statement cross referencing each career episode against the relevant competency standards
• A continuing professional development record listing training and learning activities since graduation
• A current curriculum vitae setting out education and employment history

Applicants should provide comprehensive documentary evidence, including:

• Employment reference letters outlining job title, duties, employment dates, and hours worked
• Qualification certificates and academic transcripts
• Evidence of any relevant registration or professional membership
• Payslips, contracts, or other evidence supporting the claimed employment

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

SUBCLASS 186 FOR NAVAL ARCHITECTS / MARINE DESIGNERS – EMPLOYER NOMINATION SCHEME

The Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme is Australia's main permanent employer sponsored visa, and for many Naval Architects / Marine Designers already working in Australia on a 482 visa, it is 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 NAVAL ARCHITECTS / MARINE DESIGNERS

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 naval architecture or marine design 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 a lot of Naval Architects / Marine Designers use the 482 as a stepping stone before applying for the 186.

SKILLS ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT FOR NAVAL ARCHITECTS / MARINE DESIGNERS – SC 186 VISA

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

The same assessment pathways apply here as for the 482: qualification recognition for applicants with an accredited or internationally recognised engineering degree, and the Competency Demonstration Report pathway for applicants whose qualification does not meet that standard. 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 the Engineers Australia assessment 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 needed depends on which visa is being applied for. For Naval Architects / Marine Designers 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 an existing score is getting old, it is worth sitting the test again before applying rather than finding out partway through processing.

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION IN AUSTRALIA

A positive skills assessment gets an applicant through the visa process, but ongoing professional recognition in Australia is a separate matter. Registration or licensing may be required for a Naval Architect / Marine Designer depending on the state, territory, and the specific field of work, so it is worth checking the requirements that apply to the industry and location you will be working in.

Engineers Australia also maintains a National Engineering Register. Registration on it is not compulsory, but many employers and clients treat it as a mark of recognised professional standing, and Naval Architects / Marine Designers who join Engineers Australia as members often use it to support career progression once they are established in Australia.

SALARY EXPECTATIONS IN AUSTRALIA

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, median full time earnings for the Other Engineering Professionals group, the ANZSCO category that includes Naval Architect / Marine Designer, work out to around $2,649 a week, which is roughly $137,700 a year. That figure sits well above the median across all occupations, reflecting the qualification level and technical responsibility the role carries. Reported pay for the occupation also varies with sector, with roles in defence shipbuilding and specialist marine consultancies often sitting toward the higher end of the range.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, as reported by Jobs and Skills Australia for the Other Engineering Professionals occupation group. Actual pay varies by sector, state, and experience, and it still needs to clear the Core Skills Income Threshold and the market rate for the specific role and location.

WHY NAVAL ARCHITECTS / MARINE DESIGNERS ARE IN DEMAND IN AUSTRALIA

• Ongoing naval shipbuilding and defence procurement programs requiring specialised design skills
• Growth in offshore engineering and infrastructure supporting oil, gas, and renewable energy projects at sea
• A small, specialised domestic talent pool relative to the scale of Australia's shipbuilding and defence programs
• Ongoing maintenance, repair, and modernisation needs across commercial and defence vessel fleets
• Growing interest in sustainable and low emission marine design as the sector modernises

Employer Sponsorship for Naval Architects / Marine Designers in Australia

Australian shipyards, defence contractors, offshore engineering firms, and marine consultancies can sponsor overseas Naval Architects / Marine Designers 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 specialised marine design skills, employer sponsorship has become an effective way for these organisations to recruit experienced overseas naval architects and address workforce gaps.

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

Whether you need to sponsor a Naval Architect / Marine Designer for a shipbuilding project, a defence program, an offshore engineering firm, or a marine consultancy, we can help you identify the most suitable employer sponsored visa pathway. We work with organisations of all sizes across Australia, helping employers sponsor skilled naval architects under the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa and secure permanent residence pathways through the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, where eligible.

We help marine and defence engineering employers with:

• Standard Business Sponsorship applications
• Sponsoring overseas Naval Architects / Marine Designers under the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa
• Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) applications
• Labour Market Testing
• Employer nomination applications
• Employer sponsorship compliance obligations
• Permanent residency pathways for sponsored naval architects

If your organisation is looking to sponsor a Naval Architect / Marine Designer in Australia or recruit skilled overseas engineers, Migration Republic can provide expert advice and manage the entire employer sponsorship process from start to finish, allowing you to focus on your business while we take care of your migration requirements.

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HOW MIGRATION REPUBLIC CAN HELP YOU

Migrating to Australia as a Naval Architect / Marine Designer means navigating an Engineers Australia skills assessment, a choice between two visa pathways with different English and experience thresholds, and salary requirements that are indexed every year. 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 that ANZSCO 233916 correctly matches your qualifications and intended role
• Preparing a complete, decision ready Engineers Australia skills assessment application
• Structuring your employment references so they meet Engineers Australia's requirements
• 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 Naval Architects / Marine Designers