TEACHER OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED | ANZSCO 241513

WHAT DOES A TEACHER OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED DO?

A Teacher of the Sight Impaired under ANZSCO 241513 teaches academic and living skills to sight impaired students, and promotes their social, emotional, intellectual and physical development. The occupation sits within ANZSCO Unit Group 2415, Special Education Teachers, and carries a Skill Level 1 rating in Australia, which lines up with a bachelor degree or higher qualification.

Typical day to day duties include:

• Assessing students' abilities and limitations relating to sight impairment and its impact on learning
• Planning, organising and implementing specialist programs to support literacy, mobility and academic development
• Administering various forms of assessment and interpreting the results
• Teaching basic academic subjects and practical, self-help skills to sight impaired students
• Devising instructional materials, methods and aids to support learning, such as braille, large print and audio or digital formats
• Supporting the use of assistive technology and orientation and mobility skills in the classroom
• Conferring with other staff members and specialists to plan and schedule lessons
• Discussing individual student progress with parents, carers and other professionals

SUBCLASS 482 FOR TEACHERS OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED – CSOL LIST

The Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa replaced the older Temporary Skill Shortage visa in December 2024, bringing with it a new occupation list. The Core Skills Occupation List, generally shortened to the CSOL, combined the previous strategic skills lists into a single list spanning professional, trade and technical occupations.

Teacher of the Sight Impaired sits on the CSOL under the code ANZSCO 241513, alongside the related occupations of Special Needs Teacher, Teacher of the Hearing Impaired and Special Education Teachers nec within the same unit group. This is the code an employer nominates against for a Core Skills stream 482 visa, and the same code applies where the occupation is used for the Direct Entry stream of the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme.

SUBCLASS 482 ANZSCO REQUIREMENT FOR TEACHERS OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED

The nominated occupation has to genuinely match the work an applicant will be doing for the sponsoring employer. Case officers look past job titles and check the duties set out in the nomination against the ANZSCO definition for 241513.

Teacher of the Sight Impaired sits at ANZSCO Skill Level 1, which lines up with a bachelor degree or higher qualification with initial teacher education specific to the education of sight impaired students. In some instances relevant experience or on the job training is required in addition to the formal qualification.

SC 482 VISA REQUIREMENT FOR TEACHERS OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED

To be granted a Subclass 482 visa under the Core Skills stream as a Teacher of the Sight Impaired, 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 241513, 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 teaching sight impaired students, within the past five years
• English requirements as outlined further 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 sets the minimum salary an employer must offer for a Core Skills stream nomination. From 1 July 2026, this threshold rose from $76,515 to $79,423 a year, in line with the annual indexation the Department applies to keep pace with wage growth across the country. The visa can be granted for a period of one to four years depending on individual circumstances, and a partner and dependent children can be included as secondary applicants.

SUBCLASS 482 VISA APPLICATION CHARGES

The government visa application charges for the Subclass 482 also increased from 1 July 2026. The base charge for the main applicant is now $4,015, and this same amount applies to each additional applicant aged 18 or over included in the application. A dependent child under 18 is charged $1,005. These charges are non refundable and are reviewed annually, so it is worth confirming the current figure on the Home Affairs website before lodging, alongside budgeting separately for the nomination fee, the Skilling Australians Fund levy paid by the employer, and any English test, health check or skills assessment costs.

SKILLS ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT FOR TEACHERS OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED – SC 482

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, generally known as AITSL, is the skills assessing authority for Teacher of the Sight Impaired. AITSL assesses several school teaching occupations, so applicants should make sure they are using the correct occupation checklist for Teacher of the Sight Impaired rather than the checklist for a mainstream or Hearing Impaired teaching occupation, since the specific study and evidence requirements differ.

A skills assessment is not automatically required for every Subclass 482 applicant, but it becomes mandatory where the Department of Home Affairs' legislative instrument on mandatory skills assessments lists the occupation and passport country combination as requiring one. Given how heavily this occupation features on that mandatory list, most applicants should expect to need a positive assessment before a visa can be granted.

The AITSL assessment for this occupation is judged against two criteria, and applicants must meet both:

• A minimum of four years full time, or part time equivalent, higher education study, including a recognised initial teacher education qualification comparable to an Australian bachelor degree (AQF Level 7) or higher, with at least one year of full time study in special education of the sight impaired
• Supervised teaching practice with sight impaired students. Where the sight impairment study forms part of the initial teacher education qualification itself, the standard practicum requirements apply. Where it is a separate qualification, a minimum of 30 days of supervised teaching practice specifically with sight impaired students is required
• English language proficiency, demonstrated either through at least four full years of higher education study completed in Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States, or through an Academic IELTS result

Where an English test is required, AITSL only accepts the Academic version of IELTS, on a single Test Report Form, dated within 24 months of the application, and AITSL can also accept results from the IELTS One Skill Retake option. AITSL requires a score of at least 7.0 in both Reading and Writing, and at least 8.0 in both Speaking and Listening. AITSL does not accept PTE, TOEFL or Cambridge as alternatives. This is separate from, and considerably higher than, the Competent English standard used for the visa itself, which is covered further below.

Applicants should provide comprehensive documentary evidence, including:

• Certified academic transcripts and qualification documents
• Evidence of supervised teaching practice specifically with sight impaired students, including the setting and number of days completed
• Employment reference letters on company letterhead outlining job title, duties, employment dates and hours worked
• A single Academic IELTS Test Report Form, where a test is required

Providing complete and well organised evidence helps AITSL assess an application efficiently and may reduce processing delays.

SUBCLASS 186 FOR TEACHERS OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED – EMPLOYER NOMINATION SCHEME

The Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme is Australia's main permanent employer sponsored visa, and for many Teachers of the Sight Impaired already working in the country 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 TEACHERS OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED

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 position as a Teacher of the Sight Impaired
• 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 on work experience, and applicants should note that the AITSL skills assessment English requirement described above sits above this visa level English standard in any case.

SKILLS ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT FOR TEACHERS OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED – SC 186

Unlike the 482, a positive skills assessment from AITSL 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. The same qualification, practicum and English criteria described above apply here. 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 AITSL processing and document preparation take time.

STATE AND TERRITORY TEACHER REGISTRATION

A positive skills assessment and an approved visa allow a Teacher of the Sight Impaired to migrate to Australia, but they do not on their own allow someone to start working in a classroom or support setting. Teaching is a regulated profession, and registration with the relevant state or territory teacher regulatory authority is required before a teacher can legally be employed in that role. Registration is managed separately by each state and territory body, rather than by the Department of Home Affairs or the migration process, so applicants should plan to look into local registration requirements alongside their visa application rather than after they arrive.

A valid Working with Children Check, issued by the relevant state or territory authority, is also required before starting work in any role involving children, and is generally arranged separately from both the skills assessment and teacher registration processes.

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 Teachers of the Sight Impaired looking at the 482 and 186 pathways, the bar is different at each stage, which catches a number of applicants off guard. It is also worth remembering that the AITSL skills assessment described above carries its own, separate and considerably higher English requirement, so meeting the visa level standard below does not automatically mean the skills assessment requirement has been met.

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.

SALARY EXPECTATIONS IN AUSTRALIA

Pay for Teachers of the Sight Impaired in Australia is largely set by state and sector based industrial agreements, with actual rates varying by state or territory, employer type, and years of recognised teaching experience. Public school pay scales are generally set by state education departments, while specialist vision education providers and Catholic or independent schools may follow separate enterprise agreements. Roles within dedicated vision education organisations sometimes attract additional allowances given the specialist nature of the work.

WHY TEACHERS OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED ARE IN DEMAND IN AUSTRALIA

• Australia faces a persistent shortage of teachers with specialist qualifications in vision education
• Growing recognition of the value of early intervention has increased the number of children needing specialist educational support from an early age
• Both mainstream schools with dedicated support units and standalone specialist providers compete for a small pool of qualified teachers
• Advances in assistive technology and learning formats mean schools need teachers who can keep pace with evolving practice
• The inclusion of Teacher of the Sight Impaired on the Core Skills Occupation List reflects this recognised, ongoing shortage of qualified professionals at a national level

EMPLOYER SPONSORSHIP FOR TEACHERS OF THE SIGHT IMPAIRED IN AUSTRALIA

Specialist vision education providers, hearing and vision service organisations, and mainstream schools with dedicated support units can sponsor overseas Teachers of the Sight Impaired 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 demand for this specialist skill set continuing to outpace local supply, employer sponsorship has become an effective way for these organisations to recruit experienced overseas teachers and close 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 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 Teacher of the Sight Impaired for a specialist vision education school, a mainstream school support unit, or a hearing and vision service provider, we can help you identify the most suitable employer sponsored pathway. We work with organisations of all sizes across Australia, helping employers sponsor skilled teachers under the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa and secure permanent residence pathways through the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, where eligible.

We help employers with:

• Standard Business Sponsorship applications
• Sponsoring overseas Teachers of the Sight Impaired 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 teachers of the sight impaired

If your organisation is looking to sponsor a Teacher of the Sight Impaired in Australia or recruit a skilled overseas vision education professional, Migration Republic can provide expert advice and manage the entire employer sponsorship process from start to finish, allowing you to focus on running your organisation while we take care of your migration requirements.

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HOW MIGRATION REPUBLIC CAN HELP YOU

Migrating to Australia as a Teacher of the Sight Impaired means working through an AITSL skills assessment with its own demanding Academic IELTS requirement, demonstrating a relevant initial teacher education qualification and specialist supervised teaching practice, arranging state teacher registration and a Working with Children Check, and choosing between two visa pathways with different 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 that ANZSCO 241513 genuinely matches your qualifications and day to day duties
• Preparing a complete, decision ready AITSL skills assessment application
• Structuring your employment and practicum evidence so they meet AITSL 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 Teachers of the Sight Impaired