Software developer · Australia

Work in Australia
as a software developer.

Australia is the destination where the qualification question comes back hardest, even though nobody licenses developers. Before a single point is counted, an assessing body has to accept that your degree and your years match the occupation you are claiming, and that step alone runs for months.

Recognition
Not regulated
Work permits sourced
3
Official sources
13
Last checked
2026-08-03
Build my roadmap →Compare the permits

The short answer

Two questions, and they are not the same question.

◎No licence decision

Recognition

Not regulated · no recognition decision required

No authority approves your qualification before you take this job in Australia. That is a sourced finding, not an absence of research: the links at the bottom of this page are what it rests on.

↗Always required

Work authorisation

Whatever the recognition branch says, you still need the legal right to work in Australia. We have sourced 3 routes for a qualification obtained outside the EU and EEA.

  • Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
  • Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) — Points-tested stream
  • Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) — Direct Entry stream

Qualified inside the EU or EEA? Free movement replaces this branch entirely — pick your country below and the answer changes accordingly.

Work authorisation

Every permit we can source,
side by side.

Open the full roadmap →

Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)

Department of Home Affairs

Checklist
Salary floor
AUD 79,423 (2026 figure)This is the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), the floor for the Core Skills stream, in force for nomination applications lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. It replaced the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold on this visa when the Skills in Demand visa itself replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage visa. A separate, higher Specialist Skills Income Threshold of AUD146,576 (same 2026–2027 cycle) applies instead to the Specialist Skills stream, open only to occupations in ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6. Both figures are indexed every 1 July; check the figure in force on the date you lodge. In every case your pay must also meet the Annual Market Salary Rate for the role — whichever of the two is higher.
Qualification
At least 1 year of relevant work experience in your nominated occupation or a related field, plus a skills assessment from the occupation's assessing authority where your occupation requires one.
Processing time
Not published as a single national figure — the Department publishes a visa processing time guide tool instead
Visa validity
Up to 4 years (up to 5 years for Hong Kong passport holders)
Visa application charge
From AUD4,015.00 — concessions apply in limited circumstances; use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for your own figure
The procedure, step by step5 steps · 3 possible outcomes
  1. Secure sponsorship from an employer approved as a sponsor, nominated to an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List (Core Skills stream) or, for the Specialist Skills stream, to an occupation in one of the eligible ANZSCO Major Groups paid at least the Specialist Skills Income Threshold.
  2. Confirm the nominated position is paid the Annual Market Salary Rate for the role and no less than the applicable income threshold, and that you have at least 1 year of relevant work experience in the occupation or a related field.
  3. Where your occupation requires it, obtain a skills assessment from the assessing authority the Department lists against that occupation before your nomination is decided.The Department states this is required "if this is required for your occupation" — not universally. Its directory of assessing authorities names ACS for ICT-related occupations and other bodies for the rest.
  4. Meet the minimum standard of English language proficiency the Department sets for this visa, unless you are exempt.
  5. Once the nomination is approved, lodge the visa application. You may work only for your sponsor or an associated entity unless you fall within a published exemption.

Possible outcomes

  • A Skills in Demand visa for up to 4 years (5 for Hong Kong passport holders), tied to work for the sponsoring employer or an associated entity unless exempt.
  • If eligible, a route to apply for permanent residence — most commonly through the Employer Nomination Scheme once the qualifying period with the sponsor is met.
  • Refusal, where the occupation, salary, experience, skills assessment or English conditions are not met.

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) — Points-tested stream

Department of Home Affairs

Points-based
Qualification
Your nominated occupation must be on the relevant skilled occupation list for this visa, and you need a suitable skills assessment for it from the occupation's own assessing authority.
Processing time
Not published as a single national figure — the Department publishes a visa processing time guide tool instead
Visa validity
Permanent
Visa application charge
From AUD6,135.00 — concessions apply in limited circumstances; use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for your own figure

Scored, not checked off. We explain the factors and link the official calculator — we never produce a score, because a score reads as a prediction.

The procedure, step by step4 steps · 3 possible outcomes
  1. Confirm your nominated occupation is on the relevant skilled occupation list for this visa, and obtain a suitable skills assessment for it from the assessing authority the Department lists against that occupation.
  2. Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect. Be aged under 45 when the Department invites you to apply — turning 45 after an invitation does not disqualify you, but turning 45 before one is issued does.
  3. This is a points-tested visa. The Department scores age, English language ability, skilled employment experience (in Australia and overseas), qualifications, and a handful of smaller factors such as a professional year, a credentialled community language, or a partner's own skills — set out in full on the Department's points table. You must reach at least 65 points to be invited; we do not calculate or estimate your score here.Use the Department's own points calculator to work out your indicative score before relying on any figure. If invited, the invitation states the score you must still meet when the visa itself is assessed, which can be higher than 65 depending on your claims.
  4. If invited, lodge the visa application within the invitation period and provide documentary evidence for every claim made in your EOI.

Possible outcomes

  • A permanent visa: work and study anywhere in Australia, sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence, and, if eligible, apply for citizenship.
  • No invitation, where your indicative score stays below 65 points or the occupation ceiling for the program year is already filled.
  • Refusal after invitation, where the score, age, occupation, skills assessment or other conditions are not met when the application itself is assessed.

Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) — Direct Entry stream

Department of Home Affairs

Checklist
Salary floor
AUD 79,423 (2026 figure)The Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) applies to Employer Nomination Scheme nominations lodged on or after 7 December 2024, at the same figure as the Skills in Demand visa's Core Skills stream. AUD79,423 is the figure in force for nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027; it is indexed every 1 July, so check the figure in force on the date of nomination. Your pay must also meet the Annual Market Salary Rate for the role if that figure is higher.
Qualification
At least 3 years of relevant work experience, unless you are exempt, and a positive skills assessment from the occupation's assessing authority before you lodge, unless you are exempt.
Processing time
Not published as a single national figure — the Department publishes a visa processing time guide tool instead
Visa validity
Permanent
Visa application charge
From AUD6,140.00 — concessions apply in limited circumstances; use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for your own figure
The procedure, step by step5 steps · 2 possible outcomes
  1. Secure a nomination from an employer approved as a sponsor, for an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List.
  2. Be under 45 years old on the date you lodge your application, unless you are exempt, and have at least 3 years of relevant work experience, unless you are exempt.
  3. Obtain a positive skills assessment before you lodge, unless you are exempt, from the assessing authority the Department lists against your occupation.For ICT-related occupations that authority is ACS; for most other occupations it is a different body — check the Department's own directory rather than assuming.
  4. Meet the Department's minimum standard of English language proficiency, plus its health and character requirements.
  5. Once the Department approves the nomination, lodge the visa application.

Possible outcomes

  • A permanent visa: live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, sponsor eligible family members, and, if eligible, apply for citizenship.
  • Refusal, where the age, experience, skills assessment, salary or other conditions are not met.

Document preparation

What you still have to prepare.

Ordered the way the procedure runs, from an origin outside the EU and EEA. Pick your own country of qualification below and the planner reorders it for you.

1

Prepare your documents

  1. Request certified copies of your degree and full academic transcripts from the institution that issued them in the Philippines.
  2. the Philippines is a contracting party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille replaces consular legalisation. Obtain it from the competent authority the Philippines has designated.Apostilles are issued per document. Budget one for the degree and one for each transcript you submit.

What it costs

Apostille (per document)
Set by the authority the Philippines designates — confirm the current fee before applying

Where you qualified

The answer changes
with your country.

Everything we cover →

Qualified outside the EU and EEA — permit required

Colombia → AustraliaOpen this roadmapArgentina → AustraliaOpen this roadmapIndia → AustraliaOpen this roadmapPhilippines → AustraliaOpen this roadmap

Qualified inside the EU or EEA — free movement applies

Spain → AustraliaDifferent answerGermany → AustraliaDifferent answerNetherlands → AustraliaDifferent answer

People reach this page looking for

  • skilled independent visa 189 software engineer
  • ACS skills assessment for developers
  • skills in demand visa 482 Australia
  • Australia points test software engineer
  • employer nomination scheme 186

Questions

Answered from the same sources.

Is software developer a regulated profession in Australia?

No. We verified that software developer is not a regulated profession in Australia, which means no authority has to approve your qualification before you may hold the job. You still need a legal right to work there.

Which work permits can a software developer apply for in Australia?

We have sourced 3: Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) — Points-tested stream, Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) — Direct Entry stream. Each one has its own conditions, and this page compares them side by side rather than recommending one.

What salary do you need to work in Australia as a software developer?

Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482): AUD 79,423 (2026 figure, This is the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), the floor for the Core Skills stream, in force for nomination applications lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. It replaced the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold on this visa when the Skills in Demand visa itself replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage visa. A separate, higher Specialist Skills Income Threshold of AUD146,576 (same 2026–2027 cycle) applies instead to the Specialist Skills stream, open only to occupations in ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6. Both figures are indexed every 1 July; check the figure in force on the date you lodge. In every case your pay must also meet the Annual Market Salary Rate for the role — whichever of the two is higher.). Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) — Direct Entry stream: AUD 79,423 (2026 figure, The Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) applies to Employer Nomination Scheme nominations lodged on or after 7 December 2024, at the same figure as the Skills in Demand visa's Core Skills stream. AUD79,423 is the figure in force for nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027; it is indexed every 1 July, so check the figure in force on the date of nomination. Your pay must also meet the Annual Market Salary Rate for the role if that figure is higher.).

Does QualiPath calculate my points score?

No. Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) — Points-tested stream is scored rather than checked against a list, and we explain the factors and link the official calculator instead of producing a number. Computing it here would be promising you an outcome we have no authority to promise.

Is this page up to date?

The oldest source behind it was checked on 2026-08-03. Every claim links to the official page it came from, with its own check date, so you can verify any of it yourself in one click.

Evidence

Every claim on this page, and where it came from.

13 official pages, each with the jurisdiction it speaks for and the date a human last opened it. The oldest of them is 2026-08-03, and that is the date this page is only as fresh as.

Two minutes, no account

Your qualification, your country, your roadmap.

This page answers the pairing in general. The planner answers it for the country you actually qualified in, and prints the result with its sources attached.

Build my roadmap →How we verify this