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The 2026 Core Skills Occupation List: What's In, What's Out, and How to Use It

The Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) replaced the old skilled migration lists in December 2024 and now underpins the Skills in Demand visa. Here's what it covers, which sectors dominate in 2026, and how to check if your occupation qualifies.

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Last updated: 3 July 2026.

If you're planning a study-to-migration pathway in Australia, the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) is the single most important document to check before you pick a course. It determines whether your intended occupation is even eligible for skilled migration once you graduate.

What the CSOL actually is

The CSOL replaced the old Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) in December 2024, moving Australia away from a short-term, pandemic-recovery occupation list toward a broader, future-focused framework. It now sits underneath the Skills in Demand visa system — the replacement for the old subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage visa — and feeds the eligibility criteria for skilled migration more broadly, including employer sponsorship and points-tested pathways.

As of 2026, the CSOL covers 456 occupations across healthcare, technology, trades, engineering, agriculture, hospitality, education and construction. The list is reviewed annually to align with the new migration program year, which starts 1 July — though urgent adjustments can happen more frequently when a shortage becomes acute.

The sectors driving 2026 demand

Four sectors stand out on the current list:

  • Healthcare dominates the shortage data. Registered Nurses and General Practitioners remain the most undersupplied occupation groups, according to the September 2025 Labour Supply Index.
  • Technology roles — particularly cybersecurity and software engineering — continue to grow, with government projections of more than 58,000 new positions in these fields by 2028.
  • Skilled trades have tightened sharply. Skill Level 3 (trades) fill rates dropped to 54.3%, making trades occupations the hardest roles to recruit for in Australia right now.
  • Education is under acute pressure, especially secondary teachers in mathematics and the sciences, with regional areas worst affected.

How to actually use this if you're planning to study

The CSOL isn't just a bureaucratic list — it's a filter you should apply before you enrol, not after you graduate:

  1. Check your occupation against the official register at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before committing to a course. Course marketing from providers doesn't always reflect current eligibility.
  2. Match your course to an ANZSCO occupation code, not just a job title — assessing authorities work off the code, and course-to-occupation mapping is where a lot of avoidable mistakes happen.
  3. Watch the review cycle. Because the list refreshes around the 1 July migration program year, an occupation that qualifies today isn't guaranteed to stay listed for the life of a multi-year degree.

The bottom line

The CSOL replaced a narrower, reactive list with a broader, sector-driven one — but broader doesn't mean static. Healthcare, tech, trades and education are where the government is actively trying to pull skilled migrants toward, and that's where course-to-visa alignment is currently strongest. Anyone choosing a course with migration in mind should be checking this list directly, not relying on secondhand claims about what's "in demand."

Data sources: Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Occupation List · September 2025 Labour Supply Index · Australian Government sector employment projections to 2028.