Diver - ANZSCO 399911
Skilled occupation profile
Diver
ANZSCO 399911Diver swims underwater to undertake tasks such as seafood gathering, research, salvage and construction. Registration or licensing may be required.
Occupation guide
Occupation details and migration pathways
This guide brings together the key occupation tasks, possible visa pathways and skills assessment information for Diver ANZSCO 399911.
Typical tasks and duties
Divers may perform the following tasks:
- inspect diving equipment before diving
- build, check and repair underwater constructions such as harbour wall foundations, ship hulls, jetties, piers and pipelines, sometimes using cutting or welding equipment
- use cables, floatation gear or ropes to bring underwater objects to the surface
- carry out underwater exploration
- carry out underwater search and rescue operations to recover bodies, stolen goods and other property (police divers)
- build and look after fish farms
- supervise and teach others to dive
- operate cameras for underwater filming (such as for nature documentaries)
- place recording instruments underwater
- operate decompression and recompression chambers.
Possible visa pathways
This occupation appears on CSOL and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Occupations. The right visa pathway depends on factors such as your age, English level, qualifications, work experience, skills assessment, points score, nomination options and employer sponsorship.
Skills assessment
For skilled migration purposes, Diver usually requires a suitable skills assessment. Relevant assessing authorities may include:
Additional occupation-specific assessment information
Diver is classified as Group D occupations by Vetassess. The criteria for skills assessment of Group D occupations are the following:
- Qualification(s) assessed at AQF Certificate IV with a highly relevant field of study and at least one year of post-qualification highly relevant employment completed in the last five years;Or
- Qualification(s) assessed at AQF Certificate IV without a highly relevant field of study and at least two years of post-qualification highly relevant employment completed in the last five years;Or
- Qualification(s) assessed at AQF Certificate III with a highly relevant field of study and at least three years of post-qualification highly relevant employment completed in the last five years;
According to Vetassess, if you have pre-qualification employment and if all of your employment is before your qualifications assessed at the AQF Certificate III or Certificate IV level, three years of highly relevant employment in addition to at least one year of highly relevant employment at an appropriate skill level completed in the last five years.
Legacy subclass 187 pathway
Do you currently hold, or have you previously held, a subclass 457 or 482 visa?
If you have worked for a sponsoring employer in regional Australia, please note that Diver — ANZSCO 399911 was included in the legacy Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) occupation list. The subclass 187 Direct Entry stream is closed to new applications, but the Temporary Residence Transition stream may remain available to certain transitional subclass 457 and subclass 482 workers. Eligibility is limited and depends on your visa history, relevant dates, sponsored regional employment, employer nomination, age, English and other requirements. Being included on this occupation list does not establish eligibility.
If this may describe your circumstances, we can assess whether the subclass 187 transitional arrangements may still apply to you.
Check your options
Check your skilled migration options
If Diver is your nominated occupation, complete our skilled visa assessment form so we can review your possible migration pathways.
Reviewed by Principal Migration Consultant
Reviewed by Mohammad Reza Azimi
This occupation page has been reviewed for migration context by Shada Migration Services. Mohammad has assisted clients with Australian migration matters since 2009 and holds a Graduate Certificate in Migration Law from the Australian National University.
Last reviewed: July 2026
