Secretary (General) - ANZSCO 521211
Skilled occupation profile
Secretary (General)
ANZSCO 521211Secretary (General) performs secretarial, clerical and other administrative tasks in support of Managers and Professionals.
Occupation guide
Occupation details and migration pathways
This guide brings together the key occupation tasks, possible visa pathways and skills assessment information for Secretary (General) ANZSCO 521211.
Typical tasks and duties
Secretaries may perform the following tasks:
- screen telephone callers
- make and record appointments
- operate office equipment such as photocopiers, fax machines, switchboards and computers
- file correspondence and other records
- receive and process incoming and outgoing mail
- write letters and reports on behalf of the organisation
- store and retrieve data on computers
- talk to clients
- prepare agendas or programmes for meetings
- attend and take minutes of meetings, both in the office and at other locations
- organise business itineraries, travel arrangements, conferences, meetings and social functions
- hire and supervise staff
- maintain budget and account records
- purchase office supplies.
Possible visa pathways
This occupation appears on 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, Secretary (General) usually requires a suitable skills assessment. Relevant assessing authorities may include:
Additional occupation-specific assessment information
Secretary is classified as Group C occupations by Vetassess. The criteria for skills assessment of Group C occupations are the following :
- Qualification(s) assessed at least AQF Diploma level with a highly relevant field of study and at least one year of post qualification highly relevant employment in the last five years; Or
- Qualification(s) assessed at least AQF Diploma level with an additional qualification at least AQF Certificate IV in a highly relevant field of study and at least one year of post-qualification highly relevant employment in the last five years; Or
- Qualification(s) assessed at least AQF Diploma level without a highly relevant field of study and at least two years of post-qualification highly relevant employment in the last five years;
According to Vetassess, if you have pre-qualification employment and if all of your employment is before your qualification assessed at the AQF diploma level, three years of highly relevant employment in addition to at least one year of highly relevant employment 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 Secretary (General) — ANZSCO 521211 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 Secretary (General) 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
