Chef & Cook 482 Visa Sponsorship: ANZSCO, Experience & Processing 2026

#What ANZSCO code does a Tandoor or Indian Chef use for a 482 visa in Australia?

ANZSCO 351111 covers chefs who plan and organise the preparation and cooking of food in a professional kitchen setting. The occupation description is cuisine-neutral, meaning a chef who specialises exclusively in tandoor cooking, North Indian curries, or South Indian cuisine qualifies under the same code as any other commercial chef. What matters to the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) and the sponsoring employer is that the role genuinely requires the skills associated with ANZSCO 351111 — menu planning, food preparation supervision, kitchen management, and compliance with food safety standards.

Some employers mistakenly attempt to sponsor ethnic specialty chefs under ANZSCO 351311 (Cook), believing the role is less skilled. This is almost always the wrong approach for a head or senior chef position and can result in a nomination refusal. VJ Consulting and Education regularly reviews employer position descriptions to ensure the duties are correctly matched to the ANZSCO code before a nomination is lodged.

#Does 1 year of experience as a Chef qualify for a 482 visa nomination as a Cook?

The Subclass 482 visa requires that the nominee has the skills, qualifications, and experience necessary to perform the nominated occupation. For ANZSCO 351111 (Chef) and ANZSCO 351311 (Cook), DOHA expects the applicant to demonstrate a minimum of two years of relevant full-time work experience in the occupation or a closely related role. One year of experience — even if combined with formal culinary qualifications — is generally insufficient to satisfy this requirement at the nomination stage.

There is an important distinction here: the experience must be directly relevant to the nominated ANZSCO code. Experience gained as a kitchen hand or food preparation assistant does not count toward the two-year threshold for either Chef or Cook, even if some of the duties overlapped with cooking tasks.

#How do Indian chefs find 482 visa sponsorship in Australia?

Finding a 482 sponsor is one of the most practically challenging steps in the process. The employer must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor (SBS) or be willing to become one. For Indian chefs specifically, the most productive channels include:

It is important to understand that a migration agent cannot legally "sell" sponsorship or guarantee a job offer. Any arrangement where a fee is paid to obtain a job offer is unlawful under Australian law. VJ Consulting and Education advises all clients to be cautious of any intermediary who promises a sponsorship in exchange for a fee paid to them rather than to a registered migration agent for legitimate visa services.

#Can an overseas Indian chef with 5 years experience get 482 visa sponsorship in Australia?

Five years of experience comfortably exceeds the minimum two-year experience requirement. For an offshore applicant, the key additional considerations are:

• Skills assessment: Chefs (ANZSCO 351111) sponsored offshore may need a skills assessment from VETASSESS if they do not hold an Australian-recognised qualification. This is not always mandatory for 482 offshore applications, but some sponsors and delegates request evidence of equivalent qualifications.
• Salary: The nominated salary must meet the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), which is currently $73,150 per annum. The salary must also match the market rate for the occupation in the relevant location.
• Labour Market Testing (LMT): Unless an international trade obligation exemption applies, the employer must demonstrate they advertised the position in Australia and could not find a suitable Australian citizen or permanent resident.
• Genuine position: The role must be a genuine full-time position, not fabricated to enable a visa.

#Is ANZSCO 351311 on the eligible occupation list for subclass 482 visa?

Under the restructured 482 Skills in Demand visa, the Core Skills stream replaced the former Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and Short Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL). ANZSCO 351311 – Cook is listed on the CSOL, meaning a Cook can be sponsored for up to four years, with the ability to apply for the Subclass 186 Employer Nominated Scheme visa after meeting the required period of work for transition to permanent residence.

It is worth noting that the CSOL is subject to periodic review by DOHA. At VJ Consulting and Education, we check the current occupation list at the time of each nomination to confirm eligibility, as occupations can be added or removed with limited notice.

#How long does it take to process a 482 chef visa nomination in Sydney Metro?

The nomination (lodged by the employer) and the visa application (lodged by the chef) are two separate applications with separate processing queues. The nomination must be approved before the visa can be granted, although both can be lodged simultaneously. DOHA publishes indicative processing times on its website, but these are averages across all industry sectors — hospitality nominations are generally processed within the standard timeframes unless a Request for Further Information (RFI) is issued.

Factors that can delay Sydney Metro chef nominations include:

• Labour Market Testing documentation that does not clearly demonstrate genuine advertising
• Salary not meeting TSMIT or not matching market salary data
• Position description that does not clearly align with ANZSCO 351111 or 351311 duties
• Sponsor compliance issues (e.g. prior underpayment findings or failure to meet training benchmark obligations)

#How long after Form 1221 submission can you expect 482 visa grant for chefs?

Form 1221 (Additional Personal Particulars Information) is requested by DOHA when the applicant has lived in certain countries for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Submitting Form 1221 does not start the visa application process — the clock starts when the visa application itself is lodged with the correct fee payment. After the application is lodged:

• Health examinations must be completed (usually via an approved panel physician within 28 days of being notified)
• Police clearances from all relevant countries must be provided
• Biometrics may be requested for offshore applicants

For Indian chefs applying from India, the police clearance from India (issued through the Passport Seva portal) can take 4–6 weeks to obtain. This is often the single biggest delay in the post-lodgement phase. VJCE advises clients to obtain their police certificate before or immediately after lodging the visa application to avoid unnecessary delays.

#How long does a 482 nomination application take to process for bakers offshore in 2025?

Bakers and pastry cooks fall under a slightly different ANZSCO landscape. ANZSCO 351112 (Pastrycook) is the more precise code for individuals whose primary duties involve making pastry, bread, and baked goods. If the employer is a commercial bakery, this code is typically more appropriate than Chef (351111). Pastrycook (351112) is also listed on the CSOL.

Offshore nominations can take marginally longer than onshore nominations because DOHA may conduct additional checks to verify that the overseas employment history and qualifications are authentic. Providing certified translations of overseas qualifications and employment records at the time of lodgement — rather than waiting for an RFI — is the single most effective way to keep processing times short.

#Should I apply for a bridging visa before lodging a 482 visa application as a chef?

This is one of the most common points of confusion among chefs already working in Australia on a student visa, working holiday visa, or a previous 482. You do not need to lodge a separate bridging visa application. When you are in Australia and lodge a substantive visa application (including a 482), a Bridging Visa A (BVA) is automatically generated. The BVA allows you to remain lawfully in Australia while your substantive application is being processed, provided your current visa is still valid at the time of lodgement.

If your BVA work rights are a concern — particularly if you are transitioning from a student visa — the conditions of the BVA generally mirror the conditions of your bridging visa in relation to work rights until the 482 application is decided. For specific advice about work conditions during the bridging period, speak to a registered migration agent at VJ Consulting and Education.

#Can a chef with 3 years experience be sponsored for a 186 or 482 visa?

For the 482 visa, 2 years of experience is the standard minimum, so a chef with 3 years is clearly eligible on experience grounds. For the Subclass 186 Direct Entry stream, the requirement is at least 3 years of relevant work experience, so a chef with exactly 3 years sits at the minimum threshold — every year of that experience needs to be well-documented.

For most chefs, the recommended pathway is to enter on a 482 visa and then transition to the 186 via the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream after two years with the sponsoring employer. This avoids the VETASSESS skills assessment requirement and provides a clearer, lower-risk route to permanent residence.

#Can you lodge a 482 visa before completing the second stage of VETASSESS assessment?

VETASSESS conducts a two-stage assessment for certain trade and vocational occupations. Stage 1 is a document assessment; Stage 2 typically involves an interview or practical skills demonstration. For the 482 visa, a formal VETASSESS assessment is not a legislative requirement — the visa applicant must demonstrate they have the skills and experience to perform the nominated occupation, but this can be done through employment records, references, and qualifications without a VETASSESS outcome letter.

However, there are exceptions:

• If the 482 nomination officer specifically requests a skills assessment as part of an RFI, you will need to provide one
• If you are applying for a 186 Direct Entry visa (not the 482), a positive VETASSESS assessment is a mandatory legislative requirement and you cannot lodge the 186 without it
• Some state nomination programs (for the 190 or 491) require a skills assessment before nomination, which must be obtained before lodging those visa applications

If you are mid-way through a VETASSESS assessment and your current visa is about to expire, speak with a migration agent immediately. In many cases, lodging the 482 application to secure a Bridging Visa A is the right course of action even before the VETASSESS process is complete.

#Can duties performed as a shift supervisor be used to support a retail manager 482 visa application?

This question, while it relates to a retail occupation rather than a chef or cook role, comes up frequently in mixed hospitality environments where a chef or kitchen manager also holds supervisory responsibilities over front-of-house staff. The principle is the same across occupations: DOHA assesses whether the duties actually performed align with the ANZSCO description of the nominated occupation — not just the job title held.

For a retail manager nomination, a shift supervisor role would need to demonstrate evidence of:

• Planning and controlling buying and merchandising operations
• Setting and monitoring sales targets
• Managing staff recruitment, training, and performance
• Controlling store budgets and stock

Shift supervision alone — which typically involves rostering, opening/closing, and supervising staff on duty — does not satisfy the full ANZSCO 142111 description. The delegate will look at the totality of duties. If a candidate spent 60% of their time on shift supervision tasks and 40% on genuine management functions, that experience may be partially creditable but is unlikely to be treated as equivalent to full-time retail management experience.

If you are unsure whether your prior experience adequately supports your intended ANZSCO code, a consultation with VJ Consulting and Education before lodgement can identify any gaps and help you build the strongest possible evidence package.