Assessing authorities for the subclass 494 visa: LIN 19/260

The Migration (LIN 19/260: Assessing Authorities for Subclass 494 Visas) Instrument 2019 was made on 29 October 2019 by the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs. Section 3 now names subregulation 2.26B(1) of the Migration Regulations 1994 and subclause 494.224(6) of Schedule 2. It commenced on 16 November 2019. This page describes Compilation No. 5, in force from 28 March 2026, which includes amendments made by five instruments between 2022 and 2026 (Endnote 3).

The explanatory statement, written for the instrument as made, says it specifies the assessing authorities for the new Subclass 494 (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional)) visa (Subclass 494 visa) in the Employer Sponsored stream, for occupations on the two lists specified under subregulation 2.72C(11) (LIN 19/219).

The two tables

Section 5 specifies the body in column 2 of each table as the assessing authority for the occupation and all countries, both under subregulation 2.26B(1) and under subclause 494.224(6).

Assessing authority tables in Compilation No. 5

Table	Section	Occupations
Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List	6(1)	216
Regional Occupation List	7(1)	434

Each table has two columns: occupation and assessing authority. The occupation titles in both tables match those of LIN 19/219. Some rows name more than one authority.

Examples (sections 6(1) and 7(1))

Occupation	Assessing authority
chief executive or managing director	IML
engineering manager	Engineers Australia or IML
child care centre manager	ACECQA
accountant (general)	CAANZ, CPAA or IPA
surveyor	ISNSW
aquaculture farmer	VETASSESS

Split and earlier authorities

• Section 6(2): physicist other than a medical physicist – VETASSESS; medical physicist – ACPSEM.
• Section 7(2): vocational education teacher (trades) – TRA; other vocational education teachers – VETASSESS.
• Section 7(3): item 141, information and organisation professionals (nec) – ACS for a data scientist, VETASSESS otherwise.
• Section 8: for assessments that occurred before 16 November 2019, TRA for child care centre manager and the Australian and New Zealand Podiatry Accreditation Council Limited for podiatrist.
• Section 9: 38 abbreviations, from AACA (Architects Accreditation Council of Australia) to VETASSESS (Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services).

Which applications it applies to

• Explanatory statement: subclass 494 Employer Sponsored stream applications lodged on or after 16 November 2019.
• Section 10: the LIN 22/054 amendments apply to subclass 494 applications made on or after 6 May 2022, whenever the skills assessment application was made; where the skills assessment application was made before that day, the earlier authorities in its table (for example the Australian Institute of Management for engineering manager) are also specified for 13 occupations.
• Section 11: the amendments made by Schedule 2 to LIN 26/027 apply to subclass 494 applications made, but not finally determined, on or after 8 October 2025, except where the application includes a Surveyor skills assessment dated on or before 21 August 2025.