How chefs get a visa for Australia through the 482, 494 and DAMA

Chef visas for Australia in 2026 run mainly through three doors: the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand (SID) visa, the Subclass 494 regional employer sponsored visa, and a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA). Which door is open turns on one small decision the employer makes on the nomination form: whether the role is coded as a chef or as a cook. That choice shapes the visa options, the permanent residence prospects, and how well the nomination will withstand scrutiny.

Chef or cook: the code that decides everything

Australian skilled migration classifies occupations by ANZSCO code, and “Chef” and “Cook” are two distinct occupations. A chef plans menus, estimates costs, supervises kitchen staff and directs food preparation. A cook prepares and cooks food to a set standard, usually under direction. The duties overlap in a home kitchen, but for migration they are separate jobs.

The two occupations do not always sit on the same lists or attract the same pathways. An occupation must appear on the applicable list for the stream being used. For the Subclass 482 SID visa, occupations are specified in the Subclass 482 occupation instrument (F2024L01620). For the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) Direct Entry stream, they are specified in the Subclass 186 occupation instrument (F2024L01618). Whether “Chef” or “Cook” is listed, and in which stream, can change when these instruments are amended, so confirm the current position against the Department of Home Affairs and the Federal Register before relying on it.

The consequence is blunt. If a role is a cook’s role but is nominated as a chef to reach a better list or pathway, the nomination is exposed to refusal. If it is a chef’s role but coded as a cook, the applicant may lose access to a permanent pathway they were entitled to. Get the code right first.

Chef visas for Australia: the three main pathways

Subclass 482 (SID). This is the standard employer sponsored temporary work visa. The Core Skills stream is tied to the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) and to a core income threshold. The employer must be an approved sponsor and must lodge a nomination for the position, and the chef then applies for the visa. The salary offered must meet the relevant income threshold or the Annual Market Salary Rate for the role, whichever is higher. The threshold figures change and are set by reference to the date the nomination is lodged, not the date it is decided, so confirm the current figure with the Department before committing to a salary.

Subclass 494 (regional employer sponsored). This is the regional counterpart, for employers in designated regional Australia. It carries its own income floor, the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), which is set separately from the SID core threshold and changes only by a separate legislative instrument. For chefs and cooks in regional restaurants, hotels and clubs, the 494 is often the realistic route, and it leads toward permanent residence through the Subclass 191 visa after the required period of regional work and income.

DAMA. A Designated Area Migration Agreement is a labour agreement between the Commonwealth and a regional or state body that provides concessions where the standard program does not fit. DAMAs frequently cover hospitality roles, including chefs and cooks, and can offer concessions on matters such as skills, English, age or salary within the terms of the specific agreement. Concessions vary between agreements and change over time, so the terms of the particular DAMA covering the region and occupation govern, not a general rule. Do not assume a concession applies until you have read the current agreement.

Genuine position and task correspondence

The most common reason a chef nomination fails is that the decision-maker is not satisfied the position is genuine, or that the duties match the nominated occupation. A sponsor’s written statement that the role is a genuine chef position does not settle the question.

In Cargo First Pty Ltd v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] FCA 30, the Federal Court confirmed that a sponsor’s certification that a nominated position is genuine is not conclusive. The decision-maker must independently assess whether the position is genuine and whether the tasks correspond with the nominated occupation. For a small takeaway or a low-volume kitchen nominating a chef, expect the Department to test whether the business needs, and the role involves, menu planning, cost estimation and supervision of other kitchen staff, rather than straightforward food preparation.

Build the evidence to match the occupation. A chef nomination should be supported by a menu, an organisational chart showing the staff the chef supervises, financials consistent with a kitchen of that scale, and a position description that reads like a chef’s job rather than a cook’s. If those features are absent, a cook nomination may be both more honest and more likely to succeed.

Skills assessment and experience

Chefs are commonly required to hold a favourable skills assessment from the relevant trades assessing authority, and the pathway chosen can affect which assessment and evidence are needed. A skills assessment tests training and work history against the occupation, so a record of chef-level responsibility, rather than years in a kitchen alone, is what carries weight. Start the assessment early, because it can be the longest single step. Our overview of the skills assessment process explains what assessors look for and how to prepare the evidence.

Work experience requirements also apply to the sponsored visas and are assessed by reference to the relevant occupation. Confirm the current experience requirement for the visa and stream with the Department, because it is set by regulation and instrument rather than by custom.

The permanent residence question

For most chefs, temporary work is a means to permanent residence, so plan the destination before choosing the vehicle.

The employer nomination route is the Subclass 186 (ENS). Its Direct Entry stream uses the CSOL and the occupation instrument (F2024L01618), and its income thresholds are indexed annually on 1 July. Where the employer can commit to an ongoing position and the chef meets the occupation, skills and experience requirements, this is the direct path.

The regional route runs through the Subclass 494 to the Subclass 191. The 191 requires a period of holding the regional visa, living and working in regional Australia, and meeting the income requirement across the qualifying period. For chefs who begin in a regional kitchen, this is frequently the cleaner permanent pathway, and it is one reason the chef versus cook coding at the start matters so much: a coding that blocks the regional occupation list can quietly close the 191 years later.

What to do now

Confirm the occupation code against the actual duties, then check that code against the current occupation instrument for the stream you want. Decide early whether your circumstances point to the standard 482, a regional 494 or a DAMA, because each carries a different income floor and a different permanent pathway. Build the nomination evidence to match a chef if a chef is what the role is. Confirm every threshold and list against the Department of Home Affairs at the time you lodge, because the figures and lists move and the rule that binds you is the one in force on your lodgement date.

If you are an employer nominating a chef, or a chef weighing the 482, 494 or DAMA route, Visa Plan Lawyers advises on the coding, the evidence and the permanent pathway. Learn more about our employer sponsored visa work or the regional 494 pathway, and book a consultation before the nomination is lodged.

General information only, current at the date shown. It is not legal advice on your situation. To get advice on your matter, book a consultation.