Counsellors - ANZSCO 272199
Skilled occupation profile
Counsellors
ANZSCO 272199Counsellor provides information on vocational, relationship, social and educational difficulties and issues, and work with people to help them to identify and define their emotional issues through therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy and other talking therapies.
Recent SkillSelect information
Recent SkillSelect information for Counsellors
SkillSelect information published for May 2026 provides a historical snapshot of available EOI activity for Counsellors, ANZSCO 272199. Selected published indicators relevant to this occupation are shown below.
Subclass 491 – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa – State or Territory nominated
* <20: the official source published a small-number value below 20. The exact number is not shown by the official source.
† PointsView-calculated indicator: calculated from the published SkillSelect points distribution where sufficient data is available.
This information gives historical SkillSelect EOI information. It does not predict invitation chances, guarantee visa outcomes, or state a minimum invitation score.
Occupation guide
Occupation details and migration pathways
This guide brings together the key occupation tasks, possible visa pathways and skills assessment information for Counsellors ANZSCO 272199.
Typical tasks and duties
They may perform the following tasks:
- assessing resources for health, welfare, recreation, housing, employment and other community services
- providing support while exploring alternatives with clients who experience difficulties such as marital problems, unemployment, illness and drug abuse
- consulting with clients to develop rehabilitation plans taking account of vocational, social, medical and psychological needs
- assisting clients with employment placement and matters relating to education and training
- developing, administering and evaluating individual and group treatment programs
- preparing and conducting services of public worship and acknowledgments of faith, and performing marriages, funerals and special memorial services according to tradition and ecclesiastical and civil law
- undertaking historical and cultural research into human activity, and preparing reports of research findings
Possible visa pathways
This occupation appears on STSOL 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, Counsellors usually requires a suitable skills assessment. Relevant assessing authorities may include:
Additional occupation-specific assessment information
Counsellor is classified as Group A occupations by Vetassess. The criteria for skills assessment of Group A occupations is to hold qualification(s) assessed at Australian Bachelor degree or higher degree with a highly relevant field of study and at least one year of post-qualification highly relevant employment in the last five years.
According to Vetassess, Counselling is the study of the practice and skills required to provide guidance on personal, social and psychological problems (ASCED). Qualifications in Psychology without studies and supervised practical training in counselling will not usually be assessed positively.
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 Counsellors — ANZSCO 272199 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 Counsellors is your nominated occupation, complete our skilled visa assessment form so we can review your possible migration pathways.
Counsellors historical SkillSelect report
The current PointsView report includes historical SkillSelect data through June 2026 for ANZSCO 272199.
Historical information does not predict invitations, visa outcomes or migration eligibility.

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