A caveat is essentially a special condition or restriction attached to a nominated occupation.
It is important to understand that a caveats on occupations do not remove the occupations from the eligible list, but it imposes strict limits on exactly how that occupations can be used by an employer. If the conditions of the caveat are not met, the nomination will be refused.
The Department of Home Affairs applies these caveats to maintain the integrity of Australia’s migration system. Specifically, caveats exist to:
Caveats on occupations are specifically designed for Employer-Sponsored visas. Caveats on Occupations are applicable to following visa categories:
Government caveats are usually written as a list of things your job cannot involve. To get your visa approved, your employer simply has to prove the opposite!
Let’s look at an occupation Chef, which has two common caveats:
To satisfy these caveats, your employer just needs to provide evidence that your job is NOT in a mass-production factory, and the business is NOT a limited-service (fast food) restaurant.
| ANZSCO Code | Occupation | Caveats | Caveat Explanations |
| 111111 | Chief Executive or Managing Director | 1 | Caveat 1: (a) the position has nominated annual earnings of less than AUD180,001; and (b) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies. |
| 111211 | Corporate General Manager | 1 | Caveat 1: (a) the position has nominated annual earnings of less than AUD180,001; and (b) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies. |
| 121111 | Aquaculture Farmer | 5 | Caveat 5: The position predominantly involves responsibility for low-skilled tasks. Examples: Fruit picking, packing, feeding livestock, truck driving. |
| 121311 | Apiarist | 5 | Caveat 5: The position predominantly involves responsibility for low-skilled tasks. Examples: Fruit picking, packing, feeding livestock, truck driving. |
| 121313 | Dairy Cattle Farmer | 5 | Caveat 5: The position predominantly involves responsibility for low-skilled tasks. Examples: Fruit picking, packing, feeding livestock, truck driving. |
| 121315 | Goat Farmer | 5 | Caveat 5: The position predominantly involves responsibility for low-skilled tasks. Examples: Fruit picking, packing, feeding livestock, truck driving. |
| 121318 | Pig Farmer | 5 | Caveat 5: The position predominantly involves responsibility for low-skilled tasks. Examples: Fruit picking, packing, feeding livestock, truck driving. |
| 121321 | Poultry Farmer | 5 | Caveat 5: The position predominantly involves responsibility for low-skilled tasks. Examples: Fruit picking, packing, feeding livestock, truck driving. |
| 121611 | Flower Grower | 5 | Caveat 5: The position predominantly involves responsibility for low-skilled tasks. Examples: Fruit picking, packing, feeding livestock, truck driving. |
| 131112 | Sales and Marketing Manager | 6, 12 | Caveat 6: The position: (a) is based in a front-line retail setting; or (b) predominantly involves direct client transactional interaction on a regular basis; or (c) predominantly involves selling educational courses to individual students; or (d) is based in a call centre and does not require a significant technical knowledge of products. Caveat 12: (a) the position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD1,000,000; and (b) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies. (c) the position is in a business that has fewer than 5 employees; and (i) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies. |
| 132111 | Corporate Services Manager | 12 | Caveat 12: (a) the position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD1,000,000; and (b) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies. (c) the position is in a business that has fewer than 5 employees; and (i) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies. |
| 133611 | Supply and Distribution Manager | 6, 12 | Caveat 6: The position: (a) is based in a front-line retail setting; or (b) predominantly involves direct client transactional interaction on a regular basis; or (c) predominantly involves selling educational courses to individual students; or (d) is based in a call centre and does not require a significant technical knowledge of products. Caveat 12: (a) the position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD1,000,000; and (b) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies. (c) the position is in a business that has fewer than 5 employees; and (i) if the nominee is to be transferred to fill the position—the transfer is not an intra-corporate transfer to which an international trade obligation applies. |
| 141311 | Hotel or Motel Manager | 5 | Caveat 5: The position predominantly involves responsibility for low-skilled tasks. Examples: Fruit picking, packing, feeding livestock, truck driving. |
| 149999 | Hospitality, Retail and Service Managers nec | 16 | Caveat 16: The position is a brothel keeper. |
| 221111 | Accountant (General) | 2, 11, 13 | Caveat 2: The position is a clerical, bookkeeper or accounting clerk position. Caveat 11: The position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD1,000,000. Caveat 13: The position is in a business that has fewer than 5 employees. |
| 221112 | Management Accountant | 2, 11, 13 | Caveat 2: The position is a clerical, bookkeeper or accounting clerk position. Caveat 11: The position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD1,000,000. Caveat 13: The position is in a business that has fewer than 5 employees. |
| 221113 | Taxation Accountant | 2, 11, 13 | Caveat 2: The position is a clerical, bookkeeper or accounting clerk position. Caveat 11: The position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD1,000,000. Caveat 13: The position is in a business that has fewer than 5 employees. |
| 223111 | Human Resource Adviser | 2 | Caveat 2: The position is a clerical, bookkeeper or accounting clerk position. |
| 223112 | Recruitment Consultant | 11, 13 | Caveat 11: The position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD1,000,000. Caveat 13: The position is in a business that has fewer than 5 employees. |
| 223113 | Workplace Relations Adviser | 5 | Caveat 5: The position predominantly involves responsibility for low-skilled tasks. Examples: Fruit picking, packing, feeding livestock, truck driving. |
| 224713 | Management Consultant | 11, 13 | Caveat 11: The position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD1,000,000. Caveat 13: The position is in a business that has fewer than 5 employees. |
| 225113 | Marketing Specialist | 6, 11 | Caveat 6: The position: (a) is based in a front-line retail setting; or (b) predominantly involves direct client transactional interaction on a regular basis; or (c) predominantly involves selling educational courses to individual students; or (d) is based in a call centre and does not require a significant technical knowledge of products. Caveat 11: The position is in a business that has an annual turnover of less than AUD1,000,000. |
| 225499 | Technical Sales Representatives nec | 6 | Caveat 6: The position: (a) is based in a front-line retail setting; or (b) predominantly involves direct client transactional interaction on a regular basis; or (c) predominantly involves selling educational courses to individual students; or (d) is based in a call centre and does not require a significant technical knowledge of products. |
| 249299 | Private Tutors and Teachers nec | 14 | Caveat 14: The position is not provided for under an International Trade Obligation. |
| 252214 | Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 14 | Caveat 14: The position is not provided for under an International Trade Obligation. |
| 312512 | Mechanical Engineering Technician | 9 | Caveat 9: The position relates to retail mobile phone repairs or other small consumer mobile devices including tablets, smart watches, handheld gaming devices, portable media players, etc. |
| 351111 | Baker | 10 | Caveat 10: The position relates to mass or standardised production (as opposed to specialist production), including: (a) a position based in a franchise or factory; (b) involves full/partial production of food product for distribution to another location; or predominantly involves the use of pre-prepared food product from another location. |
| 351112 | Pastrycook | 10 | Caveat 10: The position relates to mass or standardised production (as opposed to specialist production), including: (a) a position based in a franchise or factory; (b) involves full/partial production of food product for distribution to another location; or predominantly involves the use of pre-prepared food product from another location. |
| 351311 | Chef | 3, 4 | Caveat 3: The position is involved in mass production in a factory setting. Caveat 4: The position is in a limited service restaurant. |
| 351411 | Cook | 3, 4 | Caveat 3: The position is involved in mass production in a factory setting. Caveat 4: The position is in a limited service restaurant. |
| 399212 | Gas or Petroleum Operator | 15 | Caveat 15: The position has nominated annual earnings of less than AUD120,000. |
| 411611 | Massage Therapist | 7 | Caveat 7: The position: (a) is not a full-time position; or (b) is not based in a therapeutic setting; or (c) involves the provision of non-medical relaxation massage; or (d) is in a retail setting. |
| 452317 | Other Sports Coach or Instructor (Wushu Martial Arts Coach or Yoga Instructor Only) | 14 | Caveat 14: The position is not provided for under an International Trade Obligation. |
| 639211 | Retail Buyer | 6 | Caveat 6: The position: (a) is based in a front-line retail setting; or (b) predominantly involves direct client transactional interaction on a regular basis; or (c) predominantly involves selling educational courses to individual students; or (d) is based in a call centre and does not require a significant technical knowledge of products. |
In an Australian visa application, a caveat is a specific condition or restriction attached to a nominated occupation on the skilled occupation list. It means that while the job is eligible for employer sponsorship, it must meet strict extra rules—such as minimum salary levels, business size requirements, or the exclusion of low-skilled tasks. If the employer cannot prove the position meets these specific conditions, the visa nomination will be refused.
The main purpose of a caveat is to protect the integrity of Australia’s skilled migration system. Specifically, the government uses them to:
1. Prevent misuse: Stop employers from using skilled visas for low-skilled or non-genuine roles (like using a “Manager” title for a basic retail worker).
2. Ensure genuine skill: Guarantee that sponsored positions are highly skilled, full-time, and operating within legitimate businesses that meet certain financial or size requirements.
3. Protect local jobs: Safeguard Australian workers in industries or locations where there is already plenty of local talent available.
Caveat 14 states:
“The position is not provided for under an International Trade Obligation.”
This caveat restricts employers from sponsoring overseas workers for this specific occupation unless the applicant and the position fall under an exemption created by one of Australia’s International Trade Obligations (ITOs) or free trade agreements.
