Geotechnical Engineer
Plans, directs and conducts survey work to analyse the likely behaviour of soil and rock when placed under pressure by proposed structures, and designs above and below ground foundations. Registration or licensing may be required.
ANZSCO 2013, the edition the department applies to the points tested visas (189, 190 and 491).
Duties
Published for unit group 2332 Civil Engineering Professionals
- determining construction methods, materials and quality standards, and drafting and interpreting specifications, drawings, plans, construction methods and procedures
- organising and directing site labour and the delivery of construction materials, plant and equipment, and establishing detailed programs for the coordination of site activities
- obtaining soil and rock samples at different depths across sites and testing samples to determine strength, compressibility and other factors that affect the behaviour of soil and rock when a structure is imposed and determining the safe loading for the soil
- studying architectural and engineering drawings and specifications to estimate total costs, and preparing detailed cost plans and estimates as tools to assist in budgetary control
- monitoring changes to designs, assessing effects on cost, and measuring, valuing and negotiating variations to designs
- analysing structural systems for both static and dynamic loads
- designing structures to ensure they do not collapse, bend, twist or vibrate in undesirable ways
- assessing present and future travel flow patterns taking into account population increase and needs change
- designing the physical aspects of transportation systems such as highways, railroads, urban transit, air transportation, logistical supply systems and their terminals
This is what the occupation is, not what a skills assessment requires. The assessing body applies its own criteria on top of this, and those criteria are not published here. Check them with the body itself.
Who assesses this occupation
Last confirmed against the department's list on 30 July 2026.
Where Geotechnical Engineer stands right now
Vizard tracks the live queue for this occupation: how many people are waiting at every points score for the 189, 190, 491, the recent invitation round cutoffs, and how far down the queue your own score puts you. 6 state nomination lists include this occupation.
Updated to 1 July 2026, from the department's own SkillSelect data.
See where you standWhere this comes from
Definition and duties: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO
Assessing authorities and skilled lists: Department of Home Affairs skilled occupation list
Vizard is not a registered migration agent and nothing here is migration advice. It is published government information, organised. For advice on your own situation, speak to a registered migration agent.