Drainer (Aus) \ Drainlayer (NZ)
Installs, maintains and designs below-ground drainage systems and associated sewerage or effluent disposal systems. Registration or licensing is required.
ANZSCO 2013, the edition the department applies to the points tested visas (189, 190 and 491).
Specialisations within it
- Septic Tank Installer
Duties
Published for unit group 3341 Plumbers
- studying blueprints, drawings and specifications to determine the layout of plumbing systems and materials required
- setting out and installing hot and cold water systems and associated equipment
- installing water-based fire protections systems, including fire hydrants, hose reels and sprinkler systems
- designing and installing sanitary plumbing and water supply systems, discharge pipes and sanitary fixtures
- fabricating and installing soil and waste stacks
- assembling and installing mechanical services plant, air handling and conditioning equipment and small bore heating systems
- installing sewerage and effluent pumping equipment and disposal systems
- installing below-ground drainage systems and associated ground support systems
- installing gas appliances, flues and pressure regulating devices
- fabricating and installing metal roofing, rainwater goods and flashings
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.
This occupation reads differently for the 186 and 482
Two editions of ANZSCO are current at once, and the department applies ANZSCO 2022 to the employer sponsored visas while everything above follows ANZSCO 2013.
The definition is identical in both editions, but the published duties are not:
- studying blueprints, drawings and specifications to determine the layout of plumbing systems and materials required
- setting out and installing hot and cold water systems and associated equipment
- installing water-based fire protections systems, including fire hydrants, hose reels and sprinkler systems
- designing and installing sanitary plumbing and water supply systems, discharge pipes and sanitary fixtures
- fabricating and installing soil and waste stacks
- assembling and installing mechanical services plant, air handling and conditioning equipment and small bore heating systems
- installing sewerage and effluent pumping equipment and disposal systems
- installing below-ground drainage systems and associated ground support systems
- installing, maintaining and repairing gas mains, piping systems downstream of the billing meter, and appliances and ancillary equipment associated with the use of fuel gases
- fabricating and installing metal roofing, rainwater goods and flashings
If you are going for a 186 or a 482, this is the wording that governs you. Everything above governs the points tested routes.
Where Drainer (Aus) \ Drainlayer (NZ) 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.