Cook
Prepares, seasons and cooks food in a dining or catering establishment.
ANZSCO 2013, the edition the department applies to the points tested visas (189, 190 and 491).
Duties
Published for unit group 3514 Cooks
- examining foodstuffs to ensure quality
- regulating temperatures of ovens, grills and other cooking equipment
- preparing and cooking food
- seasoning food during cooking
- portioning food, placing it on plates, and adding gravies, sauces and garnishes
- storing food in temperature controlled facilities
- preparing food to meet special dietary requirements
- may plan menus and estimate food requirements
- may train other kitchen staff and apprentices
- Occupation:
- 351411 Cook
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.
Under the 2022 edition this occupation is defined as:
Prepares, seasons and cooks food in a dining or catering establishment. Skill Level:
Its duties are also published differently:
- examining foodstuffs to ensure quality
- regulating temperatures of ovens, grills and other cooking equipment
- preparing and cooking food
- seasoning food during cooking
- portioning food, placing it on plates, and adding gravies, sauces and garnishes
- storing food in temperature controlled facilities
- preparing food to meet special dietary requirements
- may plan menus and estimate food requirements
- may train other kitchen staff and apprentices
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 Cook stands right now
Vizard tracks the live queue for this occupation: how many people are waiting at every points score for the 190, 491, the recent invitation round cutoffs, and how far down the queue your own score puts you. 4 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.