Stonemason Visa Pathway Australia

Australia classifies Stonemason under ANZSCO 331112. Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) conducts the skills assessment. Overseas-trained stonemasons normally use the Migration Skills Assessment, and graduates of an Australian VET course use the Job Ready Program. The occupation appears on both the MLTSSL and the Core Skills Occupation List. Home Affairs lists it for subclasses 189, 190, 491, 494, 482, 186 and 485. Typical 2026 SEEK salaries range AUD $75,000-$100,000 with senior masons reaching higher. National workforce is only 4,800 — a niche but steady trade.

Quick Facts: Stonemason Migration Pathway

What Stonemasons Actually Do in Australia

Stonemasons cut, shape and fix natural stone, marble, granite and pre-cut stone units for buildings, monuments and decorative features. Work splits into three broad streams. Heritage restoration covers nineteenth-century sandstone facades, churches, cathedrals, civic buildings and bridges — concentrated in Sydney's CBD and inner suburbs, Hobart, Melbourne and Adelaide. Commercial and residential cladding covers high-end housing, hotels, and luxury commercial fit-outs. Memorial and monumental masonry covers headstones, plaques and cemetery work, which remains a steady employer in every Australian capital.

The trade is geographically concentrated in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, with Sydney holding the largest single market because of its dense stock of sandstone heritage buildings. Major employers include heritage restoration specialists such as RJC Group, dedicated stone fabricators serving the high-end residential market, and councils with in-house masonry crews. The 2024 engineered stone ban — Australia's response to silicosis outbreaks among kitchen-bench fabricators — has reshaped the workforce significantly, redirecting demand toward natural stone work where exposure controls are more manageable.

The ANZSCO 331112 Code: What It Covers

ANZSCO 331112 sits inside Unit Group 3311 Bricklayers and Stonemasons alongside 331111 Bricklayer. The two codes are deliberately separated because the skill sets diverge significantly once you move past the basic mortar joint. Stonemasons set out work to designs, cut and shape stone by hand and machine, fix stone units in mortar or with mechanical fixings, repoint and restore weathered stonework, and carve decorative features.

If your day-to-day work is predominantly with brick or concrete block in mortar, you should map to 331111 Bricklayer. If it is predominantly natural stone, pre-cut stone, marble or granite, 331112 is the correct code. The assessing body, list status and visa eligibility are identical between the two codes, but TRA will reject a reference letter that describes bricklaying duties under a Stonemason nomination.

Skills Assessment Through Trades Recognition Australia

The Job Ready Program (Australian VET Graduates)

The Job Ready Program is for international student graduates of an Australian VET course who are working in Australia. It is not an offshore route: all Job Ready employment must be done in Australia. Overseas-trained stonemasons use the Migration Skills Assessment instead (see below). The pathway has four stages: the Provisional Skills Assessment, then the three Job Ready Program steps. The workplace assessment is observed against the stonemasonry competency standard rather than bricklaying.

Stage 1 — Provisional Skills Assessment (PSA): For graduates of an Australian qualification from a CRICOS-registered RTO. TRA checks that your Australian qualification fits the occupation. A successful PSA can be used for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) and is the compulsory first step before the Job Ready Program. It costs AUD130 in total.

Stage 2 — Job Ready Employment (JRE): At least 12 months of full-time (or equivalent part-time) paid stonemasonry work with a TRA-approved Australian employer, with evidence submitted every three months.

Stage 3 — Job Ready Workplace Assessment (JRWA): An independent TRA-approved assessor observes you cutting, shaping and fixing stone against the relevant Australian competency standard.

Stage 4 — Job Ready Final Assessment (JRFA): The complete file is finalised and TRA issues the skills assessment letter for visa lodgement.

Total program cost: TRA lists the Job Ready Program cost (stages 2-4) as AUD3,410 in total (AUD490 for Job Ready Employment, AUD2,845 for the Job Ready Workplace Assessment and AUD75 for the Job Ready Final Assessment), and more if you need more than one Workplace Assessment. Fees are paid at the start of each step.

Total program duration: The Job Ready Program takes at least 12 months, because it needs 12 months of full-time (or equivalent) work with a TRA-approved employer, unless you have eligible prior employment. The JRE work stage drives the timeline.

Common rejection reasons: References that conflate stonework with general bricklaying or masonry; thin documentary evidence of natural-stone work (machine specifications, photos of completed work, payslips referencing stone projects help significantly); attempting to count engineered-stone fabrication as stonemasonry — TRA assesses that under different codes after the engineered stone ban.

The MSA Pathway for Overseas-Trained Stonemasons

The Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) is a documentary assessment of your qualification and employment history. It is open because Stonemason is on the MLTSSL. TRA lists the cost as AUD795 in total, and applications are processed typically within 120 days of submission. TRA does not accept work experience as a substitute for a qualification. Some passports and occupations must use the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) instead, which costs up to AUD5,320 for Pathway 1 and AUD2,020 for Pathway 2. Use TRA's Pathfinder to confirm which program applies to your passport and occupation.

The MSA is not for 482 applicants. If your 482 needs a skills assessment, TRA runs a separate Temporary Skills Shortage Skills Assessment Program; check its current fee and time on TRA's website.

Visa Pathways for Stonemasons

Subclass 482 — Skills in Demand Visa

For offshore stonemasons, 482 employer sponsorship is the fastest route into Australia. Heritage restoration specialists, monumental masonry firms and the larger stone-fabrication businesses are familiar with sponsoring overseas tradespeople.

• Visa fee: AUD4,015 for the main applicant
• Salary threshold: Core Skills Income Threshold AUD79,423 (from 1 July 2026) (the Specialist Skills stream is not open to this occupation group)
• Processing time: Core Skills stream: 50% of applications processed within 4 months and 90% within 9 months
• Quirk that matters: The 482 needs a standard business sponsor, which excludes many small stone shops — target larger heritage contractors and the major fabricators

Subclass 186 — Employer Nomination Scheme

The TRT stream usually needs at least two years of full-time eligible sponsored employment, typically on a 482. Direct Entry is theoretically possible but rarely used for stonemasons because most candidates use the 482 first.

• Visa fee: AUD6,140 for the main applicant
• Processing time: Direct Entry stream: 50% of applications processed within 21 months and 90% within 25 months; Temporary Residence Transition stream: 50% of applications processed within 21 months and 90% within 25 months
• Quirk that matters: Regional employer sponsorships process meaningfully faster than metro lodgements under current priority queueing

Subclass 491 — Skilled Work Regional Visa

Stonemason regional demand is dispersed — sandstone restoration in regional NSW heritage towns, granite quarries in Victoria and Queensland, and country-town memorial masons all qualify.

• Visa fee: AUD6,140 for the main applicant
• Processing time: State or territory nominated: 50% of applications processed within 5 months and 90% within 18 months; Family sponsored: 50% of applications processed within 4 months and 90% within 7 months
• Quirk that matters: You must live and work in a designated regional area. Home Affairs says you can apply for permanent residence after 3 years from the time your visa is granted

Subclass 190 — State Nominated Visa

State nomination adds 5 points and delivers immediate PR. Less powerful than the 491 for points, more powerful for lifestyle flexibility.

• Visa fee: AUD6,140 for the main applicant
• Processing time: 50% of applications processed within 4 months and 90% within 16 months
• Quirk that matters: Two-year live-and-work obligation in the nominating state — straightforward to meet given heritage masonry demand in NSW and VIC

Home Affairs also lists Stonemason for the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (subclass 494) visa, an employer-sponsored regional visa (AUD6,140 for the main applicant). A regional employer nominates you for it.

Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent Visa

The 189 is available because Stonemason is on the MLTSSL. Applicant volume is low compared to ICT or accounting, so invitation thresholds clear at 65-75 points rather than the 90+ ICT applicants face.

• Visa fee: AUD6,135 for the main applicant
• Processing time: 50% of applications processed within 61 days and 90% within 8 months
• Quirk that matters: Stonemason applicants commonly secure 189 invitations at points levels that ICT applicants would consider hopeless

Points Test Strategy for Stonemasons

Realistic Score Scenarios

Scenario 1: 30-year-old Italian stonemason, Diploma in Restoration, Proficient English, 8 years overseas experience Age 30 + English 10 + Qualification 10 + Experience 15 = 65 points With NSW 190 nomination (+5) = 70 points — strongly competitive in current invitation rounds

Scenario 2: 38-year-old Indian stonemason, JRP-completed, Competent English, 3 years Australian experience Age 25 + English 0 + Qualification 10 + Australian Experience 10 = 45 points With 491 regional (+15) and a partner with Competent English (+5) = 65 points, which is the pass mark. An invitation is not guaranteed at that score, so the 482-to-186 employer route is a sensible backup

State Nomination for Stonemasons

New South Wales

Sydney holds the largest concentration of nineteenth-century sandstone heritage buildings in Australia — the Town Hall, the QVB, Central Station, the Mint, dozens of churches and the entire harbour foreshore. NSW publishes its skills lists at the 4-digit ANZSCO unit group level, which means Unit Group 3311 includes both bricklayers and stonemasons. NSW received 2,100 places for 190 and 1,500 for 491 in 2025-26.

Victoria

Melbourne's bluestone heritage and the Goldfields-era buildings across Bendigo and Ballarat sustain a steady stonemasonry workforce. Victoria received 3,400 nomination places for 2025-26. The state's nomination program closed for 2025-26 new ROIs but reopens annually around July.

South Australia

Adelaide's stone heritage — particularly the city centre's distinctive sandstone churches and civic buildings — creates ongoing restoration demand. South Australia made all skilled occupations eligible for its 2025-26 program from 30 September 2025, with offshore eligibility flagged per occupation. The state has historically been more flexible on English thresholds than NSW or Victoria.

Tasmania

Hobart's heritage sandstone, Port Arthur restoration and the Salamanca precinct create disproportionate stonemason demand for the state's population. Tasmania received 1,200 places for 190 and 650 for 491 in 2025-26. The state's 190 program prioritises occupations on the federal lists, which includes Stonemason.

Salary and Employment Outlook

What Stonemasons Earn in 2026

Source: SEEK Career Advice salary data (April 2026), Indeed Australia ($78,327 annual average, April 2026), and PayScale 2026 hourly rates. Heritage and restoration specialists command the highest band.

Total package generally includes 12% superannuation. Bonuses are rare in this trade. Self-employed monumental masons running a small workshop with two employees commonly clear AUD $130,000+ pre-tax in metropolitan markets where memorial demand is steady.

Highest-Demand Sectors

• Heritage restoration contractors — RJC Group, City Stonemasons, Andreasens Green Wholesale Nurseries (heritage stone landscaping), Heritage Stoneworks
• Monumental masonry firms — every capital city supports several established workshops
• Major civic restoration projects — Sydney Town Hall, NSW Parliament, the Mint, ongoing state heritage works
• Luxury residential cladding — high-end Sydney, Melbourne and Gold Coast residential builders

Skills Australia Outlook

Jobs and Skills Australia records 4,800 stonemasons employed nationally with a median age of 38, female share of 1% and part-time share of 21%. Government data classifies the parent unit group (Bricklayers and Stonemasons) as in shortage with steady future demand. The combination of a small workforce, an ageing demographic and a growing heritage restoration backlog has kept the trade structurally undersupplied for over a decade. Recent industry recruitment reports describe time-to-fill for experienced stonemasons as significantly extended through 2026.

Tips for a Successful Application

1. Document your stonework specifically — not "masonry" generically

The single most common cause of TRA rejection for stonemason applications is reference letters that describe "masonry work" without specifying natural stone, pre-cut stone, marble or granite. Your referees should describe the actual material, the project type (heritage restoration, monumental, cladding) and the techniques used (hand cutting, machine cutting, fixing methods, pointing).

2. Photograph your completed work

TRA assessors weight photographic evidence heavily for stonemason applications because the visual difference between bricklaying and stonemasonry is unambiguous. A portfolio of 15-25 photos of your completed work, with dates and location captions, substantially strengthens the submission.

3. Decide early between Stonemason and Bricklayer codes

If your career mixes brick and stone, you must choose one code for your skills assessment. Splitting your work history across both codes will weaken both applications. Choose the code that represents the majority of your actual paid work in the last three years, and tilt your reference letters toward that code.

4. Target NSW or Tasmania for nomination

NSW has by far the largest concentration of heritage stone buildings and the largest absolute demand. Tasmania has disproportionate stonemason demand relative to its small population and is often more flexible on age and English. Both states have included Unit Group 3311 in their current nomination programs.

5. Consider the 491 regional pathway if your points are tight

The 15-point regional boost is often the difference between an invitation and a long EOI wait. Regional NSW heritage towns (Bathurst, Goulburn, Maitland), regional Victoria (Bendigo, Ballarat) and the Tasmanian regions all have stone-restoration demand.

Step-by-Step Migration Roadmap

1. Confirm 331112 is the right code — review the ANZSCO code finder and compare against 331111 Bricklayer
2. Gather qualification evidence and stonemasonry employment evidence: payslips, contracts, photographic portfolio
3. Overseas-trained: lodge the TRA Migration Skills Assessment (or OSAP if your passport and occupation require it) — through TRA's online portal
4. Sit your English test — aim for Proficient or higher to unlock state nomination
5. Australian VET graduates instead: lodge the Provisional Skills Assessment: then start the Job Ready Program while working in Australia
6. Complete 12 months of full-time (or equivalent part-time) paid Australian stonemasonry work: with a TRA-approved employer (Job Ready Program only)
7. Complete the Job Ready Workplace Assessment: observed competency assessment on-site (Job Ready Program only)
8. Receive your skills assessment outcome letter: the document you lodge with the visa
9. Submit an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect — for 189, 190 or 491
10. Apply for state nomination — if pursuing 190 or 491
11. Alternatively, secure 482 employer sponsorship: if you have a sponsoring offer (the 482 uses TRA's separate TSS skills assessment program, not the MSA)
12. Receive invitation and lodge your visa within the time your invitation allows: complete health and character checks

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are stonemasons separated from bricklayers in ANZSCO?

The two trades share a unit group (3311) but have distinct skill sets, qualifications and pay rates. Stonemasonry involves working with natural and pre-cut stone using techniques (hand carving, restoration pointing, complex fixing systems) that bricklaying does not require. The Certificate III in Stonemasonry and the Certificate III in Bricklaying are separate qualifications. TRA assesses each occupation against its own competency standard.

Can I apply for migration as a stonemason if my experience is mostly in engineered stone benchtops?

Generally no, and the situation has tightened sharply since the July 2024 engineered stone ban. Engineered stone fabrication is not assessed as stonemasonry under ANZSCO 331112 — it falls under different classifications and may not be visa-eligible at all under the current rules. If your work is predominantly natural or pre-cut natural stone, you qualify; if it is engineered/composite stone, you do not.

How does the engineered stone ban affect stonemason migration?

The ban has redirected demand toward natural stone work, which is positive for stonemason migrants. Established natural-stone businesses are hiring to absorb the demand previously served by engineered stone benchtop fabricators. However, anyone whose career has been built on engineered stone fabrication will struggle to satisfy TRA that they have natural-stone competency.

Which Australian city has the strongest stonemason demand?

Sydney by absolute volume because of the city's heritage sandstone stock. Hobart by intensity relative to population because of Port Arthur, the Salamanca precinct and the wider Tasmanian heritage portfolio. Adelaide and inner Melbourne both have meaningful demand sustained by civic and religious heritage portfolios.

Is stonemasonry a viable long-term career in Australia?

Yes. The small national workforce (4,800), the ageing demographic (median age 38), the ongoing heritage restoration backlog, and the growing high-end residential cladding market all support sustained demand through the next decade. Review the broader most in-demand occupations for context on how stonemasonry compares to other skilled trades. The skills assessment process and the 2026 SOL remain the gating steps for migration.