ANZSCO stands for the Australian New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations. It is where the government has worked hard to put you into a neat classification system based upon what you do in your jobs so they can feel better at night knowing are being productive little vegemites.
ANZSCO is used by the immigration department to assess applicants for various skilled permanent and temporary visa applications and to keep track of what everyone is up to around our island.
The first 4 digit of the occupation is the unit group you have been attached to and the last two digits will classify you into one particular occupation. This is important to the department's policy regarding assessing you as working in a "closely related skilled occupation" as specified in the law that allocates points for work experience both inside and outside Australia. For the allocation for 5, 10, 15 or 20 points, the law contains the same important component;
had been employed in Australia in:
(a) the applicant's nominated skilled occupation; or
(b) a closely related skilled occupation;
had been employed outside Australia in:
(a) the applicant's nominated skilled occupation; or
(b) a closely related skilled occupation;
Policy on Closely Related work experience
Under the points for work experience it is possible for an applicant to claim up to 20 points for both overseas work experience and Australian work experience in the last 10 years before you applying. In cases where the applicant has worked in just one occupation on the ANZSCO this is relatively simple but in many instances there may have been a career development where the work experience may cross into other ANZSCO boundaries. These other occupations can be considered as closely related.
The immigration department has guidelines in place to handle such scenarios.
"Career advancement would usually take the form of promotion to a senior role or higher level that relates to a field of expertise and incorporates greater responsibility. For example, it is possible that over a 10 year period an accountant or engineer could advance in their career to a chief accountant or chief engineer, or a chief executive officer. This type of career advancement may occur outside of the four digit ANZSCO unit group but can be considered an exception to the policy requirement that closely related occupations be in the same ANZSCO unit group if it follows a well-established path for career advancement."
It is also the departments policy that not all of the closely related work experience needs to be on the SOL, it is possible to gain points for worked undertaken on the CSOL;
"For the purpose of awarding points, an applicant's skilled employment experience can be in the nominated occupation or any closely related skilled occupation and is not limited to an occupation on the SOL. It can also include occupations on the CSOL. As the points test recognises extensive skilled employment as an important attribute for achieving good labour market outcomes, the policy intention is to ensure an applicant is not disadvantaged by limiting skilled employment experience to an occupation on the SOL."
However one should keep in mind the overall policy where one cannot show a career development pathway, is that the closely related occupations fall within the same "unit groups" (ANZSCO);
"Generally, all unit groups are at one skill level. Skill level is defined as a function of the range and complexity of the set of tasks performed in a particular occupation, and is generally measured by the level or amount of formal education and training, previous experience in a related occupation or on the job training. For example, if an applicant's nominated occupation is Accountant (General) and the applicant has provided evidence of skilled employment in the occupations of Management Accountant (221112) and Taxation Accountant (221113), decision makers should consider these periods of employment as closely related for the purpose of awarding points."
This means that if you have been working as a Bookkeeper, this ANZSCO unit group classification (5512) is not the same as Accountant (2211) and thus would not be regarded as closely related.
Remember when the department is talking about career development, it means you need to start out working in your nominated occupation and advance. It does not mean you start as Bookkeeper and then work your way up to Accountant and then try and claim work experience points for your bookkeeping work.