Sponsorship through a 176/886 or 475/487 is different to employer sponsorship under the 457 visa. Once a state has identified an occupation from the Skilled Occupation List schedule as being in demand anyone who meets the qualification requirements (a positive skills assessment, Excellent IELTS english score) is eligible for nomination or sponsorship towards one of the above visas. If one has an eligible relative living in the state then you could apply to DIAC at this point for one of the above visas if they agree to sponsor your application, otherwise you can apply to the state government for sponsorship in which case you need to meet the criteria for the relevant visa. If the state agrees to sponsor your application, which it generally will do if you are eligible, you then apply to DIAC for the visa.
Until July 1st at this point, so long as you tick all the boxes in terms of eligibility - age, duration of career, english ability,... - then your visa will be issued. As these visas are either permanent residency or a pathway to permanent residency you enter the job market in the same manner as any other Australian resident, you don't have to have a special skill set and an employer who takes you on has no additional burden, this is only applicable to a 475 visa. After July 1st, the visa application process transitions to an application of interest scheme but the general theme of what I've written above will be unchanged with the caveat that only the highest rated applicants in a category will be invited to apply.
In relation to a potential applicant as a pilot, it's unlikely that anyone without a decent amount of experience (years in the job) would score enough points to be granted a visa. Another consideration is that a pilot coming from overseas may not meet the industry's accepted minimum qualifications for some regional jobs, this is a particular issue in WA, the only state that has Aeroplane Pilot as an occupation in demand.
Last edited by StudentInDebt; 21st Jun 2012 at 07:23.