Preparation for your positive skills assessment in Australia

Skill assessment can be defined as the comparison of the candidate’s skill with the established standards and the evaluation of whether the performance meets or exceeds the standard. Employers frequently utilize skills assessment exams to analyze current workers’ and job seekers’ abilities and capabilities. These tests are used to determine whether or not a person possesses the necessary skills to conduct the areas of their profession.

A skilled professional’s skill assessment is carried out by a relevant authority from a specific field. The skill-assessing authority mainly verifies if your skills, knowledge, and capabilities meet the current requirements of a specific field. Within the consolidated list of skilled jobs, all relevant occupations are divided into four lists. Most professions on each list have specialized skills for evaluating authority. All skills evaluations must be issued by the appropriate assessing authority.

If a skills assessment is required, you must contact the appropriate assessing authority for your occupation. The assessing authority depending on your occupation has set certain rules, deadlines, and fees structures.

For some visa subclasses (and streams), obtaining a sufficient skills evaluation is required, while for others, it may be requested. Applicants need to carefully read the given information for the visa they want to apply for. This will help you evaluate whether or not you need to submit a skills assessment and when you should do so.

Visa types required for skill assessment

You will need a skill assessment if you go through the following visa types:

1. General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas

The following points tested GSM visas require applicants to provide a suitably assessed skills assessment for their nominated occupation:

• Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) 
• Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
• Skilled Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 489)
• Skilled Work Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 491)

You must have nominated an occupation that is on the applicable skilled occupation list for that visa subclass to be asked to apply for a points-based visa. You must present evidence of a sufficient skills assessment for your specified occupation when submitting your visa application. By the time you are invited to apply, you must have completed a skills assessment. Your skills evaluation must be current at the time you are invited to apply for a points-based visa. 

• If a skills assessment does not have a validity period indicated, it will remain valid for 3 years from the date of issue.
• In the case of skills assessments with validity periods shorter than 3 years, the assessments are valid for the specified periods,
• When the validity period listed on a skills assessment is more than three years, the assessment remains valid for three years from the date of assessment.

It is advisable to arrange your skills assessment well in advance of submitting your Expression of Interest (EOI) in Skill Select. You can’t rely on a skills evaluation you received after you were invited to apply.

Multiple types of skills assessments may be issued by assessing authorities. For permanent migration, you must have a skills evaluation that meets the standards. The criteria that an evaluating authority uses for various sorts of skills tests are decided by them and are based on their relevant professional standards.

For recent graduates of Australian educational institutions who are applying for a subclass 485 visa, several evaluating bodies provide a provisional skills assessment. A temporary skills evaluation produced in support of a subclass 485 visa application is insufficient for a points-based immigration application.

2. Employer-Sponsored visas

A skills assessment is not required at the time of application if you apply under the Temporary Residence Transition stream or the Labour Agreement stream. Before making a judgment on your application, a decision-maker may still ask you to get a skills assessment if they believe it is required. A skills evaluation is necessary if you apply under the Direct Entry route. In the combined list of qualifying skilled occupations, the applicable skills assessment authority for your occupation is listed.

Before you apply for a visa, the skills assessment must clearly reflect that you have had your talents appraised as suitable by the assessing body. Skills evaluations can be provided after the visa application has been submitted, but the assessment findings must have been acquired before the visa application’s due date. Some skill evaluation authorities offer skills evaluations with an expiration date. If a skills assessment is completed beyond the expiration date, the assessment is no longer valid. Skills evaluations with no expiration date are valid for three years from the date of the assessment.

The skills evaluation will no longer be valid if the visa application is made after more than three years have passed. You must also have worked full-time in the occupation for at least three years and at the required level of expertise. A valid skills evaluation for the subclass 186 visa is one received for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) visa.

3. Temporary Skill Shortage visa (TSS)

A skills evaluation is not required at the time of application if you apply under the Temporary Residence Transition stream. Before making a judgment on your application, a decision-maker may still ask you to get a skills assessment if they believe it is required.

A skills evaluation is necessary for specific occupations if you apply through the Direct Entry program. If your occupation is mentioned on IMMI 12/096 Specification of Occupations and Assessing Authorities, you must have a positive skills assessment. The assessment will demonstrate that you have the necessary abilities to work in the specified field. In the combined list of qualifying skilled occupations, the applicable skills assessment authority for these occupations is identified.

Before you apply for a visa, the skills assessment must clearly demonstrate that the assessing authority has determined that your talents are suitable. Skills evaluations can be provided after the visa application has been submitted, but the assessment findings must have been received prior to the visa application’s due date.

Skills assessments with an expiration date are issued by some evaluating authorities. If you offer a skills evaluation beyond the expiration date, it will be invalid.

Skills tests without expiration date are valid for three years from the date of the assessment. The skills evaluation will no longer be valid if more than 3 years have passed since the visa application was submitted.

You must also have worked full-time for at least three years in the occupation at the required level of ability. A suitable skills evaluation for the subclass 187 visa is one received for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485).

4. Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)

You must nominate an occupation on the Medium to Long Term Strategic Skills List to be eligible for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) — graduate workstream (MLTSSL). All of the vocations on the MLTSSL have applicable authority-assessment skills. Only a skills evaluation issued by the appropriate assessing authority will be accepted.

It is your responsibility to acquire a skills evaluation from the appropriate assessing authority for your occupation. If your skills are evaluated based on a certificate you earned while studying in Australia on a student visa, the qualification must have come from completing a CRICOS-registered course. If you don’t give proof that you’ve submitted for a skills assessment, we won’t be able to process your visa application.

Some evaluating authorities only issue assessments that are valid for a specific amount of time. It is your obligation to ensure that this time limit has not elapsed by the time we reach a conclusion. If there is no time limit, the assessment must have been completed within the last three years.

If you are applying in the Graduate Workstream, you only need to apply for a skills assessment. Applicants in the Post Study Work stream are not required to obtain a skills assessment as part of their application.

Obtaining a skills assessment

Step 1: Establish a connection with the evaluating authority.

For your occupation, contact the appropriate assessment authority. Check which skills assessing authority is right for your specified occupation and schedule your skills assessment well in advance of your visa application. The assessing authority’s evaluation of your qualifications and experience can take some time and vary between authorities.

Step 2: Receive your assessment

With your visa application, including a scanned certified copy of the appropriate skills assessment. You will not be able to apply for a skilled migration visa if you do not receive a favorable evaluation result.

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