Australian Skills Assessment
What is a Skills assessment and do I need it to apply for a Visa to Australia?
Australian skills assessment is a process whereby applicant’s qualifications and work experience are assessed against Australian standards. The skills assessment is required for certain Australian visa applications only. These would include Skilled Migrant Visa or certain Employer Sponsored Visa. Applications for Visas such as Tourist visa or Working Holiday Visa does not require the skills assessment, neither applications for the Australian Partner Visa. Skills assessment is mandatory for the Skilled Migrant visa and for some Employer Sponsored Visa.
The Skills assessment is conducted by an Australian skills assessing authority. Those authorities are nominated by the Australian Immigration Department to conduct skill assessment for specific Visa purposes. Each assessing authority has its own assessment requirements. These requirements would include a required qualification level, type of qualifications, years of work experience or / and on the job training, any licencing or registration criteria. Each Skills assessment body sets out its own fees and processing times to conduct assessments. The role of the assessing authority is to make a determination whether the applicant’ skills are suitable to apply for the relevant Visa under the nominated occupation. Some assessing authorities provide a “deeming date”. This date determines when the applicant is “deemed” to have reached the skilled level. The “deeming date” would in turn determine years of qualified work experience the applicant could claim points for (Skilled Migrant Visa).
Each occupation on the Australian Skilled Occupation list has its own nominated skills assessing authority. There are 36 different skills assessing authorities at the moment. Most, of not all assessing authorities are based in Australia. Some accept electronic applications, some still require applications to be submitted by post.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to take into account the relevant assessing authority requirements for a positive skills assessment before embarking on the Australian Visa application process.
No sure if you qualify for skills assessment in your occupation? Why not call us to enquiry: 0207 427 5290 or email us: [email protected]
