Skills Assessment for Australia: Do I need to be assessed?
While Australia is open to accepting skilled professionals from overseas, it is determined to maintain a certain level of skills equivalent to Australian standards, when it comes to almost all occupations.
Although you may have worked hard to obtain your qualification and slogged the hours in the past to earn your experience, because your skills were predominantly obtained overseas, it’s pretty difficult to assess if they’re equivalent to the minimum standards needed in Australia.
Obtaining a skill assessment from an approved assessing body will give you and your skills the recognition it needs to flourish in Australia. In a sense, it serves as a testament to your abilities and past experiences to give Australian employers much-needed reassurance that they’re investing in the right people.
Do I need to be assessed?
While Australia is open to accepting skilled professionals from overseas, it is determined to maintain a certain level of skills equivalent to Australian standards, when it comes to almost all occupations.
Although you may have worked hard to obtain your qualification and slogged the hours in the past to earn your experience, because your skills were predominantly obtained overseas, it’s pretty difficult to assess if they’re equivalent to the minimum standards needed in Australia.
Obtaining a skill assessment from an approved assessing body will give you and your skills the recognition it needs to flourish in Australia. In a sense, it serves as a testament to your abilities and past experiences to give Australian employers much-needed reassurance that they’re investing in the right people.
Which Subclasses Require a Formal Skills Assessment Australia?
The General Skilled Migration program requires a formal skills assessment in australia to be obtained from the approved assessing body for your profession. Regardless of it being a trade or a professional occupation, you will be able to find your approved skills authority here:
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skill-occupation-list
Under the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa stream, certain occupations may require a skills assessment australia to be conducted. It’s important that you get the right advice because an absence of a positive assessment will result in the refusal of your visa application.
It’s Relevance to the Points-Test
Obtaining an approved Australian skills assessment is mandatory for all General Skilled Migration visa applications. In the absence of an approved assessment, you will not be eligible to apply for any visas within the program.
These include:
- Skilled Independent (Subclass 189) visa
- Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190) visa
- Skilled Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 489) visa
As a component of the Points-test, obtaining a positive assessment will enable you to claim points for the total years of work experience that you’ve accumulated. And if you’re intending on scoring points for your partner’s skills, you will need a positive assessment as a recognition of his/her skills for the purpose for the visa application.
What does the Assessment look at?
Typically, a Australian skills assessment will look at:
- Your overseas qualification and it’s syllabus against an equivalent qualification provided in Australia.
- Your overseas work experience and the level of skills undertaken in comparison to the requirements of the occupation if performed in Australia.
You will only be awarded points for overseas work experience if you obtain a positive skills assessment for the approved authority.
How The VEVS Team Can Help
Coordinating the skills assessment application in Australia can be difficult and time-consuming. As part of our migration services, we’ll assist you with your paperwork and liaise with the authority to ensure that your application is complete.
Given that the processing times on each skills assessment may vary and, in certain circumstances, assessing authorities may require evidence of specific English skills, it’s definitely a good idea to get started on your skills assessment sooner rather than later.
If you think you may be eligible for a Skilled visa, get in touch with the team at VEVS Global today. We’ll point you in the right direction.
