Australian visas - Skills Assessments

Skills Assessment

Having your skills assessed is a requirement for skilled migration to Australia under points tested, employer nomination, graduate migrant and temporary graduate visas.

You must provide a positive skills assessment at the time of invitation and lodgement that is relevant to your nominated occupation.

Skills assessments can be confusing and complicated as there are different assessing authorities for different occupations. Currently there are 3 types of skills assessments.

1. Full Skills Assessment;
2. 485 Skills Assessment, and;
3. 457 Skills Assessment.

Full Skills Assessment

A full skills assessment is assessed based on the qualification and relevant work experience. This assessment must be used for Points Test Skills Migration visa and Employer Nominated visas.  For doctors, evidence of full registration is a suitable skills assessment for Points Tested Skilled Migration and Employer Nominated visa. A skills assessment is only valid until the expiry date specified on the assessment, or when a period of three years from the date of issues has elapsed, whichever occurs first.

485 Skills Assessment

This is a provisional assessment issued to recent graduates who has studied in an Australian institute. The primary difference is that a subclass 485 skills assessment does not require the applicant to demonstrate work experience in the assessing occupation. A subclass 485 provisional skills assessment is not suitable for Points Tested Skilled Migration, Employer Nomination and 457 visas.

457 Skills Assessment

Usually there is no skill assessment requirement for 457 visas.  Although due to recent changes, trade occupations from certain countries and various occupations are required to obtain a skills assessment. This assessment must be assessment by relevant authorities and it is not suitable for Points Tested Skills Migration and Employer Nomination visas.

It is important to understand which skills assessment is required for the visa you are applying.  If you need assistance with a skills assessment, contact us at Nevett Ford Lawyer.

 

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Skills assessment validity period - 3 years from the date of issue

Following amendments to the Migration Regulations 1994, from 1 July 2014, if a skills assessment is mandatory as part of a visa application, it will only be valid for a period of 3 years from the date of issue, unless a shorter validity period is specified on the assessment.

A skills assessment must be valid at the time of lodgement for the following visas:

• Direct Entry stream of the Employer Nominated Scheme (subclass 186) visa;
• Direct Entry stream of the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa; and
• Graduate Work stream of the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa.

A skills assessment must be valid at the time of invitation to apply through SkillSelect for the following visas:

• Skilled—Independent (subclass 189) visa;
• Skilled—Nominated (subclass 190) visa; and
• Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489) visa.

These changes do not affect the Temporary Work (Skilled)(subclass 457) visa.

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