Skills Assessment
Skills Assessment
For students planning to apply for skilled migration, skills assessment is an essential step. Our team assists in the evaluation process, ensuring that students meet the necessary criteria for their chosen profession and increase their chances of obtaining permanent residency.
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Frequently Ask Questions
Question 1 — Who is eligible for skill assessment in Australia?
Anyone applying for most General Skilled Migration visas (subclasses 189, 190, 491), and applicants for some employer-sponsored and Temporary Graduate pathways, must obtain a positive skills assessment from the assessing authority designated for their nominated occupation. Eligibility criteria (qualifications, years of relevant experience, sometimes a licence or registration) are set by that specific assessing authority, not by Home Affairs — so eligibility differs by occupation. There’s no single “eligible/not eligible” test across all occupations. You first identify your ANZSCO occupation code, find its assessing authority (VETASSESS, Engineers Australia, ACS, TRA, ANMAC/AHPRA, AITSL, CPA Australia, etc.), then meet its specific requirements.
source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skills-assessment, https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skills-assessment/assessing-authorities
Question 2 — How much does a skill assessment cost in Australia?
It depends entirely on the assessing authority and occupation type (professional vs trade). There is no single government-wide fee.
– VETASSESS professional: Full Skills Assessment fee increased to AUD 1,146 (excl. GST) from 9 September 2026 (previously $1,096); Priority Processing supplement now AUD 863. Trade assessments were not part of this increase.
– Trades (TRA Job Ready Program): commonly cited around AUD 3,600+ because it includes a paid Australian employment component.
– Other authorities (Engineers Australia, ACS, ANMAC, AITSL, CPA) each set their own fees — typically in the AUD 500–1,500 range for a standard professional assessment, plus optional fast-track fees.
source: https://www.vetassess.com.au/news/change-in-assessment-fees-for-professional-skills-assessments — https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skills-assessment/assessing-authorities
Question 3 — Which skill is most in demand in Australia?
There’s no single “most in demand” occupation — Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) publishes an annual Occupation Shortage List (OSL) ranking ~1,000+ occupations by shortage severity. For 2025/26, the persistent, government-recognised shortage clusters are: healthcare (registered nurses, midwives, aged care), technicians and trades (construction, mechanical), education (early childhood and secondary teachers), and select ICT/engineering specialisations (cybersecurity, software, civil engineering). Technicians and Trades Workers had the lowest vacancy fill rate of any major ANZSCO group; about 29% of assessed occupations nationally were classified “in shortage” in the 2025 OSL. Shortage status (JSA) is a separate system from visa eligibility (Home Affairs’ Core Skills Occupation List) — an occupation can be short-staffed without being on a skilled visa list, and vice versa.
source: https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/labour-market-insights/occupation-shortages, https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skill-occupation-list
Question 4— What are the new rules for international students in Australia in 2026?
Key 2026 changes: (1) the National Planning Level (NPL) — the government’s student-visa prioritisation mechanism — rose from 270,000 (2025) to 295,000 new international student commencements for 2026; (2) the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) test was replaced by the Genuine Student (GS) test (effective from 23 March 2024, continuing through 2026 intakes); (3) the Subclass 500 application fee rose to AUD 2,000 (from AUD 1,600) effective 1 October 2025; (4) from October 2025, applications require a valid Confirmation of Enrolment CoE (a “Letter of Offer” alone is no longer accepted); (5) from February 2026, tighter rules restrict onshore “visa hopping” between visitor/student/temporary work visas; (6) Australian-schooled international students and some public-university pathway students are now exempt from the NPL. The NPL is described by government as a prioritisation/allocation tool for processing, not a hard cap — genuine applicants who meet requirements can still apply even once an institution’s allocation is reached, though in practice it shapes how quickly visas are processed.
source: https://www.studyaustralia.gov.au/en/tools-and-resources/news/increased-student-intake-for-australia-in-2026 https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/student-500
Question 5 — How many days will a skill assessment take in Australia?
It varies by authority. VETASSESS professional assessments are currently taking around 7 weeks standard (with priority processing available for an extra fee, cutting this to roughly 10 business days). Other authorities publish their own turnaround: e.g. ACS around 4–6 weeks, Engineers Australia around 15 weeks to assignment (with a fast-track option), trades (TRA) commonly 100+ days given the employment-verification component.
These are the authority’s own published targets, not guarantees — processing can extend for incomplete documentation or complex employment histories. Always check the current stated processing time on the specific assessing authority’s website, as these change periodically.
source: https://www.vetassess.com.au/skills-assessment-for-migration , https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skills-assessment/assessing-authorities
Question 6 — What if you fail a skill assessment?
You receive a “not suitable” outcome rather than an automatic ban. Most assessing authorities offer a formal review or appeal process (usually within a set window, e.g. VETASSESS allows a review request within 90 days, for a separate fee), and you can also reapply from scratch with stronger evidence once you’ve addressed the gap (missing documentation, insufficient relevant experience, occupation mismatch). A negative outcome does not stop you from applying to a different occupation or assessing authority if your circumstances genuinely fit elsewhere — but a mismatch between your claimed occupation and your actual job duties is one of the most common reasons for refusal, so correcting the occupation code matters more than simply resubmitting the same evidence.
source: https://www.vetassess.com.au/news/change-in-assessment-fees-for-professional-skills-assessments, https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skills-assessment
Question 7 — Can you get a 482 visa without a skill assessment?
It depends on your occupation. A skills assessment is only mandatory for Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) applicants whose nominated occupation is specified in the legislative instrument governing mandatory skills assessments. If your occupation isn’t on that list, Home Affairs instead requires you to demonstrate you meet the skill and qualification requirements through other evidence (payslips, contracts, references) — it can still request a discretionary assessment if that evidence is unclear. So the answer isn’t a blanket yes or no — some occupations require it, others don’t, and Home Affairs retains discretion to request one anyway.
source: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2018L00294/latest , https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skills-in-demand-visa-subclass-482/core-skills-stream
Question 8 — How can I prepare for a skills assessment?
There’s no single official “preparation checklist” beyond what each assessing authority publishes for its own process, but the common elements across authorities are: (1) confirm the correct ANZSCO occupation code matches your actual job duties, not just your job title; (2) gather qualification documents and have them verified/translated if not in English; (3) compile detailed, consistent employment evidence — reference letters alone are typically not sufficient; payslips, contracts, and organisational charts strengthen a claim; (4) check the assessing authority’s specific document checklist before lodging, since requirements differ by occupation and authority; (5) allow for the authority’s stated processing time and lodge well ahead of any EOI or visa deadline, since most assessments are only valid for three years from issue.
Occupation-code mismatch (choosing a title that doesn’t match documented duties) is one of the most commonly cited reasons for refusal or delay across authorities.
source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skills-assessment, https://www.vetassess.com.au/skills-assessment-for-migration
Question 9 — Can I apply for PR after 2 years of a 482 visa?
Yes, generally — via the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream. Since reforms effective 7 December 2024, all Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) streams (previously only medium-term occupations qualified, requiring 3 years) can access the TRT pathway to PR after 2 years of relevant sponsored work with an approved employer. The TRT stream generally does not require a fresh skills assessment (your two years of sponsored work is treated as evidence of skill). You must be nominated by your employer, meet English and health/character requirements, and the 2 years must be with an approved sponsor in the nominated occupation (multiple employers/sponsors can combine if all periods were validly sponsored). Processing is not instant — Home Affairs’ own published figures (as at 8 September 2026) show 50% of TRT applications decided within 14 months and 90% within 22 months.
source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/employer-nomination-scheme, https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/already-have-a-visa/check-visa-details-and-conditions/global-visa-processing-times
Question 10 — Can I apply for skill assessment by myself?
Yes. Skills assessments are lodged directly with the relevant assessing authority (e.g. VETASSESS, ACS, Engineers Australia) via their own online portals. Using a migration agent or assessment-writing service is optional, not a legal requirement.
source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skills-assessment/assessing-authorities