Skill Assessment Overview
Skill assessment is the backbone of any skilled migration and employer-sponsored visa. Obtaining a suitable skills assessment is mandatory for many visa subclasses, and Endeavour Visas Consultants can help you get your skills assessed in your relevant field or occupation, whether it’s through ACS, CPA/IPA, TRA, VETASSESS, ANMAC/AHPRA, ACWA, or Engineers Australia.
Skills assessments are typically issued by relevant assessing authorities to ensure that your skills meet the required standards to work in your relevant occupation. The combined list of eligible skilled occupations sets out all relevant occupations under the four occupation lists.
You can check which authority provides the skill assessment for your profession by clicking here.
Skills Assessment for Trade Occupations
If you have completed your trade qualification and want to have your skills assessed, here are the steps you need to follow:
Step 1 - Provisional Skills Assessment
Under the Provisional Skills Assessment (PSA), TRA will confirm your identity, verify the authenticity of your Australian qualification, and confirm that you are performing tasks and duties relevant to your nominated occupation in an Australian workplace. A successful PSA outcome can be used to apply to Home Affairs for a Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485). A successful PSA outcome is required before you can apply for Step 2, the Job Ready Employment (JRE) phase of the Job Ready Program (JRP).
Eligibility
To be eligible for a PSA, you must:
- - Have held an international student visa (as the primary visa holder) to study in Australia.
- - Have a qualification relevant to an occupation assessed by TRA, awarded by a CRICOS-registered training organization (RTO) as a result of study in Australia.
- - Provide evidence of a minimum of 360 hours of employment and/or vocational placement relevant to your qualification and nominated occupation, completed in an Australian workplace, within the three years prior to submitting a PSA application.
Documents Needed for Provisional Skills Assessment/360 Hours
- - Passport (all pages).
- - One passport-sized photograph.
- - Australian qualification.
- - Evidence of 360 hours of employment and/or vocational placement relevant to your qualification:
- - For paid employment: experience letter from employer and payslips.
- - For vocational placement: placement letter from college, experience letter from employer, and one copy of logbook (attested).
- - If working on ABN: experience letter from employer, invoices, and bank statement.
- - Business advertisement of the employer on a local website (e.g., True Local, White Pages, or Yellow Pages).
Assessment Outcome
Upon completing the assessment and verification process, you will receive notification of the outcome of your PSA application via email. If your assessment is successful, the outcome letter can be presented to Home Affairs as part of your 485 visa application.
Important Note: Once you receive your successful PSA outcome and are on a 485 visa, or have lodged a visa application/holding bridging visa with full rights, please register as soon as possible for Step 2 – Job Ready Employment (JRE) through the online portal.
Step 2 - Job Ready Employment
For Job Ready Employment, applicants must find employment in their nominated occupation and submit the employment details for JRE through the online portal. They must also provide the appropriate registration documents to TRA.
Eligibility
- - Have received a successful PSA outcome.
- - Have less than four months remaining on your student visa.
- - Hold or have lodged an application for a visa with full (unrestricted) work rights and sufficient time to complete Steps 2‐4 of the JRP (a minimum of 12 months).
- - Have secured eligible employment.
Employment Requirements
You must complete at least 1725 hours of paid employment in your nominated occupation over a minimum of 12 calendar months from your JRE start date. Periods of leave, including paid leave, cannot be included in the 1725 hours. You may claim up to three consecutive months of paid employment undertaken immediately prior to applying online for JRE.
Prior employment will only be considered if it was:
- - Undertaken with the first employer you registered for JRE.
- - In your nominated occupation.
- - Completed within the three months immediately prior to your online JRE application.
- - Not already used to meet the work requirements for your PSA application.
- - Supported with acceptable pay evidence for approved employment arrangements by TRA.
Step 3 — Job Ready Workplace Assessment
After providing evidence of at least 863 hours of paid employment over a minimum of six months, participants may be eligible for Step 3 – a Job Ready Workplace Assessment.
Evidence needed includes:
- - Skilled Progress Report.
- - Payslips/Invoices with bank statement.
Step 4 — Job Ready Final Assessment
A Job Ready Final Assessment is conducted when acceptable evidence of at least 1725 hours of paid employment over a minimum of 12 calendar months is verified, following the successful completion of a Job Ready Workplace Assessment.
For further information regarding the PSA/Job Ready Program, you can visit the Trades Recognition Australia website.