What is a Skills Assessment and why do you need one?
If you have been thinking about applying for a skilled visa, you probably heard about Skills Assessments. There is a lot of confusion about what they are and their role on the skilled migration program and other visas. So this article aims to help you understand a bit more about this important step in a skilled migration pathway.
What is a skills assessment?
In summary, a Skills Assessment is an evaluation of your ability to perform a specific occupation based on your qualification and employment history. It is an independent process, unrelated to a visa application.
The relevant authority will not only assess whether you are skilled, but also how many years of skilled work you can claim for points-tested visas based on the evidence provided and the employment episodes claimed.
Therefore, a skills assessment application is extremely important, and its outcome can determine your eligibility to a number of visa applications.
Who performs a skills assessment?
As an independent process, skills assessments are not performed by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). There are many different authorities that are recognized by the DHA, and in order to find out which authority is relevant to your specific occupation, all you have to do is refer to the Skilled Occupation list.
Generally speaking, trades and professions are mostly assessed by two main assessing authorities: VETASSESS and TRA. And the information provided in this article is mainly focused on them.
When should I apply ?
After consulting an Immigration Lawyer and deciding on a migration pathway, you will be able to determine whether your visa requires a skills assessment. You can also refer to our previous article on the skilled migration program and learn more about skilled visas and which ones require skills assessments.
As the first step of your pathway, it is important to start the process as early as possible. Receiving an outcome does not change your visa status, and it is unrelated to it. Therefore, you must have a valid visa if you wish to remain in Australia while your skills assessment is processed. You can also apply from offshore.
The timeline for an outcome varies among different authorities, and some of them offer priority processing. VETASSESS can deliver an outcome in around two weeks for priority processing applicants, and TRA usually takes around 120 days without an option for priority processing.
How does the outcome affect my visa application?
A skills assessment outcome will provide the following information to your application:
Whether you have met the qualification and work experience requirements to be deemed skilled in Australia; and
How many years of experience have been positively assessed and can, therefore, be considered for points-tested visas.
