It is a mandatory requirement to have a suitable migration skills assessment when applying for a points tested visa under Australia’s general skilled migration system. The assessing body will assess the skilled occupation that is being nominated in your skilled visa application. The skills assessment is valid for 3 years for migration purposes or as specified by the particular assessing body.
If applying for a skilled visa for Australia, the skills assessment must be completed before an Expression of Interest (EOI) is lodged with the Department of Immigration for a visa. The skills assessment usually requires the applicant to provide details of qualifications obtained after leaving school, generally with information about work experience in the nominated skilled occupation.
Skilled occupations such as engineering and IT occupations – substantial relevant work experience may be acceptable in lieu of formal qualifications via Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) or via a completion of a Competency Demonstration Report (CDR). The outcome of the migration skills assessment should be confirmation that your skills have been assessed as suitable for your nominated occupation by the relevant assessing authority, are deemed comparable to Australian standards and if successful can be used for migration purposes.
The criteria, procedures, and charges applied by an assessing authority when undertaking skills assessments is determined by the authority in accordance with its own professional standards in Australia. They can therefore differ between occupations, and it is important to be clear before starting the process of migrating under the skilled program what criteria will apply to your nominated occupation.
The Skilled Occupations List and the Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List provide details of the assessing authority for each occupation.
Thames Migration has extensive knowledge and experience in the area of Australian visa strategy. If you would like help with a migration skills assessment for the purpose of your intended Australian skilled visa application please contact our office or complete the contact us form for a no obligation free initial discussion.