Skilled · Process
Skills assessment
How skills assessments work for skilled, employer and graduate visas.
Who it is for
People applying for points-tested visas (189, 190, 491), the 494, the 186 Direct Entry stream, some 482 applicants and the vocational 485 stream.
Key eligibility
- Home Affairs only accepts an assessment from the authority listed against your occupation.
- Main authorities include the Australian Computer Society (ICT), Engineers Australia, VETASSESS, Trades Recognition Australia and ANMAC (nurses and midwives). Medical practitioners use registration with AHPRA.
- Points-tested visas: the assessment must be held when you are invited.
- Validity: 3 years from issue, or the shorter period shown on it.
- A provisional assessment issued for a 485 is not suitable for a points-tested visa, a 186 or a 494.
- Each authority sets its own procedures, timeframes and fees.
Where to apply, and bridging visas
Applied for with the assessing authority, from anywhere. It is not a visa.
Your journey, step by step
Find your occupation and authority
Match your duties to the right occupation code and its authority.
How a registered migration agent helps: checks that the code genuinely matches your duties, because a wrong code causes failure later.
Service agreement
Before any personal advice or preparation, you receive a written service agreement and the OMARA Consumer Guide.
How a registered migration agent helps: sets out the work, the fee and the refund policy in writing. No money is taken for visa work before the agreement is signed.
Map your evidence
Qualifications, transcripts and employment evidence against the authority's criteria.
How a registered migration agent helps: maps evidence to the criteria.
Apply to the authority
Apply online with the authority and pay its fee.
How a registered migration agent helps: checks the outcome type suits your intended visa.
Outcome and timing
Use the assessment while it is valid.
How a registered migration agent helps: times the assessment so it is valid at invitation or lodgement.
The Department of Home Affairs makes every decision. No one can promise a grant, an invitation or a faster decision.
Government charges from 1 July 2026
| Applicant or item | Charge |
|---|---|
| Assessment fee | Set by each authority; check its website |
Health checks, police certificates, translations, skills assessments and English tests are extra and paid to the provider. Our professional fee is separate and quoted in writing. Estimate total charges for your family.
Source: Home Affairs Current visa pricing table, charges from 1 July 2026, read 22 October 2026. Confirm in the Visa Pricing Estimator before you pay.
Common refusal risks
- Duties do not match the occupation.
- Qualification not comparable to the Australian level.
- Employment not evidenced in the required way.
- Assessment expired before invitation.
Drawn from the published criteria and general practice experience, not Department statistics.
Document checklist
Tick items as you collect them. Ticks are saved in this browser only and are not sent to us. This is a general list; the Department may ask for more.
0 of 0 collected
The Immigration Worldwide. Sukh Sandhu, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 1384130. General information, checked 22 October 2026.
Sources and checks
- Home Affairs: skills assessment
- Home Affairs: skilled occupation list
- Australian Computer Society
- Engineers Australia
- VETASSESS
- Trades Recognition Australia
- ANMAC
- Home Affairs Current visa pricing table, charges from 1 July 2026
Information checked 22 October 2026. General information only, not advice about your situation. Australian advice is given by Sukh Sandhu, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 1384130.
Talk it through. The first 15 minutes are free and general. Personal advice starts only after a written service agreement and the OMARA Consumer Guide.