Skills Assessments for Americans Applying for an Australia Visa

Skills assessment Americans Australia visa applicants need to understand is one of the most important parts of the skilled migration process. Your US degree, professional licence or years of experience do not automatically establish that you meet Australia’s requirements for your nominated occupation.

For points-tested skilled migration, you generally need a formal skills assessment from the Australian assessing authority responsible for your occupation.

And importantly, for the subclass 189, 190 and 491 pathways, the skills assessment is not something you simply obtain later.

You need the required skills assessment details before SkillSelect will allow you to submit your Expression of Interest.

The assessment therefore sits near the beginning of the migration process, not at the end.

Simon Mander — Registered Migration Agent (MARN 0318058) — more than 23 years’ experience in Australian migration law.

American considering Australian skilled migration?Establish the correct occupation and skills assessment pathway before spending money on the wrong assessment.

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What is a skills assessment?

A migration skills assessment is an independent assessment of your qualifications, skills and, depending on the occupation and assessing authority, your employment experience.

It is conducted by the Australian assessing authority designated for your nominated occupation.

The purpose is to determine whether your background satisfies that authority’s requirements for migration purposes.

A skills assessment is therefore separate from:

your US university awarding your degree;
your employer confirming your experience;
your US professional licence;
your Australian visa application; and
professional registration or licensing in Australia where that is separately required.

Do Americans need a skills assessment for a 189, 190 or 491 visa?

Yes.

If you are pursuing the points-tested:

subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa;
subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa; or
subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional visa,

you need a suitable skills assessment for your nominated occupation.

SkillSelect requires you to provide details including:

the date of the skills assessment;
the assessing authority; and
the assessment reference or receipt number

before you can submit the completed Expression of Interest.

Can you start an EOI before the skills assessment is finished?

You can create a SkillSelect account and begin entering and saving information.

But you cannot submit the completed EOI for the 189, 190 or 491 pathway without the required skills assessment information.

This distinction matters because applicants sometimes say they have “lodged an EOI” when they have actually only created a draft in SkillSelect.

A draft EOI does not place you into the invitation system.

Occupation selection comes before the skills assessment

The first major decision is not which assessing authority to use.

It is identifying the correct Australian occupation.

Your nominated occupation needs to reflect what you actually do.

This normally requires consideration of:

your qualifications;
your employment history;
your actual duties;
the seniority and nature of your work;
the applicable ANZSCO occupation; and
the visa pathway being considered.

A job title alone is not enough.

An American called a “Project Manager”, “Business Analyst”, “Consultant”, “Designer” or “Engineer” may have several potentially relevant Australian occupations depending on what the person genuinely does.

Why the ANZSCO version now matters

Australia currently uses two versions of ANZSCO across the skilled visa program.

For the employer-sponsored subclass 186 and subclass 482 Skills in Demand visas, Home Affairs uses ANZSCO 2022.

For the other skilled visa subclasses, including the 189, 190 and 491, Home Affairs currently uses ANZSCO 2013.

That means the occupation code appropriate to one visa strategy may not automatically be dealt with in exactly the same way under another.

This is another reason occupation selection should be considered against the particular visa pathway rather than simply searching the internet for a job title.

Who conducts Australian skills assessments?

Different occupations are assessed by different authorities.

Some of the major assessing authorities relevant to American applicants include:

Engineers Australia — for many professional engineering occupations;
Australian Computer Society (ACS) — for many ICT, data science and cyber security occupations;
VETASSESS — for a large range of professional and technical occupations;
Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) — for many trade occupations;
CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and IPA — for relevant accounting occupations;
AITSL — for relevant teaching occupations; and
other specialist authorities depending on the occupation.

The current Home Affairs skilled occupation list identifies the assessing authority applicable to each listed occupation.

Engineers Australia

Engineers Australia is the migration skills assessing authority for many professional engineering occupations.

Depending on the applicant’s qualification and circumstances, the assessment pathway can involve evaluation of the engineering qualification and evidence that it meets the required professional standard.

Applicants should not assume that every American qualification containing the word “engineering” automatically leads to the occupation they expect.

The actual discipline, course accreditation, academic content and employment background can matter.

Australian Computer Society

ACS assesses many migration occupations involving:

information technology;
software;
cyber security;
data science; and
related technology fields.

ACS expressly assesses the skills and qualifications of IT, data science and cyber security professionals for migration purposes. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Its assessment pathway can depend on your qualifications, field of study and employment experience.

This is particularly relevant to Americans whose job titles do not neatly match Australian occupation terminology.

VETASSESS

VETASSESS covers a very broad range of occupations.

Its assessments can involve both:

the level and relevance of the qualification; and
the applicant’s employment experience.

The required amount and type of employment can vary according to the occupation and how closely the qualification relates to that occupation.

For that reason, an American with a bachelor’s or master’s degree should not assume that the degree alone produces a positive outcome.

Trades Recognition Australia

TRA assesses many trade occupations.

Trade skills assessments can differ significantly from professional document-based assessments.

Depending on the occupation and assessment program, there may be:

documentary assessment;
technical interviews;
practical assessment;
qualification requirements;
employment requirements; and
additional licensing issues after arrival in Australia.

Electricians and plumbers in particular should distinguish between the migration skills assessment and the separate Australian occupational licensing process.

Teaching and health occupations

Teaching and health occupations often involve additional layers.

For example, migration skills assessment and the ability to practise the profession in Australia are not necessarily the same process.

A teacher may need a migration assessment from the relevant assessing authority while also dealing with state or territory teacher-registration requirements.

Health professionals may need to consider both migration skills assessment requirements and professional registration requirements.

The relevant authority depends on the specific occupation.

Is a skills assessment usually a test?

For many professional occupations, the process is primarily document-based.

That can involve evidence such as:

degree certificates;
academic transcripts;
employment references;
payslips or other payment evidence;
bank statements;
tax evidence;
professional registration;
organisational information;
identity documents; and
other evidence required by the assessing authority.

However, it is not correct to say that every skills assessment is simply a document exercise.

Some trade and specialist pathways can include technical or practical components.

Employment evidence matters

One of the most common problems in skills assessments is inadequate employment evidence.

An employment reference saying only:

“Jane worked for us as a Marketing Manager from 2020 to 2025”

may not establish that the applicant performed the duties required for the nominated occupation.

Assessing authorities can require detailed evidence dealing with matters such as:

exact employment dates;
hours of work;
position title;
detailed duties;
salary;
employment status;
reporting relationships; and
proof that the employment was genuinely paid.

The requirements vary by assessing authority.

Why a US degree is not automatically accepted

There is no rule saying that a degree is automatically accepted simply because it comes from the United States.

The assessing authority may consider factors including:

the institution;
qualification level;
length of study;
academic content;
major or specialisation;
professional accreditation; and
how closely the qualification relates to the nominated occupation.

An American qualification can certainly support a positive assessment, but the outcome depends on the applicable authority’s criteria.

Does a skills assessment determine your migration points?

It can affect them, but the relationship needs to be understood carefully.

The assessing authority may make findings about the applicant’s employment or qualification history.

However, the points claimed in SkillSelect must ultimately satisfy the migration points-test rules.

You should therefore not automatically assume that every year appearing in an employment reference will necessarily produce skilled-employment points.

The relevant dates, occupation relationship and applicable migration rules all need to be considered.

How long does a skills assessment take?

There is no single Australian skills assessment processing time.

Each assessing authority:

sets its own process;
sets its own fees;
specifies its own evidence requirements; and
publishes its own processing information.

Processing times can also change according to workload and whether further information is requested.

For this reason, applicants should check the current processing information for their actual assessing authority rather than relying on an old generic estimate.

When should an American start the skills assessment?

Usually early.

For the points-tested skilled migration process, the sequence is commonly:

identify the appropriate occupation;
identify the assessing authority;
establish whether the assessment is realistically achievable;
collect the required evidence;
lodge the skills assessment;
receive the suitable outcome;
finalise the points strategy, including English where relevant; and
submit the Expression of Interest through SkillSelect.

The skills assessment is therefore often one of the first substantial pieces of work in a 189, 190 or 491 migration strategy.

How long is a skills assessment valid?

Validity is important because the assessment must remain suitable for the relevant visa process.

Home Affairs currently applies the following general approach to points-tested skills assessments:

if no validity period is shown, it is generally treated as valid for three years from the date of issue;
if the assessing authority specifies a validity period shorter than three years, that shorter period applies; and
if the assessment states a period longer than three years, Home Affairs generally limits it to three years for the relevant migration purpose.

The assessment must also be suitable for permanent migration rather than merely being a provisional assessment issued for another visa purpose.

Can you use a subclass 485 assessment for a 189 or 190?

Not necessarily.

Some assessing authorities issue provisional assessments for graduates pursuing the subclass 485 visa.

Home Affairs specifically warns that a provisional assessment for the subclass 485 is not automatically a suitable skills assessment for a points-tested permanent migration pathway. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

You need the type of assessment required for the particular skilled visa process.

What happens if the assessment is negative?

A negative skills assessment can seriously affect a skilled migration strategy, but it does not always mean the end of every Australian migration option.

Depending on the reason for the result and the authority’s procedures, options may include:

reviewing the decision;
appealing through an available authority process;
correcting or supplementing evidence where permitted;
considering whether another occupation genuinely fits the applicant better;
obtaining further qualifications or experience; or
considering a different visa pathway.

The first step is to understand exactly why the assessment was negative.

Can you nominate a different occupation if the first one does not work?

Possibly — but only if the alternative occupation genuinely matches your background.

Occupation selection is not a process of choosing whichever code produces the easiest visa outcome.

The nominated occupation needs to be supported by the applicant’s genuine qualifications and employment history.

If two occupations could legitimately apply, then assessing both pathways strategically can make sense.

Can one applicant have more than one skills assessment?

Yes, potentially.

An applicant may have a background capable of supporting more than one nominated occupation.

Some assessing authorities also allow applicants to seek assessment against multiple occupations through their own processes.

For example, ACS currently allows some applicants to seek assessment against multiple ANZSCO codes through its migration skills assessment system. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Whether doing so is worthwhile depends on the migration strategy.

Skills assessment first — visa strategy around it

A positive skills assessment by itself does not guarantee an Australian skilled visa.

You still need to consider:

age;
English;
points;
occupation eligibility;
189 invitation prospects;
190 state nomination;
491 regional nomination;
partner points;
location; and
employer-sponsored alternatives.

But without the required suitable skills assessment, a points-tested skilled migration strategy cannot progress to submission of the EOI.

How Simon Mander Consulting can help

I assess the skills assessment as part of the overall migration strategy rather than treating it as an isolated application.

For an American applicant, that can involve:

occupation selection;
identifying the correct assessing authority;
reviewing qualification eligibility;
reviewing employment evidence;
preparing skills assessment documentation;
considering alternative occupations where genuinely available;
calculating the migration points position;
English strategy;
state nomination; and
employer-sponsored alternatives.

The aim is not simply to obtain a skills assessment. It is to obtain the right skills assessment for a migration pathway that is actually realistic.

American needing an Australian skills assessment?Establish the right occupation and assessment pathway before committing time and money to the process.

Book a Paid Consultation |
Submit an Eligibility Assessment

Related guides for Americans

Frequently asked questions

Do Americans need a skills assessment for Australian skilled migration?

Yes, for points-tested skilled migration pathways such as the subclass 189, 190 and 491. You need a suitable skills assessment for your nominated occupation and must provide the required assessment information before submitting the EOI through SkillSelect.

Can I submit an EOI before my skills assessment is complete?

You can create and save an EOI in SkillSelect, but you need the required skills assessment information before you can submit the completed EOI.

Is an Australian skills assessment an exam?

Often not. Many professional assessments are primarily evidence-based and involve qualifications and employment documentation. However, some trade and specialist assessment pathways can include interviews, technical assessments or practical components.

Are American degrees automatically recognised for migration?

No. The relevant assessing authority determines whether the qualification satisfies its migration assessment criteria. Factors can include qualification level, institution, academic content, field of study and relevance to the nominated occupation.

How long is a skills assessment valid?

For migration purposes, an assessment without a stated validity period is generally treated by Home Affairs as valid for three years. A shorter validity period specified by the assessing authority will apply where relevant.

Who assesses American IT professionals?

Many ICT, data science and cyber security occupations are assessed for migration purposes by the Australian Computer Society, depending on the nominated occupation.

Who assesses engineers?

Engineers Australia is the migration skills assessing authority for many professional engineering occupations. The exact assessment pathway depends on the nominated occupation and the applicant’s qualifications.

Who assesses American tradespeople?

Trades Recognition Australia is the assessing authority for many trade occupations, although the relevant program and assessment requirements depend on the occupation and circumstances.

What happens if my skills assessment is negative?

Options depend on the assessing authority and reason for the result. They may include review or appeal, further evidence where permitted, considering another genuinely applicable occupation or revising the wider migration strategy.