Which assessing authority will assess my occupation?

The assessing authority depends on the nominated occupation. Common authorities include Engineers Australia, ACS, VETASSESS, TRA, AITSL, ANMAC and accounting bodies.

Skills Assessment Australia: The Foundation of Your Skilled Migration Strategy

A skills assessment is not simply another document required for an Australian skilled visa. It is often the foundation of the entire migration strategy because it affects your nominated occupation, visa options, points, state nomination prospects and long-term pathway to permanent residence.

Where Skills Assessment Fits in the Strategy

A skills assessment should be considered together with:

A positive skills assessment is important, but it only helps if it supports a coherent migration pathway.

What You’ll Learn

Why a skills assessment should be approached strategically, not administratively.
How your nominated occupation affects your assessment pathway.
Why employment evidence is often the critical issue.
How a skills assessment influences points, visa options and state nomination.
Why a positive skills assessment does not guarantee a visa invitation.

One of the most common assumptions I see is that a skills assessment is simply paperwork.

It is not.

For many skilled migration applicants, the skills assessment is the first major test of whether the nominated occupation, qualifications, employment history and evidence actually support the migration pathway being pursued.

If the occupation is wrong, the evidence is weak, or the employment history does not support the claimed occupation, the rest of the migration strategy may be compromised before an Expression of Interest is ever lodged.

What is a skills assessment?

A skills assessment is an assessment by an authorised assessing authority to determine whether your qualifications, employment history and professional background are suitable for a nominated occupation.

For many skilled visa pathways, a positive skills assessment is required before an applicant can proceed with an Expression of Interest or visa application.

Different occupations are assessed by different authorities. The correct authority depends on the occupation being nominated.

Simon’s Perspective

A skills assessment is not the beginning of the migration strategy.

It is the test of whether the occupation strategy, evidence and visa pathway actually work together.

Why your nominated occupation matters

Your nominated occupation is one of the most important decisions in skilled migration.
It determines:

which assessing authority will assess you;
what evidence you need to provide;
which visa pathways may be available;
whether state nomination may be realistic;
how competitive your application may be;
whether your employment history supports the strategy.

Choosing an occupation is not simply a matter of selecting the closest job title.
It requires a careful comparison between your qualifications, duties, employment history and the migration pathway you are trying to build.

How a skills assessment affects your skilled visa pathway

A skills assessment can affect almost every part of your migration strategy.

Your occupation affects your assessment authority.
Your assessment outcome affects your visa options.
Your occupation affects your state nomination prospects.
Your employment evidence may affect your points.
Your assessment may influence whether a 189, 190 or 491 visa is realistic.

This is why the skills assessment should usually be considered before an Expression of Interest is lodged.
A weak or poorly planned assessment can create problems later in the process.

Start with the broader strategy:
Skilled Visa Australia.

Common assessing authorities

Different skilled occupations are assessed by different organisations.
Common assessing authorities include:

Engineers Australia for many engineering occupations;
ACS for many ICT occupations;
VETASSESS for many professional and general occupations;
TRA for many trade occupations;
AITSL for teaching occupations;
ANMAC for nursing and midwifery occupations;
CPA Australia, CA ANZ and IPA for accounting occupations.

Each authority has its own requirements, evidence standards and assessment process.
A strategy that works for one occupation or authority may not work for another.

Useful guide:
Engineers Australia Skills Assessment.

Employment evidence is often the critical issue

Many skills assessment problems arise from weak employment evidence.

Reference letters, employment contracts, payslips, tax records, organisation charts, project evidence and supporting documents may all become important depending on the occupation and assessing authority.

The evidence should not merely prove that you were employed.
It should support the claimed occupation.

A strong reference letter usually needs to show:

the exact employment dates;
position title;
hours worked;
main duties performed;
employment location;
the employer’s details;
how the duties align with the nominated occupation.

A weak reference letter can make a strong applicant look unsuitable.

Strategic Question

Does your evidence prove only that you were employed, or does it prove that your work genuinely matches the nominated occupation?

Common skills assessment mistakes

Common mistakes include:

choosing the wrong nominated occupation;
assuming a job title is enough;
using generic employment reference letters;
failing to show occupation-specific duties;
providing inconsistent employment dates;
claiming work experience that cannot be properly evidenced;
ignoring the relationship between the skills assessment and state nomination;
lodging an Expression of Interest before the strategy is clear.

These mistakes can affect not only the assessment itself, but the entire migration pathway.

Why a positive skills assessment does not guarantee success

A positive skills assessment is important, but it does not guarantee a visa invitation.

It confirms that your skills may be suitable for a nominated occupation.
It does not mean your occupation is competitive, that a state will nominate you, or that your points score will be high enough to receive an invitation.

This is why a skills assessment must be considered together with points, English, occupation demand, state nomination and visa pathway selection.

How to approach your skills assessment strategically

Before starting a skills assessment, you should consider:

which occupation is strongest;
whether your qualifications support that occupation;
whether your work experience supports that occupation;
which assessing authority applies;
what evidence will be required;
whether the occupation supports your preferred visa pathway;
whether state nomination may be realistic;
whether employer sponsorship may provide a stronger pathway;
whether another applicant in the family may have a stronger pathway.

A skills assessment should not be treated as a standalone task.
It should be part of the wider skilled migration strategy.

Occupation examples

The best skills assessment strategy depends heavily on the occupation.
For example:

Each occupation group has different assessment issues, evidence requirements and migration strategy considerations.

What should you do next?

If you are considering skilled migration to Australia, the skills assessment should not be treated as a formality.
It may determine whether your whole migration strategy is viable.

Before lodging a skills assessment, it is important to understand whether your nominated occupation, evidence and visa pathway work together.

Book a Skilled Migration Consultation