Skills assessment

It depends on your nominated occupation under ANZSCO. For example, ACS assesses most ICT occupations, Engineers Australia assesses engineers, CPA Australia / CA ANZ / IPA assess accountants, Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) assesses many trades, and VETASSESS covers a wide range of professional and general occupations. Choosing the wrong occupation or authority is a common and costly mistake.

No. It is a threshold requirement, not an approval. You still need to be invited (for points-tested visas), meet the points score, and satisfy the English, health and character requirements. A positive assessment only confirms your skills for the nominated occupation.

Validity varies by authority — commonly two to three years from the date of the result. Always check the expiry shown on your assessment letter and make sure it is still valid both when you are invited and when you lodge.

Both vary by authority and occupation — typically several weeks to a few months, and each authority sets its own fee. Some occupations also require a separate English test or document-verification step, which adds time.

Sometimes. Several authorities assess your relevant skilled employment, and the result can affect how many years count towards your points score. The method differs by authority, so how you present your employment evidence matters.