For an Australian skilled visa, a skills assessment is an official evaluation of your qualifications and work experience to confirm that they match the requirements of your nominated occupation in Australia.
Why is it required?
The Australian Government requires many skilled visa applicants to obtain a positive skills assessment before they can apply for visas such as:
Skilled Independent (subclass 189)
Skilled Nominated (subclass 190)
Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491)
Who conducts it?
The assessment is done by a designated assessing authority for your occupation. Examples:
ACS (Australian Computer Society) for ICT professions
Engineers Australia for engineers
VETASSESS for many professional and trade occupations
CPA Australia, CA ANZ, or IPA for accountants
What is assessed?
Typically:
Educational qualifications
Employment history
Relevance of your degree to your occupation
Employment references and supporting documents
Example
If you are a Software Engineer (ANZSCO 261313), you would usually apply to ACS. ACS will determine whether your degree and work experience are equivalent to Australian standards and whether you are suitably skilled for that occupation.
Outcome
You receive either:
Positive skills assessment (eligible to use for visa application), or
Negative skills assessment (you do not currently meet the requirements).
