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Skills assessments are a way to put your professional expertise and qualifications to the test. They indicate that you have the skills required to perform the tasks of the post for which you are applying. An evaluation is required to show the Department of Home Affairs that you are competent in carrying out the duties indicated on your application.
Have you thought about applying for permanent residency or a temporary visa that requires a skills assessment right now? While the current COVID-19 situation is dire, it may provide you with a chance to address this issue, assemble your documents, and finish your application right away.
Several skill assessment authorities can provide skill evaluations to candidates. Such authorities are organizations that analyze your skills to determine whether you are qualified for the position for which you have applied. Engineers Australia (EA) and Australian Computer Society (ACS) are two of the official assessing authorities for Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
Visa Requirements for Skill Assessment
If you plan to move to Australia as a skilled professional, you should review the Engineers Australia standards, which are also necessary for skill assessment. Skill assessment is required if you are applying for any of the following visas or streams:
1. General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa
Applicants for the points-tested GSM visas listed below must have a sufficient skills assessment for their specified occupation:
- Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
- Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
- Skilled Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 489)
- Skilled Work Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 491)
To apply for a points-based visa, you must have identified an occupation from the applicable skilled occupation list for that visa subclass. If you are applying for a visa, you must prove that you have a satisfactory skills evaluation for the employment you are applying for. You must have received a skills assessment by the time you are asked to apply. When you are invited to apply for a points-based visa, your skills evaluation must also be legitimate. To calculate validity periods, use the following formula:
- If no validity term is specified on a skills assessment, it is valid three years from the issue date.
- If the validity term on a skills assessment is shorter than three years, the assessment is valid for the time period mentioned on the assessment.
- If a skills assessment’s validity duration exceeds three years, the assessment is valid for three years from the assessment date.
You should schedule your skills assessment well before submitting your Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect. You cannot depend on a skills evaluation acquired after being asked to apply.
2. Employer-Sponsored Visa
If you apply under the Labour Agreement Stream or the Temporary Residence Transition Stream, no skill evaluation is necessary at the time of application. However, if you wish to apply through the Direct Entry Stream, you must submit a skill assessment. You must ensure that the evaluating authority evaluates your expertise before applying for a certain visa. Certain skill assessment authorities have an expiration date, and it is no longer valid if given after the expiry date.
3. Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187)
The skills assessment must demonstrate that you had your skills assessed as appropriate by the assessing authority before making the visa application. Skills assessments can be submitted after the visa application is submitted; however, the assessment results must be acquired before the visa application deadline. Skills assessments with no expiry date are valid for three years from the date of the assessment. The skills assessment will be invalid if more than three years have gone by the visa application is filed.
You must also have worked full-time in the occupation for at least three years at the appropriate level of expertise. A skills assessment acquired for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) is ineligible for the subclass 187 visa.
4. Temporary Skill Shortage Visa
TSS Visa applicants must undergo a skill assessment as one of the critical aspects of the visa application process. When submitting your visa application, you must do the following steps:
- Go through the necessary skill assessment process and find out whether you are qualified for an exemption.
- Before filing your visa application, have a comprehensive skill evaluation that will last three years.
- By supplying the talent assessment reference number, you can prevent processing delays.
- You must also show documentation of any exemptions for which you are entitled.
When applying for a visa, the skill assessment authority will request a written skill evaluation, which will make the process of obtaining your desired visa easier.
5. Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)
For applicants to be eligible for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) — graduate employment stream, they need to have nominated an occupation on the Medium to Long Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). For applicable skills, all occupations on the MLTSSL have assessment authority, and only a skills evaluation provided by the proper assessing authority will be recognized.
You must contact the appropriate evaluating authority for your occupation and acquire a skills evaluation. Each assessing authority has its own set of processes, timetables, and fees.
Important documents for Skill Assessment
The documents required by the official authority must be of high quality and colour copies of the original documents. If your documents are not written in the English language, you must submit copies of the original documents and the English translations made by a registered translation service.
1. Application Fee
Applicants need to pay their application fee at the time of submitting their application. Certain GST charges will be applicable for Australian residents.
2. Photograph
A recent passport-size colour picture in good condition is necessary. The image must be no older than six months and in decent condition (self-taken photographs are not acceptable).
3. Proof of identity
You must submit at least one primary document :
- Bio page on a passport
- Certificate of Birth
and two additional documents for verification :
- National ID
- Driver’s license
- Social security card
- Marriage certificate
- Student identity card
- Australian visa
4. Name modification
Evidence of name change, if relevant, must be supplied to resolve any naming anomalies in the papers presented. This is to help you maintain your identity.
5. Proof of qualification
Qualification proof consists of your qualification award certificate and academic transcripts.
6. Proof of employment
You must supply us with the necessary employment documentation for each job specified in your formal skills assessment application.
7. Curriculum vitae/resume
If you are applying for a formal skills assessment, you must provide a CV to help the assessment process. A resume / CV allows you to summarize both your academic studies and your job/career background in your own words.
How to Apply for Skill Assessment?
Making an Online Application
Before completing a skills assessment, make sure you understand the specifics of your visa criteria as stated by the Department of Home Affairs or hire a registered Migration Agent (MARA) to help you with your visa application. Your Migration Skills Assessment will be based only on the paperwork you supply to the Online Application Form, so please upload any papers you wish to be assessed.
- Combine all papers for each qualification and employment entry into a single PDF document.
- Scan Color Documents in High Resolution (at least 300dpi)
- Maximum PDF upload size of 3MB
- Make certain that your PDF files are not encrypted or read-only.
- Enter your papers’ PDF files into the Online Application Form.
- Electronic papers, including digital signatures, must be verifiable.
Before submitting an online application, check that your application is decision-ready, which means that you have included all necessary documents to guarantee that your application is handled as swiftly as possible.
Take help from Professionals
When applying for your skill assessment, you must be very careful. Our professionals recommend expert help when it comes to your career. Our licensed personnel will guide you through the whole process for your Australia dream to come true. We provide free CDR, RPL, KA02 samples for reference purposes. Contact us for preparing your authentic CDR report and get positively assessed by the EA.
