When You Need A Skills Assessment For Visa Applications
This post reflects the legal landscape as of the date of publication. Laws may have changed since then. Please consult a legal professional for current information and personalised advice.
Other than a family sponsor or investment visa. There are five types of visas that typically lead to permanent residency, some directly and others with a built-in path:
- 482
- 189
- 190
- 491
- 494
Four of these five visa types of visas require a skills assessment, though some exceptions apply. Most skills assessments require relevant work experience, but there are exceptions for professions like nurses, pharmacists, engineers, and social workers. Importantly, work experience for skills assessments doesn’t necessarily need to be obtained in Australia. (Some exceptions apply)!!!
*** Example ***
- Our client studied hotel management in Colombia and worked as restaurant manager in Colombia.
- In Australia she studied VET level childcare.
- We used her overseas experience to get a skills assessment as a restaurant manager and secured her a skilled cisa in this occupation, even though it was unrelated to her studies in Australia.
*** The Catch ***
For a skills assessment you always need at least one year of work experience in the last five years. Sometimes, you may need more than one year or at least one year of experience in the last three years. If you have overseas work experience and have been in Australia for some time, you may need to get a skills assessment as soon as possible. Skills assessments are typically valid for three years, sometimes less.
Most skills assessments do not need English language test scores, so don’t delay getting your skills assessed. Once your experience is three or five years old, it may be too late.