Skills assessment for Australia: how it works, step by step
Settledin Team6 min readA skills assessment is an official check that your skills meet the standard for an occupation. Home Affairs says it is issued by a skills assessing authority, and that it can only accept an assessment from the authority named for your occupation. It is mandatory for some visas and streams, and may be requested for others.
Checked against Home Affairs on 10 October 2026.
What is a skills assessment for Australia?
Home Affairs defines a skills assessing authority as "an organisation that checks that your skills meet the standards they set to work in a relevant occupation" (Skills assessment). The authority issues the skills assessment.
Three points from the same page:
- One authority per occupation. Most occupations on the combined list of eligible skilled occupations have their own assessing authority. Home Affairs can only accept an assessment from the relevant one.
- It is the applicant's task. Home Affairs says it is the applicant's responsibility to contact the authority and obtain the assessment, if one is required.
- Each authority sets its own rules. Each authority has its own assessment procedures, timeframes and charges.
A skills assessment is not a visa. It is one document that some visa applications need.
Which visas need a skills assessment?
Home Affairs says a suitable skills assessment is mandatory for some visa subclasses and streams, and may be requested for others. It lists four groups:
| Visa group | What Home Affairs says |
|---|---|
| Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated (subclass 190), Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) and Skilled Regional (subclass 489), Invited Pathway | Applicants must have a suitable skills assessment for their nominated occupation. It must be obtained by the time of the invitation and be valid on that date. |
| Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) | Required in the Direct Entry stream. Not required at the time of application in the Temporary Residence Transition and Labour Agreement streams, although a decision maker can still ask for one. |
| Skills in Demand (subclass 482) | Certain primary applicants must complete a mandatory skills assessment, unless an exemption applies. Home Affairs may also ask for one where it is not mandatory. |
| Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) | Applicants in the Post-Vocational Education Work stream must show they have at least applied for one. Home Affairs says applicants in the Post-Higher Education Work stream do not need one. |
Home Affairs also lists the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187), where the Direct Entry stream needs an assessment for certain occupations.
Two cases are different. For doctors, Home Affairs accepts evidence of full registration issued by AHPRA as a suitable skills assessment. For solicitors, it accepts evidence of admission to practise as a lawyer in the relevant state or territory.
How the 482 works is in the Skills in Demand visa, explained.
How do I find my assessing authority?
Home Affairs ties the authority to the occupation:
- Find your occupation on the combined list of eligible skilled occupations, which names the authority for each occupation.
- Check the authority on Home Affairs' assessing authorities page. It lists 42 entries and links to each authority's website.
On Settledin, each occupation page shows its assessing authority. You can browse them under occupations and see the Core Skills Occupation List.
Who are the main assessing authorities?
Home Affairs names the authorities below among its 42. Each Settledin page covers one authority in detail.
| Authority (name per Home Affairs) | Settledin page |
|---|---|
| Australian Computer Society (ACS) | ACS skills assessment |
| Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services (VETASSESS) | VETASSESS skills assessment |
| The Institution of Engineers Australia (Engineers Australia) | Engineers Australia skills assessment |
| Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) | ANMAC skills assessment |
| Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) | TRA skills assessment |
| Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) | CAANZ skills assessment |
| CPA Australia | CPA Australia skills assessment |
| Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) | IPA skills assessment |
| Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) | AITSL skills assessment |
| Institute of Managers and Leaders (IML) | IML skills assessment |
| Community Work Australia | Community Work Australia skills assessment |
| Medical Board of Australia | Medical Board of Australia |
The full set is on the skills assessment directory. Other authorities on Home Affairs' list cover fields such as dentistry, pharmacy, psychology, surveying and architecture.
Each authority sets its own procedures, timeframes and charges, so Settledin does not quote them here. Home Affairs says to check with the authority.
How do I get a skills assessment, step by step?
Home Affairs describes two steps (Skills assessment):
- Contact the assessing authority. Contact the authority for your nominated occupation. Home Affairs says to arrange the assessment well before the visa application, because the assessment can take some time and the time varies between authorities.
- Receive your assessment. Provide a scanned certified copy of the suitable assessment with your visa application. Home Affairs says that without a positive result, an applicant cannot apply for a skilled migration visa.
What each authority asks for between those steps, such as qualifications, work references and identity documents, is set on that authority's own website. Home Affairs does not list those documents.
Authorities may issue more than one type of assessment. Home Affairs says the assessment must meet the requirements for permanent migration for the points tested visas. Some authorities issue a provisional assessment for recent Australian graduates who apply for the 485. Home Affairs says a provisional assessment issued for a 485 is not a suitable skills assessment for a points tested visa.
How long is a skills assessment valid for?
Home Affairs sets the rules for the points tested visas (189, 190, 489 Invited Pathway and 491):
| Situation | Validity, per Home Affairs |
|---|---|
| No validity period shown on the assessment | Valid for 3 years from the date of issue |
| Period shown is less than 3 years | Valid for the period stated |
| Period shown is more than 3 years | Valid for 3 years from the date of assessment |
For the 186 and 187 Direct Entry streams, an assessment with an expiry date is no longer valid after that date. One with no expiry date is valid for 3 years from the date of assessment. For the 482, Home Affairs says the assessment must be begun or completed within a 3 year period before the application is submitted.
On timing, Home Affairs says an assessment must be obtained by the time of invitation for a points tested visa, and that it cannot rely on one obtained after the invitation. It also notes that delegates now accept a suitable assessment obtained within the 60 day invitation period, following the Thapa decision, while the Minister reserves the right to make submissions that Thapa was wrongly decided. The current wording is on the Home Affairs page.
How does a skills assessment fit with the points test?
For the 189, 190 and 491, the occupation you nominate must be on the relevant skilled occupation list, and the skills assessment must be for that occupation. The points total comes from separate categories such as age, English and work experience, set out in the Australian PR points test, explained. The English tests those visas accept are in English tests for Australian visas.
The next step on the points tested pathway is submitting an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect. Home Affairs encourages arranging the assessment well before that. What happens after an invitation is in SkillSelect invitation: what happens next.
Frequently asked questions
Is a skills assessment the same as a visa?
No. It is a document from an assessing authority that some visa applications need. The visa is decided by Home Affairs.
Can a skills assessment be obtained after applying for a visa?
It depends on the visa. For the 186 and 187 Direct Entry streams, Home Affairs says an assessment can be submitted after the application, but its result must have been obtained before the application date. For points tested visas, the assessment must be in hand by the time of the invitation.
Is a skills assessment needed for a 485?
Home Affairs says it is needed for the Post-Vocational Education Work stream, where applicants must show they have at least applied. Applicants in the Post-Higher Education Work stream do not need one. See Temporary Graduate (subclass 485).
Is a skills assessment needed for a 482?
Certain primary applicants must complete a mandatory assessment, unless an exemption applies. Home Affairs may also ask for one in writing where it is not mandatory.
Can a 485 skills assessment be used for a 186, 187 or points tested visa?
Home Affairs says an assessment obtained for a 485 is not valid for the 186 or 187, and that a provisional 485 assessment is not suitable for a points tested visa.
Which authority assesses my occupation?
The combined list of eligible skilled occupations names it. Settledin's occupation pages show it too.
Settledin adds up an indicative points total from the official points table, and shows the assessing authority on each occupation page.
Work out your indicative points
This article describes published Department of Home Affairs information, checked on 10 October 2026. It is general information, not migration advice. For advice on your situation, speak to a registered migration agent. Check the register.