Skilled Migration For Professionals FAQs

Pay the correct application fee at the time of submitting your application. Refer to the Fees for Application price list. Application fees include GST if you (the applicant) are an Australian resident for tax purposes. Please refer to the Australian Taxation Office website for information regarding tax residency.

VETASSESS provides Points Test Advice for applicants with employment claims in their nominated general professional occupations only. You will need to contact your relevant Skills Assessment assessing authority for information onPoints Test Advice.

You have 10 days from the processing of payment fees for your newly submitted application to request a change of occupation without incurring an additional fee. Please note you will not be able to change your nominated occupation while your application is ‘in progress’ status with us. If you decide to use the Priority Processing option (where available), this must be selected at the time when making an application submission to VETASSESS. Change of occupation requests received after these 10 days will incur a change of occupation processing fee. For further details about changing an occupation, please refer here. 

No. VETASSESS cannot provide information for occupations that are not assessed under our authority for Skills Assessment/migration purposes.

Once a renewal application has been processed and if your renewal outcome is unsuccessful, you will need to apply for review or change of occupation within 90 days. Please see further information about reassessment options here.

Students whose income is derived from living allowances or scholarships designed to cover their expenses, will not meet the skills assessment requirement of “paid employment at an appropriate remuneration basis in their nominated occupation”.

For skilled employment to be considered "remunerated", applicants must be engaged in the occupation on a paid basis, generally at the award or market rate of the occupation. This requirement applies to all full skills assessment applications. Applicants are advised to provide evidence of any additional paid employment experience at the appropriate skill level to meet current assessment criteria and support the renewal of their original full skills assessment application.

We will not be able to renew your assessment if we no longer assess that occupation.

If your documents are not in English, you must submit copies of the original documents as well as the English translations made by a registered translation service.

• Official translations issued by the awarding institution
• Certified translation prepared by a registered translation service
• Translation included in the Notarial Certificates.

If applicable, evidence of name change must be provided to address any naming inconsistencies in the documents submitted. This is to support your identity.

Application fees include GST if you (the applicant) is an Australian resident for tax purposes. Please *Refer to the Australian Taxation Office website for information regarding tax residency.

Only scanned copies of original documents will be accepted. Do not send your original copies. If you submit original documents, they will not be returned. Your documents do not need to be certified.

Each period of employment submitted for assessment must be supported by the following two forms of evidence:

1. An employer statement that includes:
   • Your exact employment period (start and finish dates, including day and month).
   • Your normal hours of work.
   • The nature of your employment (full-time, part-time, casual)
   • Your job title(s).
   • Detailed description of the tasks that you perform.
   • The name and address of the business on official business letterhead.
   • The name, position, contact details (business phone number and email address), date and signature of the person authorised to make the employer statement and the length of time they supervised your work. This person, known as your ‘referee’, must be your manager, supervisor or human resources department representative.
2. Financial evidence including at least 2 of the following items per year of employment claimed:
   • Official government tax records such as income statements, payment summaries, tax group certificates or tax notices of assessment (listing your name and the name of your employer).
   • Three pay slips listing your name and the name of your employer (pay slips should be from the start, middle and end of each year claimed)
   • Superannuation (pension) documents citing your name and the name of your employer.
   • Bank statements clearly showing your employer’s name and income deposited (please highlight relevant deposits).

Please note:

• We cannot accept statutory declarations (affidavits) about your employment experience if we don’t have third-party evidence (such as an employer statement or financial records).
• We must be able to verify your employment evidence. Ensure that the contact details provided on your employer statements are up-to-date and correct as we will contact your referees to verify their reference is genuine.

Evidence of self-employment

• You can still apply if you are, or have been, self-employed, by submitting different types of documents.
• You must provide the following evidence for each year of self-employment claimed:

1. Evidence of self-employment not undertaken in Australia:
   • Business registration documents.
   • Relevant occupation or business licences.
   • Annual business returns.
   • A statement from a registered/certified accountant.
   • Taxation documents citing the name of the business.
2. Evidence of self-employment undertaken in Australia:
   • Your Australian Business Number (ABN).
   • A payment summary information statement.
   • A Business Activity Statement (BAS).
   • A Notice of Assessment from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
   • A statement from a registered/certified accountant.

Apprenticeship

An apprenticeship can be considered as employment experience if it has been completed and meets the requirements of formal training. It must also be supported by sufficient official employment evidence.

Applicants with European qualifications should supply Diploma Supplements if available. Generally, these are only issued by educational institutions from countries participating in the Bologna Process.

A notarial certificate with English translation is required.

VETASSESS has categorised its professional occupations into groups A, B, C, D and E for assessment purposes according to the indicative skill level on ANZSCO.

Skill Level 1 Australian Bachelor degree or Master degree or Doctoral degree (Group A or B)

Skill Level 2 Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Associate Degree or AQF Advanced Diploma or AQF Diploma (Group C or E)

Skill Level 3 AQF Certificate III (with additional years of employment) or AQF Certificate IV (Group D)

VETASSESS has categorised its general occupations into groups A, B, C, D and E for assessment purposes according to the indicative skill level on ANZSCO.

ANZSCO Skill Level

VETASSESS Occupation Group

Skill Level 1 Australian Bachelor degree or Master degree or Doctoral degree

Group A or B

Skill Level 2 Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Associate Degree or AQF Advanced Diploma or AQF Diploma

Group C or E

Skill Level 3 AQF Certificate III (with additional years of employment) or AQF Certificate IV

Group D

We will not accept an application unless we are sure we can meet the 10-day timeline. We need up to two business days to review an application before we accept it for Priority Processing. We will email you once the review is completed, so you will know if your application is accepted.

Find out more information on our refund policy here.  

You must upload your evidence online as part of the application process. You must submit all relevant evidence before you pay for your assessment.

You must upload colour scans of original documents. The minimum scan resolution is 150 dpi (dots per inch).

A negative or non-genuine verification result, meaning that either the qualification is not recognised by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in China, or is not recorded in MOE's or the educational institution's database, will normally mean that a qualification cannot be assessed for skills assessment purposes and, there will be an unsuccessful VETASSESS skills assessment outcome. A positive verification result can be used for skills assessment purposes but does not automatically guarantee a positive skills assessment outcome. A positive (verified) qualification from P.R. China will be assessed by our assessment guidelines in order to determine equivalence to qualifications currently listed in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

VETASSESS skills assessments are currently valid for three years from the original issue date for skilled migration purposes. It is recommended that applicants seek confirmation from the Department of Home Affairs in regard to their requirements for visa applications.

This will depend on the available booking you select. It is an expectation that the earliest booking date available should fall within 10 -12 business days from the date of confirmation.

Processing time varies depending on the skills assessment program and other factors, such as whether all required documentary evidence has been provided. You can find the approximate processing times here. 

Points Test Advice applications are generally processed within four weeks, however it may take longer when the qualification claims require further research or investigation.

The renewal process normally takes about four to six weeks once we receive all of the required documentation evidence. This may take longer depending on the complexity of the application.

The approximate time is 10 business days once we have received all the documentation we need for the assessment and conducted any interviews that are required.

You can find approximate times here 

Most Chinese Qualification Verification applications are completed within 8-10 weeks, with a small number of cases taking longer (for instance, any qualifications awarded before 1995).

Please allow at least 8 weeks before making any status inquiries with VETASSESS. In addition, failure to submit all required documents when you apply may cause considerable delays in completing your Chinese Qualification Verification application. Your Chinese Qualification Verification cannot be completed until we receive all required documentation. Please refer to the Required Documents section of our website before submitting your application.

To view the VETASSESS Privacy Policy, please click here. 

To view the VETASSESS Privacy Statement, please review the privacy policy here. 

All full skills asssessments require both qualifications and employment experience.

VETASSESS Skills Assessment applications assess both qualifications and employment against the criteria for your nominated occupation. You need both qualifications and employment experience.

VETASSESS Skills Assessment applications require an assessment of both qualifications and employment against the criteria for your nominated occupation. Highly relevant employment cannot compensate for lack of qualification at the required educational level for the nominated occupation.

VETASSESS Skills Assessment applications require an assessment of both qualifications and employment against the criteria for your nominated occupation. Highly relevant employment cannot compensate for lack of qualification at the required educational level for the nominated occupation.

You can ask us to convert your application to Priority Processing. We consider these requests on a case-by-case basis so please tell us why you want Priority Processing. You can email your request, with your evidence, to migrate@vetassess.com.au.

We will consider requests if:

• You have received an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs or a state or territory government that will expire by a set date
• Your visa expires in six weeks and you cannot obtain another visa
• You are turning 33, 40 or 45 in six weeks
• Your English Test Result (IELTS or PTE) expires in six weeks
• Your Partner Skills Assessment or English Test Result expires in six weeks.

Other requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• Passport page showing your name, photo and date of birth
• One recent passport size photograph
• Change of name evidence (if applicable)

Yes, and you can lodge your application for the Chinese Qualification Verification and Points Test Advice together online.

For applicants who require the Chinese Qualifications Verification for VETASSESS skills assessment purposes, you only need to apply for verification of the qualification that meets the minimum requirement of your nominated occupation. However, if that qualification includes credits granted from any previous studies, the earlier qualification/s will also need to be verified together with the later or higher qualification.

Please note you may use the verification reports again when you lodge a subsequent application for skilled migration purposes with the Department of Home Affairs. We suggest that you submit both the verification results and any VETASSESS result letters together with your other visa-related documents when lodging an application to the Department of Home Affairs. 

For applicants referred to us by other skills assessing authorities/ professional bodies, please ensure you have read the latest information regarding the verification process before applying to VETASSESS.

No discount applies to Skills Assessment applications lodged to VETASSESS.

No discount applies to Skills Assessment applications lodged to VETASSESS. No discount or credit notes apply to any subsequent services provided by VETASSESS.

Please note that there is no refund for completed SAS applications. Refunds are available in very limited circumstances.

For VETASSESS refund policy click here.

Refunds are available in very limited circumstances. Our refund policy is available here.

Most qualifications awarded by University Colleges and Institutes in Lebanon require evidence of approval by the Equivalence Committee of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Please supply this evidence confirming equivalency to a qualification awarded by a Lebanese university.

We cannot accept a request to change the occupation for this service because of the limited timeframe to deliver Priority Processing.

Qualifications that have been awarded by educational institutions in China must be verified by the Qualification Verification service at VETASSESS. You can read more about the Chinese Qualifications Verification process at here. 

Please supply evidence of passing the Professional Regulation Commission's Licensure Examinations if applicable. 

One recent passport-sized colour photograph is required. The photograph must be no more than six months old and of good quality (self-taken photographs are not acceptable).

One recent passport-sized colour photograph is required. The photograph must be no more than six months old and of good quality (self-taken photographs are not acceptable). The photograph needs to be certified, signed and dated by the applicant. 

One recent passport-sized colour photograph is required. The photograph must be no more than six months old and of good quality (self-taken photographs are not acceptable).

If you have any forms of professional registration, please provide evidence for the assessment. The evidence must show the country of registration, name of registration board, type of registration, registration number and expiry date.

As proof of your identity, we require your passport biopage showing your name, photo and date of birth. If you do not have a passport, you will need to provide your full Birth Certificate.

Provide us with your complete academic transcript. Transcripts are the official records from the institution outlining the courses / units of study as well as the final grades achieved as part of your academic qualification. If you attended a college affiliated to the awarding institution, the academic transcripts must be issued by the awarding institution authorised to award the qualification.

The qualification award certificate is the official document confirming the completion of an awarded course of study. If you have not yet received your qualification award certificate, a provisional award certificate issued by the awarding body or an official statement of completion issued by the Registrar's department of the awarding institution will be accepted.

Please read notes about additional requirements for qualifications obtained from specific regions of the world below, to determine if they apply to your circumstances.

Qualification evidence includes your qualification award certificate accompanied by the academic transcripts.

Award Certificate:

The award certificate is the official document confirming the completion of an award course of study. If you have not yet received your qualification award certificate, a provisional award certificate issued by the awarding body or an official statement of completion issued by the Registrar's department of the awarding institution will be accepted.

Academic Transcript:

Provide us with your complete academic transcript. Transcripts are the official records from the institution outlining the courses / units of study as well as the final grades achieved as part of your academic qualification. If you attended a college affiliated to the awarding institution, the award certificate must be issued by the awarding institution permitted to award the qualifications.

If your transcripts do not provide sufficient information regarding the units of study undertaken, please provide additional evidence, such as a course syllabus, to clarify this. You can also detail major projects and other significant features of your studies in your CV.

Additional notes for qualifications obtained from specific regions of the world:

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (PRC)

If you hold qualifications that have been awarded by educational institutions from China, you will be required to have your qualification documents verified by VETASSESS.

You can read more about the Chinese Qualifications Verification process on our website at

http://www.vetassess.com.au/skills-assessment-for-migration/chinese-qualifications-verification

EUROPE

Applicants with European qualifications should supply Diploma Supplements for these if available. Generally, these are only issued by educational institutions from countries participating in the Bologna Process. A Diploma Supplement will be accepted in lieu of an award certificate and transcript if it includes all the necessary information.

NIGERIA

A verified copy of the award certificate and full academic transcript must be sent in a sealed envelope from the awarding body directly to VETASSESS.

PAKISTAN

An attested HEC (Higher Education Commission Pakistan) copy of the award certificate and full academic transcript must be provided. If the HEC gives you the attested document to send to VETASSESS, you can scan and upload the high quality colour copies of the HEC attested educational documents (front and back side) when applying online. If there is no HEC stamp and signature, VETASSESS cannot accept the document. For more information, please go to the HEC website at http://hec.gov.pk.

PHILIPPINES

Please supply evidence of passing the Professional Regulation Commission's Licensure Examinations if available.

LEBANON

Most qualifications awarded by University Colleges and Institutes in Lebanon require evidence of approval by the Equivalence Committee of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Please supply this evidence confirming equivalency to a qualification awarded by a Lebanese university.

Qualification evidence includes your qualification award certificate accompanied by the academic transcripts.

Award Certificate:

The award certificate is the official document confirming the completion of an award course of study. If you have not yet received your qualification award certificate, a provisional award certificate issued by the awarding body or an official statement of completion issued by the Registrar's department of the awarding institution will be accepted.

Academic Transcript:

Provide us with your complete academic transcript. Transcripts are the official records from the institution outlining the courses / units of study as well as the final grades achieved as part of your academic qualification. If you attended a college affiliated to the awarding institution, the academic transcripts must be issued by the awarding institution permitted to award the qualifications. If your transcripts do not provide sufficient information regarding the units of study undertaken, please provide additional evidence, such as a course syllabus, to clarify this. You can also detail major projects and other significant features of your studies on a cover letter.

Additional notes for qualifications obtained from specific regions of the world:

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (PRC)

If you hold qualifications that have been awarded by educational institutions from China, you will be required to have your qualification documents verified by VETASSESS.

You can read more about the Chinese Qualifications Verification process on our website.

EUROPE

Applicants with European qualifications should supply Diploma Supplements for these if available. Generally, these are only issued by educational institutions from countries participating in the Bologna Process. A Diploma Supplement will be accepted in lieu of an award certificate and transcript if it includes all the necessary information.

PHILIPPINES

Please supply evidence of passing the Professional Regulation Commission's Licensure Examinations if available.

LEBANON

Most qualifications awarded by University Colleges and Institutes in Lebanon require evidence of approval by the Equivalence Committee of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Please supply this evidence confirming equivalency to a qualification awarded by a Lebanese university.

If applying for a formal skills assessment, you must include your CV. A resume / CV allows you to outline both your academic studies (describing the major focus of your studies, including providing details of any major projects undertaken as part of course requirements) as well as describing your employment / career history in your own words.

If applying for a formal skills assessment, you must include your CV. A resume / CV allows you to outline both your academic studies (describing the major focus of your studies, including providing details of any major projects undertaken as part of course requirements) as well as describing your employment / career history in your own words.

Once you have submitted the online application, download the application declaration page from the application status page via our portal so it can be signed by you (the applicant) and your migration agent/lawyer (if applicable).

The following documents can be submitted as supporting evidence of your skills, knowledge and experience, in addition to the mandatory employment documents:

• Employment contract listing your job title, salary and other information.
• Position description outlining duties performed.
• Licences related to your trade.
• Resume / CV.
• Photos and videos of you performing work tasks.

We will continue with the assessment for suitability against your selected occupation.

If we do not complete a Priority Processing application within 10 business days, we will refund the Priority Processing fee less a $161 AUD administration fee. A refund will not be made if documents submitted are identified as false, misleading, or inconsistent with information previously submitted, or if we need to investigate if they are authentic.

If you do not meet the requirements, we will issue you a letter that states that you have not met the pre-migration skills assessment requirements. The letter will indicate the assessment components where your application did not meet the requirements. 

If you disagree with the outcome, you should contact us to discuss your case with the assessor, who will advise you on the options available for a reassessment where applicable.

If you do not meet the requirements for your nominated occupation, you will be issued with a letter that states that you have not met the pre-migration skills assessment requirements. The letter will indicate the assessment components where your application did not meet the requirements.

If you disagree with the outcome, you should discuss your case with the assessor who will advise you on the options available for a reassessment where applicable.

If you do not meet the requirements for your nominated occupation, you will be issued with a letter that states that you have not met the pre-migration skills assessment requirements. The letter will indicate the assessment components where your application did not meet the requirements.

If you disagree with the outcome, you should discuss your case with the assessor who will advise you on the options available for a reassessment where applicable.

As part of the working arrangement with the Chinese government, VETASSESS requires all qualification documents awarded in P.R. China to be verified through our Chinese Qualifications Verification service. You are required to apply through VETASSESS even if you have already obtained Credential Reports from the relevant verification authorities.

If your application does not meet the eligibility criteria, or cannot be assessed within the timeframe, we will email you and refund the Priority Processing fee, less an administration fee of AUD $161. The fee will be refunded within four weeks of our notifying you. We will then process your application under our standard full Skills Assessment service.

If your documents are not in English, you will need to have them translated into English. You need to submit copies of the original documents as well as the English translations. Please note that a registered translation service must be used.

Employment that is outside of the last five years cannot be accepted and will not meet the skills assessment requirements.

You can try locating the occupation on the Department of Home Affairs website. Details of the relevant assessing authority will be listed there too. 
 

For all visa types:

• You will need to ensure that you meet the assessment requirements for your nominated occupation for both the VETASSESS assessment, and for your visa.
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they nominate an appropriate occupation for their visa/sponsorship requirements.
• For information about visa requirements, applicants should visit the Department of Home Affairs website at http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au. For more specialised visa advice, applicants may wish to contact the Department of Home Affairs or a MARA registered migration agent or legal practitioner.

For all general enquiries correspondence via phone or email, VETASSESS can only provide information regarding our assessment process, and cannot tell you which visa is best for you, which state or territory list your occupation appears on, or whether you will meet the visa requirements.

For all visa types:

• You will need to ensure that you meet the assessment requirements for your nominated occupation for both the VETASSESS assessment, and for your visa.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that you nominate an appropriate occupation for your visa/sponsorship requirements.
• For information about visa requirements, you should visit the Department of Home Affairs website.  For more specialised visa advice, you may wish to contact the Department of Home Affairs or a MARA registered migration agent or legal practitioner.

For all general enquiries correspondence via phone or email, VETASSESS can only provide information regarding our assessment process, and cannot tell you which visa is best for you, which state or territory list your occupation appears on, or whether you will meet the visa requirements.

The Points Test Advice is an opinion only and will be taken into consideration by the Department of Home Affairs when assessing your eligibility for points. Determination of the points remains at the discretion of the delegated officers of the Department.

The information provided to VETASSESS may be used for data matching with other Australian Government agencies such as the Department of Education, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Taxation Office.

Please ensure that you understand the eligibility requirements before submitting your points test application. A refund is not possible after the assessment has commenced and can only be paid in limited circumstances. Please find more information about VETASSESS refund process here.

Please ensure that you understand the eligibility requirements before submitting your renewal application. A refund is not possible after a renewal assessment has commenced and can only be paid in limited circumstances. Please find more information the VETASSESS refund process here.

Yes. You will be assessed in exactly the same way as other applicants in your occupation.