Skilled Migration For Trades FAQs

• The exact employment period (start and finish dates).
• The normal hours of work.
• The nature of employment (full-time, part-time, casual).
• Job title (actual occupation).
• A detailed description of the relevant tasks undertaken.
• The name and address of the business on official business letterhead.
• The name, position, contact details (phone number and business email address), date and signature of the person authorised to make the statement and the length of time they supervised the applicant. (This referee must be the employer or supervisor).

If you are or have been self-employed, you must provide evidence of your employment in your trade. Please refer to the Evidence Guide  for more information about the types of evidence you should provide.

Contact details provided on employer statements must be correct as we will contact referees to verify the reference is genuine.

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.

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

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

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.

A notarial certificate with English translation is required.

• Official government tax records or documents that may include payment summaries, group certificates or notices of assessment.
• Three pay slips citing names of the employer and employee (pay slips should be from the start, middle and end of each year claimed).
• Superannuation documents citing the names of the applicant and employer.
• Bank statements with the employer’s name and clearly showing income has been deposited.

VETASSESS cannot accept statutory declarations about your employment experience in the absence of 3rd party evidence (e.g. employer reference and financial records).

NOTE: Some occupations have additional evidence requirements.

For detailed information about the evidence you must provide in a Pathway 1 assessment (including occupation-specific evidence requirements), please download the Evidence Guide.

For detailed information about the evidence you must provide in a Pathway 2 assessment (including occupation-specific evidence requirements), please download the Pathway 2 Candidate Guide and Evidence Guide.

If you have completed formal training related to your trade, you must submit the following evidence:

• Qualification certificate or statement of completion.
• Full academic transcript showing the start and end date of training, subjects studied and marks/grades awarded.

All documents must be high quality colour scans of the originals. If your documents are not in English, you must submit the originals as well as the English translations made by a registered translation service.

Please note:

• If any required documentation is missing, it may take longer to process your application.
• We will contact you for additional documentation, if necessary
• Any documents supplied will not be returned.
• Forged, altered or falsified documents will not be assessed and no refund will be provided.

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).

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. 

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 in the relevant Applicant Guidelines available for different programs offered by TRA.

Find more about our processing times here. 

To view the VETASSESS Privacy Policy, please click here. 

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

If you are or have been self-employed, you must provide evidence of your employment in your trade. Please refer to the Evidence Guide for more information about the types of evidence you should provide.

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.

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.

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

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.

For more information regarding the employment experience requirements for a Pathway 1 application, please refer to the Pathway 1 Employment Experience Guidelines.

Please refer to the Pathway 2 Candidate Guide for a list of accepted Australian qualifications for each occupation assessed by VETASSESS.

You must provide one of the accepted qualifications listed for your nominated occupation at the time of application. If you do not provide an accepted qualification (or if you provide a qualification listed for an occupation different to the occupation you are applying for) at the time of application, you will receive a negative outcome and no refund will apply.

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.

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.

Please refer to the Offshore Technical Skills Record Information Sheet.

USI stands for Unique Student Identifier. It is your individual education number and gives you an online record of your training and assessment undertaken in Australia.

VETASSESS collects USI details as part of the enrolment process if;

• You are applying for Pathway 1 Offshore Skills Assessment Program or TSS Skills Assessment Program
• You are going to undertake your assessment in Australia

The USI records Units of Competency completed against a National Recognised Training qualification or Statement of Attainment.

It is important to note that an Offshore Technical Skills Record (OTSR) does not form part of National Recognised Training qualification documentation but rather provides a pathway to obtain a qualification. As such, we will only be able to record your OTSR results against your USI when issuing you a qualification.

If you are currently licensed or registered to work as an electrician, plumber or refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanic in Australia, you may be eligible to apply to be assessed under Pathway 2.

A Successful Skills Assessment Result Letter, and

If applying under Pathway 1:

• an Australian Certificate III or IV qualification in your trade area.
• a Statement of Results listing the units you are competent in

If you successfully complete Stage 2 you will receive the following: 

• a Successful Skills Assessment Result Letter
• an Offshore Technical Skills Record (OTSR)

If you are unsuccessful in Stage 2 you will receive: 

• an Unsuccessful Skills Assessment Result Letter detailing the areas where you were not able to demonstrate the required trade skills and knowledge

Click here for a full list of our assessment locations

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.