EMC Australia / Skills assessment
Get your occupation assessed — before the visa
A skills assessment is not a visa and not citizenship. It is a decision by an assessing body that your qualifications and work match an occupation. For most skilled visas you need a suitable assessment before an EOI or a nomination will work.
Who this page is for
- You need a skills assessment for a 189, 190, 491, 186 Direct Entry, or a 485 skills stream
- You work in a trade and may need Trade Recognition Australia, including Job Ready Program stages
- You work in a profession assessed by VETASSESS or another professional body
- An assessment came back not suitable and you need to know whether to review or start again
Assessments
Who checks the occupation
A skills assessment is not a visa. The assessing body is set by the occupation.
VETASSESS and others
In or from outside Australia
Professional occupations
Occupations assessed by VETASSESS, ACS (IT), Engineers Australia, nursing and midwifery bodies, and similar.
The assessing body is set by the occupation, not by preference. Applying to the wrong body is money wasted. Qualifications, skilled employment dates, and whether the work was at the right level are what they look at.
TRA and others
In or from outside Australia
Trade occupations
Tradespeople who need Trade Recognition Australia or another trade assessor.
Evidence is often employment statements, pay records, licences, and photos of work — not only a certificate. Pathways differ for people who studied in Australia and people who trained overseas.
PSA · RTO
In Australia
Job Ready Program (TRA)
Certain international graduates in trades who need the TRA Job Ready Program.
Stages include a Provisional Skills Assessment and a registered training organisation stage. Occupation is chosen first. This is still a skills assessment, not a visa.
How EMC works
How we help
01
Occupation before paperwork
We match your actual work to an occupation that a visa can use. A title on a business card is not enough.
02
The right assessing body
TRA, VETASSESS, ACS, Engineers Australia, and the rest. We do not send a trade to a professional body because the form was easier.
03
Then the visa, if it is worth it
A suitable assessment is a step. Points, English, age, nomination and timing still decide whether a visa will work. We say so before you spend the next fee.
First conversation
What to bring
- CV, qualifications, and a list of jobs with dates and hours
- Employment references (on letterhead, with duties, not one-line confirmations)
- Payslips, tax records, or contracts that prove the work was real
- If you already have an assessment: the outcome letter, including any “not suitable” reasons
- The visa you think you want afterwards (189, 190, 491, 186, 485) — even if you are not sure
Before you apply
Things that go wrong
- An assessment for the wrong occupation cannot be patched onto a different visa later.
- Casual, cash, or poorly documented work is often discounted. The assessing body has to be able to verify it.
- Some assessments expire. Do not sit on a suitable outcome until it lapses.
- Job Ready Program stages are sequential. Skipping a stage is not a shortcut.
Questions
People ask this first
No. It is a separate application to an assessing body. The visa (189, 190, 491, 186, 485 and others) is lodged with the Department afterwards, if the assessment supports it.
Start with your situation.
You do not need a visa number yet. Book a consultation, or send us a message.
MARN 1800335 · Level 14, 333 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.
Related topics
- EOI and state nomination
- Skilled and sponsored work visas
- Study and graduate visas
- If an application was refused
This page is general information, not advice about your circumstances. Australian migration law changes. You should consult a Registered Migration Agent before you apply. EMC Australia is OMARA-registered (MARN 1800335).