ACS or VETASSESS: Which Authority Fits Your Occupation?
A very common question from people working in IT or in roles with a technology element: should I apply to ACS or VETASSESS? The answer does not depend on your company name or the kind of projects you work on — it depends on the ANZSCO occupation code you nominate in your visa application.
The basic rule
ACS is the assessing authority for occupation codes in the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) group within ANZSCO — mainly Major Group 2 (ICT Professionals) and some ICT management codes within Major Group 1.
VETASSESS covers many professional occupations outside ICT — niche accounting roles, human resources, marketing, education, and hundreds of other occupations that have no dedicated assessing authority.
If your ANZSCO code is on the ICT list → ACS. If not → check VETASSESS or another authority.
ANZSCO codes within ACS scope
ACS covers ANZSCO codes in groups such as:
- 261x — Software and Applications Programmers: programmers, software engineers, developers
- 262x — Database and Systems Administrators and ICT Security Specialists: DBAs, sysadmins, security analysts, cloud engineers
- 263x — ICT Network and Support Professionals: network engineers, professional IT support
- 264x — ICT Sales Professionals: some codes in this group
- 135x — ICT Managers: ICT Director, ICT Project Manager (distinct from a general Project Manager)
- And some other specific ICT codes — the full list is on the ACS website
ACS reference fee: fees vary by assessment type (for example skills assessment, RPL) and over time — see the official fee schedule on the ACS site.
Occupations that are easy to confuse
A job title may sound like IT but the ANZSCO code may not be in the ICT group:
Business Analyst: Depends on the specialisation — ICT Business/Systems Analyst (ANZSCO 261111) falls under ACS, but a general Business Analyst (ANZSCO 224711) falls under VETASSESS. This is a very common source of confusion.
Project Manager: ICT Project Manager (ANZSCO 135112) falls under ACS. A general Project Manager in other industries is not ICT.
Data Analyst / Data Scientist: Some codes in this group have been classified to ACS, others have not. You need to look up the exact ANZSCO code for each specific role.
UX Designer / Product Designer: Depends on the specific ANZSCO code — not automatically ACS just because you work at a technology company.
VETASSESS fees for comparison
VETASSESS Professional reference fee: fees vary by assessment type and over time — see the official fee schedule on the VETASSESS site.
How to identify the right authority
The correct process for identifying the assessing authority:
- Identify the ANZSCO code of the occupation you nominate — look it up on the ANZSCO website or immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. Do not guess based on the job title.
- Check the ACS list — the ACS website lists in full the ANZSCO codes within its scope.
- If it is not on the ACS list — check VETASSESS (and other authorities such as TRA, EA, ANMAC if the occupation belongs to their group).
- Check the visa list — confirm the occupation you nominate is on the relevant visa’s occupation list.
Applying to the wrong authority costs not only fees but also time — an assessment from the wrong authority will produce a result that is not valid for the visa you are applying for.
If your occupation sits in a boundary area — especially where the job title matches several different ANZSCO codes — a registered migration agent (MARA) or an RTO specialising in assessments can help you identify the correct code before you apply.