The Main Skills Assessing Authorities in Australia

Australia does not have a single assessing authority. Instead, each group of occupations is assigned to a specialist authority. Below are five authorities applicants commonly encounter — each has its own article going deeper into the process, documents, fees and timing.

ACS — information technology occupations

ACS (the Australian Computer Society) handles the ICT occupation group: programmers, systems analysts, software engineers, network administrators and many other technology roles. ACS has several different pathways depending on your qualifications and experience.

VETASSESS — professional and general occupations

VETASSESS is the largest assessing authority in Australia, handling many professional and general occupations that do not belong to a dedicated authority. If it is not clear which authority your occupation belongs to, VETASSESS is likely the first place to look.

TRA — trade occupations

TRA (Trades Recognition Australia) is a government authority handling trade occupations such as welders, mechanics, electricians, construction trades and cooks. Many trades go through the Job Ready Program, which has several steps, including a period of actual work in Australia.

Engineers Australia — engineering occupations

Engineers Australia assesses engineering occupations. If your qualification is not covered by an international recognition agreement, the common pathway is to submit a Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) describing your engineering competencies.

ANMAC — nursing and midwifery

ANMAC handles nursing, midwifery and some other healthcare occupations. ANMAC has several types of assessment depending on your case, and assesses against criteria rather than requiring you to sit an exam.

Confirm the right authority first

The list above is for orientation only. A specific occupation still needs to be checked by its ANZSCO code to be sure of the responsible authority. If your occupation sits on the boundary, a registered migration agent (MARA) can help work out the right place to lodge.