Skills Assessment Documents to Prepare, by Authority

Preparing your skills assessment file correctly from the start helps you avoid having it returned, paying further fees, and losing time. Each authority has its own list of requirements, but a number of core documents apply to almost all of them.

Documents common to most authorities

Passport: A copy of the personal-information page (and the visa page if applicable).

Academic qualifications: Copies of your degree certificates and transcripts for all relevant levels of study. If they are not in English, a certified translation must be attached.

Evidence of work experience:

An employment reference letter from your employer — this is the most important document, and must be detailed enough about your role and specific duties
Employment contract
Payslips or salary records

CV/Resume: A full record of your work and study history.

ACS — ICT

ACS additionally requires:

A detailed Work Task Description (WTD): Each role needs its own description, listing specifically the work you performed — frameworks/technologies used, types of project, team size, specific responsibilities. This document is no less important than the reference letter from your employer.
A reference letter from your employer or client: Confirming your role, dates, and a description of the work.
For the RPL pathway: An RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) report describing your ICT competence against the ACS framework — this is a document you write yourself, not a pre-set form.

No separate English certificate is required for ACS — ACS places more weight on technical evidence.

VETASSESS — professional and general occupations

VETASSESS Professional additionally requires:

Detailed employment reference letters: Each role needs its own letter, with a description of duties detailed enough for VETASSESS to compare against the criteria of the ANZSCO code. A generic letter (“performed marketing duties”) is usually not enough.
Supporting evidence of the content of your work: Sample products (where appropriate), a portfolio, or project documents (with confidential information removed).
For some occupations: A licence to practise or professional registration.

VETASSESS may require an English certificate in some cases — check the specific requirement for your occupation.

TRA — trade occupations (Job Ready Program)

TRA operates differently from other authorities: the process is the Job Ready Program, comprising several stages rather than a single submission.

Initial file (Skills Evaluation):

A trade qualification or certificate, or completion of a trade-training program
Transcripts or assessment notes from the training course
Evidence of work experience in the trade occupation
Passport

TRA then assesses your file and, if approved, you enter the practical work stage (JRE) in Australia.

Engineers Australia — engineers

EA requires a distinctive set of documents: the CDR (Competency Demonstration Report).

The CDR comprises three parts:

3 Career Episodes — each around 1,000–2,500 words, describing a specific engineering project you took part in
Summary Statement — a table cross-referencing each passage of the Career Episodes against EA’s competency elements
CPD (Continuing Professional Development) — a list of professional development activities

In addition to the CDR:

Engineering degree and transcript (certified translation if not in English)
Passport
Application form with EA

ANMAC — nursing and midwifery

ANMAC requires:

Nursing/midwifery degree and transcript
A current registration certificate from the nursing regulatory authority in the country where you work
Evidence of clinical practice: hours worked, confirmation from the hospital/health facility
English certificate (mandatory and strict): OET (minimum B in all components), IELTS Academic (7.0 in all bands), PTE Academic (65 in all bands), or TOEFL iBT (24 in all bands)

General advice

Start early: Obtaining a reference letter from a former employer — especially one overseas — can take several weeks.
Translation: Any document not in English needs a certified translation. Choose an accredited translator (NAATI in Australia) where possible.
Do not hide experience: Declare everything, including short-term or part-time experience — missing information can lead to a lower assessment than the reality.
Keep originals: Some authorities require sight of originals during the verification process.