VETASSESS: Skills Assessment for Professional and General Occupations

VETASSESS is the largest skills assessing authority in Australia. It handles many professional and general occupations that do not belong to a dedicated authority — from management and niche accounting roles to marketing and many technical occupations. If it is not clear whether your occupation belongs to ACS, Engineers Australia or TRA, VETASSESS is usually the first place to check.

Which occupations VETASSESS assesses

VETASSESS divides occupations into “professional” and “trade” groups, with different requirements. Each occupation has its own criteria for qualifications and the number of years of relevant experience. Because the catalogue is so broad, the first step is to look up your exact ANZSCO occupation code on the VETASSESS website to see the specific criteria.

The process and Priority Processing

The standard process requires you to submit qualifications, transcripts and evidence of experience. VETASSESS also offers a Priority Processing service, charged separately, for those who need a faster result.

Fees and timing

The assessment fee varies by the type of assessment and the time of application — see the official fee schedule on the VETASSESS website. Processing time varies by assessment type and the volume of applications — check the current timeframes on the official VETASSESS website; it also depends on the complexity of the case and whether the application has all the documents from the start.

Points to note when preparing

Because VETASSESS assesses the “relevance” of your experience to the occupation, the way you describe your work and prove the number of years is very important. Where an occupation sits on the boundary between two codes, or experience is spread across several roles, it should be reviewed by a registered migration agent (MARA) before lodging.