Work Experience Points in Your EOI: Inside and Outside Australia
Work Experience Points in Your EOI
Work experience is one of the most important points categories in the SkillSelect EOI system. Unlike age or English-language points, work experience builds up naturally over time and can make a large difference to your total EOI score.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) splits experience points into two separate categories: work experience gained outside Australia and work experience gained in Australia. The two categories use different points tables and can be counted at the same time — you can earn points from both if you have experience in each.
Work Experience Outside Australia
Overseas work experience covers time worked in your home country and any country other than Australia, in an occupation that matches the ANZSCO code you nominate in your EOI.
Points table for overseas experience:
- Less than 3 years: 0 points (not counted)
- 3 to under 5 years: 5 points
- 5 to under 8 years: 10 points
- 8 years or more: 15 points
The minimum threshold for any points is 3 years of experience. If you have 2 years and 11 months, you will receive 0 points from this category. This is why the timing of your EOI lodgement matters — sometimes waiting a few more months to reach a full 3 years of experience is the right decision.
Work Experience in Australia
Australian work experience is valued more highly than overseas experience. The points table is higher and begins counting from just 1 year of experience.
Points table for Australian experience:
- Less than 1 year: 0 points
- 1 to under 3 years: 5 points
- 3 to under 5 years: 10 points
- 5 to under 8 years: 15 points
- 8 years or more: 20 points
The maximum for Australian experience is 20 points, 5 points higher than the maximum for overseas experience (15 points). This reflects DHA policy that encourages people who already have work experience and have contributed to the Australian economy.
How Experience Is Counted and Verified
A few points to keep in mind when calculating work experience for your EOI:
It must be experience in a related occupation. Work experience only counts if it belongs to the occupation matching the ANZSCO code you nominate in your EOI, or at least a closely related occupation recognised by the skills assessing authority. Experience outside your field does not count at all.
It must be lawful, paid employment. Volunteer work does not count. Unpaid internships do not count either. Self-employment may be counted but requires clear supporting documentation.
It is counted as total accumulated time. You do not need to have worked continuously. If you worked 2 years, took 6 months off, then worked another year, your total experience is 3 years (the break is not counted).
For Australian experience: the work must have been performed on Australian soil, not remote work for an Australian company while living overseas.
Combining Australian and Overseas Experience
You can earn points from both categories within the same EOI. For example, if you have 6 years of experience in your home country and 2 years of experience in Australia, you would receive:
- 10 points from overseas experience (5–8 years)
- 5 points from Australian experience (1–3 years)
- A total of 15 points from the experience category
This is how many applicants can build up a meaningful number of points — long-standing experience from overseas combined with time working in Australia.
Strategies to Maximise Experience Points
Wait for the next points threshold. If you are close to reaching a new experience threshold (for example, about to hit 5 years to jump from 5 points to 10 points for overseas experience), consider waiting until you reach it before lodging your EOI.
Prioritise Australian experience if you are in Australia. Each year of work in Australia carries a higher points value than overseas experience. If you are in Australia on a temporary visa, this is a good reason to build up more local experience before lodging your EOI.
Keep your documents carefully. When invited, you will need to provide evidence of your work experience: employment reference letters, employment contracts, payslips. Store these documents now, especially for overseas experience, because they can be hard to obtain again later.