Recently, the government has published the 2022-23 Migration Program.  The places allocated for the skilled independent visa and State/Territory visa have almost doubled compared to 2021/2022 FY. For skilled migration applicants, this increase is undoubtably a great news.

Obtaining a valid skills assessment is mandatory for most skilled migration programs including sc189/sc190/sc491 and sc494. In reality, it is not uncommon for people to work on an occupation that is not related to their qualification. Under such circumstances, can they use the working experience to apply for the skills assessment and skilled migration program?

Different skills assessment authorities have different approaches for these circumstances:

ICT professions： ACS

ACS is responsible for Skills assessment for ICT Professions. For applicants without a ICT qualification, they can apply under stream 4 RPL pathway.

If the applicant has an at least diploma or higher qualification that is not ICT related, they will require to demonstrate at least 6 years relevant work experience, plus a suitable Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) application to meet the suitability criteria.

If they have no recognised tertiary educational qualifications they will require 8 years relevant work experience plus a suitable Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) application to meet the suitability criteria.

Restaurant manager, Hotel Manager : VETASSESS

VETASSESS is one of the largest skills assessment authorities. They assess more than 360 professional occupations from various industries. The requirements for skills assessment are different between occupations.

For ANZSCO level 2 occupations such as Restaurant manager, Hotel Manager, the applicant is required to have at least a diploma for the purpose of skills assessment.

If the qualification is not in a highly relevant field, then the applicant must have following work experiences:

Ø  For work experience has occurred after completion of qualification: minimum 2 years of relevant employment, in the last 5 years.

Ø  For work experience has occurred before completion of qualification: minimum 3 years of relevant employment at any time in addition to at least 1 year employment within the last 5 years.

Marketing specialist and Market Research Analyst: VETASSESS

VETASSESS also assesses some of the ANZSCO level 1 such as Marketing specialist and Market Research Analyst. Higher qualification and employment requirement for Skills assessment are attached to this group of occupations.

Marketing specialist and Market Research Analyst both require a Bachelor or higher degree for skill assessment.

If the qualification is not in a highly relevant field, then the applicant must demonstrate following experience:

• For work experience has occurred after completion of qualification: minimum 3 years of relevant employment in the recent 5 years.

• For work experience has occurred before completion of qualification: minimum 5 years of employment highly relevant to the nominated occupation at any time in addition to at least 1 year employment within the last 5 years.

  
  

Hairdresser or Cook: TRA / VETASSESS

TRA is the skills assessment authority for many trade occupations. The TRA migration skills assessment requires the applicant to have a qualification directly related to the nominated occupation. The RPL qualification is may also be accepted by TRA.

If the applicant does not have a relevant qualification, depends on their country of passport and country of residence, they might be eligible to apply under the Offshore Skills Assessment Program. They can choose an approved RTO for the OSAP skills assessment.

For example , VETASSESS is the approved RTO for hairdresser. The process involves 2 stages, a documentary evidence assessment and a technical interview.

*Disclaimer: This is intended as general information only and not to be construed as legal advice. The above information is subject to changes over time. You should always seek professional advice beforetaking any course of action.*