Do I need a skills assessment for the subclass 186 visa?

The Employer Nomination Scheme visa (SC 186) is a Permanent Residency visa. This visa has 3 streams thorough which you can apply for PR. You have to select the most approriate stream according to your circumstances for a successful outcome for your visa application. The 3 main streams are:

1. Direct Entry Stream: If you are applying for the  186 visa directly, you can explore this stream whether you are onshore or offshore. If you currently hold any temporary visa other than the 482 visa and you are hoping to apply for PR directly then this stream is for you.
2. Temporary Residence Transition stream: You can apply for this stream if you are currently holding an 482 visa.
3. Labour Agreement Stream: This stream is for applicants whose employers have an agreement with the Australian government.

A skills assessment is a formal evaluation conducted by a relevant skills assessing body to assess your qualifications and experience. If you have a positive outcome, it will mean that your qualifications and experience meets the Australian standards and if you have a negative outcome it would mean that you will have to rectify certain shortcomings to meet the Australian standards. 

Direct Entry Stream- a skills assessment is mandatory for most applicants under this stream. You have to have a positive skills assessment outcome before you apply for your 186 visa under this stream.

Transition stream- A skills assessment is not usually required under this stream when you lodge your 186 application. However, the case officer who assesses your application may request to obtain a skills assessment.

In Australia there are different skills assessing bodies for assessing different skills. It’s important that you do your skills assessment through the correct skills assessing body. Because doing your skills assessment through the wrong skills assessing body will waste your valuable time and money.  You can check for the relevant skills assessing body by accessing the skilled occupation list in the Department of Home Affairs webpage. It has the list of the eligible occupations and also the relevant skills assessing body for your occupation. You can watch the video here to find your skills assessing body.

You will typically need to submit the following documents:

• Identity documents: This can be your passport, Birth certificate, driving license, name change documents etc
• Educational qualifications: You can submit certified copies of your degree or diploma. You may also have to submit certified copies of your transcript and course completion letter.
• Work experience documents: You can include refence letters from your past and present employers detailing the job title you held, employment dates and your duties. You may also have to include your pay slips, employment contract and organisational charts if necessary
• Skills and licenses: This can be your professional certifications, evidence of membership with professional bodies, proof of licensing and registrations for regulated occupations
• English language proficiency: Some skills assessing bodies require you to have proof of your English language proficiency and you may submit your IELTS, PTE, TOEFL or any other valid test result. At times you can also request for an exemption if you have studied for a certain amount of time in Australia.

Some assessing authorities have specific requirements:

Engineers Australia requires a Competency Demonstration Report (CDR)

Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) may involve practical assessments or a job-ready program.

Australian Computer Society (ACS) may require RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) documentation for non-IT degree holders.

The relevant skills assessing authority/body will be conducting the skills assessment. The skills assessing authorities are the organisations that assess whether the skills that you possess meet the Australian standards to work in the relevant occupation. There are 43 skills assessing authorities that assess diverse occupations in Australia.

If your skills assessment has an expiry date then, it will be valid until the expiry date.

However, if your skills assessment doesn’t have an expiry date, then your skills assessment is usually valid for 3 years from the date of assessment.

Skills assesment is mandatory for the Direct Entry stream unlike the Transition stream. However, there are exemptions for skills assessment. The below applicants are exempted from doing a skills assessment:

• Applicants who are nominated as an academic (university lecturer or faculty head at Academic Level A, B, C, D or E) by a university in Australia.
• Applicants can also be a scientist, researcher, or technical specialist by an Australian government scientific agency.
• Special Category Visa (SC 444) holders or New Zealand Family Relationship visa (SC 461) holders, who have worked for their nominating employer for a minimum of 2 years in the last 3 years before applying for this visa are exempted.