Do you need a skills assessment at all?
It depends on the visa and, for two of them, on the stream. The deadline matters as much as the answer, because for a points tested visa the assessment has to exist before the invitation rather than before the application.
| Visa | Needed | By when |
|---|---|---|
| Points tested skilled visas: subclass 189 points tested stream, 190, 489 invited pathway and 491 | Yes | You must have a suitable assessment for your nominated occupation by the time you are invited to apply, and it must still be valid then. An assessment obtained after the invitation cannot be relied on, although the Department accepts one obtained inside the 60 day invitation period. |
| Employer Nomination Scheme, subclass 186, Direct Entry stream | Yes | The result has to have been obtained before the date you make the visa application, though the document itself can be provided afterwards. Three years of full time work in the occupation at the required skill level is also needed. |
| Employer Nomination Scheme, subclass 186, Temporary Residence Transition or Labour Agreement stream | Not at application | A decision maker can still ask for one if they consider it necessary before deciding. |
| Skills in Demand, subclass 482 | For some applicants | Where it is mandatory, the assessment has to be started or completed within the three years before you submit, and the reference number goes in the application. The Department may also ask for one where it is not mandatory, and will do so in writing. |
| Temporary Graduate, subclass 485, Post-Vocational Education Work stream | Yes | You must show at the time you apply that you have at least applied for an assessment, or the application cannot be processed. The nominated occupation has to be on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List. |
| Temporary Graduate, subclass 485, Post-Higher Education Work stream | No | No skills assessment is needed for this stream. |
The pattern worth noticing is that no two of these deadlines are the same date. A points tested visa needs a valid assessment at invitation, a subclass 186 Direct Entry needs the result before the application, and a Post-Vocational Education Work 485 needs only proof that you have applied for one. The skilled migration page sets out where this step sits in the rest of the sequence.
How long does a skills assessment last?
Three years, unless the assessment itself says something shorter. A longer period printed on the document does not extend it.
- If the assessment shows no validity period, it is valid for 3 years from the date of issue.
- If it shows a period shorter than 3 years, that shorter period is the one that counts.
- If it shows a period longer than 3 years, it is still valid for only 3 years from the date of assessment.
The date that matters is not always the day you lodge. For a points tested visa the assessment has to be valid when you are invited, and an invitation can arrive well after the expression of interest went in. An assessment that expires while you are waiting in the pool is a common and expensive way to lose a place.
The five ways people pay twice
All of these produce a document that says skills assessment on it and does not do the job the visa needs.
A 485 assessment is not a general purpose one
A provisional skills assessment issued for a subclass 485 application is not a suitable assessment for a points tested visa, and an assessment obtained for a 485 is not valid for a subclass 186. The document says skills assessment on it and does not do the job.
Authorities issue more than one kind
The same authority may offer several assessment types against different professional standards. You need the one that meets the requirements for permanent migration, and choosing the cheaper or faster product is how people end up paying twice.
The occupation code is not a preference
The authority follows the occupation, and the occupation has to match the actual tasks and responsibilities of the work. The Department uses the 2022 version of ANZSCO for the subclass 186 and 482, and the 2013 version for every other skilled subclass, so the same job can sit under different codes depending on the visa.
An assessment is not permission to work
For most occupations, migration assessment and professional registration or licensing are separate processes run by different bodies, and holding one does not give you the other. Doctors are the exception that shows the rule: their registration is what the Department accepts as the assessment.
A negative result closes the door for that visa
The Department puts it plainly: without a positive assessment you cannot apply for a skilled migration visa. That is why the evidence is worth getting right the first time rather than appealing it afterwards.
What Jenny does with a skills assessment
Five things, none of which is assessing you. The authority does that, against its own professional standards, and no agent has any influence over the result.
Works out whether you need one
Two of the streams above need nothing, and one needs only proof that you have applied. Knowing which line you are on decides what happens in the next month.
Settles the occupation, then the authority
The occupation code has to match what you actually do, and the authority follows from it. This is the step that costs the most when it goes wrong, because the fee and the months are both spent before anyone tells you.
Checks the assessment against the visa you want
Which type of assessment, whether it is the permanent migration one, and whether it will still be valid on the day it has to be.
Helps you assemble what the authority asks for
Each authority sets its own evidence rules for qualifications and employment. Jenny does not assess anyone and cannot influence the result, but a complete submission is the part you control.
Plans the visa around the timing
The assessment sits before the expression of interest, and its expiry date sits somewhere in the middle of everything that follows. Sequencing it is most of what an agent is for here.
The Department is blunt about the stakes: without a positive assessment you cannot apply for a skilled migration visa. That is why this step is worth getting right the first time, and why the useful conversation happens before the fee is paid rather than after the result arrives. Her own fee is separate from the authority’s charge and from the Department’s, and is quoted in writing before any work starts.
Skills assessments, answered plainly.
Worth checking the door before you knock on it.
What you do, where you qualified, how long you have done it, and which visa you have in mind. Jenny will tell you which authority assesses your occupation, which type of assessment the visa needs, and when it has to be done by.
Indicative guidance only, not migration advice. Your details stay private.
Written and checked by Jenny Satya Graha, Registered Migration Agent MARN 0429372. Every requirement, deadline and validity rule on this page was checked on 1 September 2026 against the Department of Home Affairs pages on skills assessment, assessing authorities and the skilled occupation list. The authorities’ own rules, charges and timeframes are set by them, not by the Department and not by this practice, and they change. Confirm your own occupation and authority against the combined list before you pay anything.