Vetassess skills assessment from 1 January 2010

From 1 January 2010, Vetassess will be changing its requirements for skills assessments for migration purposes.

The essential changes are that:

• the qualification must be relevant to the nominated occupation
  AND
• that at least one year’s relevant work experience will be required. This has to be work experience/on-the-job training completed in the five years before the date of application for a skills assessment.
• In some cases, one or two additional years of relevant employment may be required IF the qualification does not have enough content which is relevant to the nominated occupation.

Vetassess advises that “the new assessment process will help to ensure that applicant’s [sic] who meet the requirements under the new process are job ready and have the relevant skills and qualifications for employment in Australia in their nominated occupation”.

NOTE: Subclass 485 (Skilled - Graduate Temporary) visa applicants

There will be a Stage 1 skills assessment for Subclass 485 (Skilled - Graduate Temporary) visa applicants, which will not require one year’s work experience. The full skills assessment (which will require work experience) must be done for an application for a permanent GSM visa.

Subclass 485 applications can only apply for a Vetassess skills assessment if they have a nominated occupation in Vetassess’s new occupation Groups A and B (see below).

Vetassess has placed particular occupations in particular groups:

Group A
[for example, Agricultural Scientist; Biochemist ; Chemist; Geologist ; Life Scientists [nec]; Teacher - Education Officer; Teacher - Vocational Educational Teacher (non trades); Urban and Regional Planner]

Requires:

• a qualification at least at an Australian bachelor degree level , with a major “highly relevant” to the nominated occupation,
• AND at least one year of relevant employment experience at “an appropriate level”.

Group B
[for example, Advertising Specialist; Construction Project Manager; Environmental Health Officer; Hotel or Motel Manager (Degree); Marketing Specialist; Production Manager (Manufacturing); Research and Development Manager]

Requires:

• a qualification at least at an Australian bachelor degree level , with a major “highly relevant” to the nominated occupation,
• AND at least one year of relevant employment experience at “an appropriate level”.
• AND either two or three years of relevant employment experience will be required IF the qualification/s is identified as having a shortfall in content relevance.

Group C
[for example: Architectural Associate; Building Associate; Financial Investment Adviser; Hotel or Motel Manager (Diploma); Office Manager; Project or Program Administrator]

Requires:

• a qualification at least at an Australian Diploma level, with a major “highly relevant” to the nominated occupation,
• AND one year of relevant employment experience at an appropriate level.
• OR (if the major is not “highly relevant”) two years of work experience AND another “highly relevant” major at least at Australian Certificate IV level.

Group D
[Building Associate Professionals (nec); Civil Engineering Technician; Metallurgical and Materials Technician]

Requires:

• a qualification at least at the level of an Australian Certificate IV, with a major “highly relevant” to the nominated occupation,
• AND at least one year of relevant employment experience at an appropriate level,
• OR (if the major is not “highly relevant”) two years of work experience.