- a Statutory Declaration;
- A Notarial Certificate; OR
- A Declaration signed by a Registered Migration Agent.
The declaration or certificate must clearly state that you are not in Australia at the time of lodging the application.
Declarations made by Registered Migration Agents must be on the Agent’s business letterhead and be signed by the Agent (not by their representative).
Priority Processing: GST exemption evidence must be supplied at the time of submitting your application online.
2. Photograph
One recent passport-sized colour photograph is required. The photograph must be no more than six months old and of good quality (self-taken photographs are not acceptable).
3. Proof of identity
As proof of your identity, we require your passport biopage showing your name, photo and date of birth. If you do not have a passport, you will need to provide your full Birth Certificate.
4. Change of name
If applicable, evidence of name change must be provided to address any naming inconsistencies in the documents submitted. This is to support your identity.
5. Qualification evidence
Qualification evidence includes your qualification award certificate accompanied by the academic transcripts.
As part of determining your eligibility for Priority Processing, VETASSESS will need to determine if your qualifications are comparable to the Australian Qualifications Framework as outlined in the Australian Government’s published Country Education Profiles (CEPs). If your qualification(s) require in-house assessment, your application will not be eligible for Priority Processing .
Award Certificate:
The award certificate is the official document confirming the completion of an award course of study. If you have not yet received your qualification award certificate, a provisional award certificate issued by the awarding body or an official statement of completion issued by the Registrar’s department of the awarding institution will be accepted.
Academic Transcript:
Provide us with your complete academic transcript. Transcripts are the official records from the institution outlining the courses / units of study as well as the final grades achieved as part of your academic qualification. If you attended a college affiliated to the awarding institution, the academic transcripts must be issued by the awarding institution permitted to award the qualifications.
If your transcripts do not provide sufficient information regarding the units of study undertaken, please provide additional evidence, such as a course syllabus, to clarify this. You can also detail major projects and other significant features of your studies in your CV.
Additional notes for qualifications obtained from specific regions of the world:
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (PRC)
If you hold qualifications that have been awarded by educational institutions from China, you will be required to have your qualification documents verified by VETASSESS.
For Priority Processing, you must have a completed VETASSESS Chinese Qualification Verification before applying.
You can read more about the Chinese Qualifications Verification process on our website at
EUROPE
Applicants with European qualifications should supply Diploma Supplements for these if available. Generally, these are only issued by educational institutions from countries participating in the Bologna Process. A Diploma Supplement will be accepted in lieu of an award certificate and transcript if it includes all the necessary information.
NIGERIA
A verified copy of the award certificate and full academic transcript must be sent in a sealed envelope from the awarding body directly to VETASSESS.
For Priority Processing, the verified documentation must have reached VETASSESS by registered courier mail at the time you lodge your application.
PAKISTAN
An attested HEC (Higher Education Commission Pakistan) copy of the award certificate and full academic transcript must be sent directly by courier in a sealed envelope from HEC to VETASSESS.
For Priority Processing, the verified documentation must have reached VETASSESS by registered courier mail at the time you lodge your application.
PHILIPPINES
Please supply evidence of passing the Professional Regulation Commission’s Licensure Examinations if available.
LEBANON
Most qualifications awarded by University Colleges and Institutes in Lebanon require evidence of approval by the Equivalence Committee of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Please supply this evidence confirming equivalency to a qualification awarded by a Lebanese university.
6. Employment evidence
It is important that you provide us with the required employment evidence for each employment position listed in your formal skills assessment application.
As part of determining your eligibility for Priority Processing, VETASSESS will need to determine if your employment claims can be verified within 10 business days. Therefore, please ensure that you have all the required evidence listed below at the time of applying for Priority Processing.
Statement of Service:
A Statement of Service is a written statement by your employer confirming your employment on official letterhead. Official letterheads should include the organisation’s full address details, telephone, email and website addresses. The content of the letter must be signed by your direct supervisor or the manager of the human resources department.
The Statement of Service must include the following:
- a) The company letterhead
- b) Your full name
- c) The working hours per week
- d) Your official position title (s) held at the organisation
- e) The exact period of your employment in each position held
- f) Description of your main duties for each position held
- g) The salary earned
- h) Official contact details and signature of the person writing the statement of service – references from colleagues at the same level or below will not be accepted.
Payment evidence can include one of the following types:
- Pay slips (ideally your first and last payslip);
- Taxation Records of Assessment (bearing company and applicant name)
- Bank Statements showing at least two salary payments, your name and the employer’s name; OR
- Employment-linked insurance / superannuation records (bearing company and applicant name).
Sole Practitioner / Self-employed:
If you are self-employed, you are advised to provide evidence of sole trading such as your business registration details and official statements issued by your (registered) Accountants and/ or Legal teams. The statement from your accountant or solicitor must include the accountant’s or solicitor’s letterhead, your full name, how long you have been continuously engaged in the business, the nature of the business and the signature of the accountant or solicitor.
As sole trader, you are required to provide as much official and verifiable evidence as possible. This can include evidence of business activity statements, client testimonials, client invoices, bank statements showing regular income, official taxation evidence and your business registration details. Please note that testimonials should indicate as much information regarding your primary tasks and responsibilities in order to assist the skills assessment.
View List of Managerial Occupations requiring Organisational Chart.
If you are nominating a managerial occupation, you must submit an organisational chart highlighting your job position and those of your superiors and subordinates. If you are unable to obtain an organisational chart from your employer, please provide a statutory declaration outlining the required information and the reasons why this information cannot be provided.
Other Supplementary Employment Evidence:
In addition to the above, other supplementary employment evidence may include:
- License or Registration documents and details of the requirements for obtaining the license or registration
- Evidence of professional development completed during applicant’s employment
- Prizes / Certificates or other forms of commendation
Statutory Declarations and Affidavits:
Please note, in order for VETASSESS to consider the contents of a Statutory Declaration for skills assessment purposes, the statutory declaration (or equivalent legal document) must be properly executed by the appropriate legal professional(s) in the country of origin. Applicants may need to seek appropriate legal advice as to how this is carried out in the country of their current residence.
Statutory Declarations should provide any information you are unable to supply through official documents such as, for example, a description of the tasks associated with a particular period of employment. Please note that skills assessments cannot be conducted based on the contents of a statutory declaration or affidavit alone. VETASSESS will require a range of official employment documentation as evidence to support any claims made through the use of statutory declarations. Examples of the range of employment evidence that may be produced by applicants include official taxation documents, signed contract documents, appointment letters and official job descriptions.
7. LinkedIn profile
If applying for a formal skills assessment, we encourage you to submit an up-to-date link to your LinkedIn profile to outline both your academic studies (describing the major focus of your studies including providing details of any major projects undertaken as part of course requirements) as well as describing your employment / career history in your own words.
VETASSESS have announced several changes to the trade skills assessment process. These changes commence on 23 April and are outlined below:
Changes in how applications are lodged
Applicants will only have to pay for a skills assessment once VETASSESS have confirmed that the application is ‘assessment ready’.
When applying for a skills assessment, VETASSESS will review the information and documents that were provided to ensure they have enough evidence for the assessment.
Once VETASSESS have confirmed the application is ‘assessment ready’, they will accept the application and advise how to pay the assessment fee.
Reopening new applications in some paused occupations
Following discussions with Trades Recognition Australia (TRA), VETASSESS will resume accepting new applications for the following three trade occupations:
- Cook, ANZSCO Code 351411
- Diesel Motor Mechanic, ANZSCO Code 321212
- Motor Mechanic (General), ANZSCO Code 321211
New applications under Pathway 1 and Pathway 2 under OSAP and TSS programs remain paused for the following occupations:
- Chef, ANZSCO Code 351311
- Fitter (General), ANZSCO Code 323211
- Electrician (General), ANZSCO Code 341111
- Metal Machinist (First Class), ANZSCO Code 323214.
Changes for Pathway 1 trade applications
VETASSESS are changing the assessment process for Pathway 1 applications for all trades, except Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic, Electrician (General), Electrician (Special Class) and Plumber (General),
Stage 2 of the assessment process will now involve three steps:
- Video evidence
When submitting a Stage 2 application, the applicant will need to provide a selection of videos demonstrating their trade skills. This change means that applicants will no longer need to supply photographic evidence, unless requested by the assessor. - Australian Industry Standards Online Assessment
The applicant will need to complete a short online course about Australian industry standards relevant to their trade. At the end of the course, they will have 7 days to complete an assessment of their understanding of these standards. - Technical Interview
Once the online assessment is successfully completed and video evidence requirements are met, VETASSESS will be able to book the applicant’s technical interview. The interview will take about two hours and be conducted either over the internet or face to face at one of VETASSESS’ assessment venues.
Book a meeting for a briefing with our Registered Migration Agents in Melbourne to find more about your visa options.
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- VETASSESS Skills Assessment (Trade Occupations)
- VETASSESS Skills Assessment (Professional Occupations)
- Job Ready Skills Assessment for Trade Occupations
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- Outcome Based Assessment (OBA) for Internationally qualified nurses and midwives (IQNM) and PR Pathway
- Changes to Skills Assessment for Nurses and Midwives
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