How do I prepare for a VETASSESS skills assessment based on my occupation group?

First identify the occupation to be assessed based on your field of study and the work you do, then check the qualification and work experience requirements for its group. Requirements differ between groups, and your choice of assessed occupation also affects subsequent migration pathways.

Can more work experience make up for Group A qualification requirements?

No. Group A requires at least a relevant bachelor’s degree, and additional work experience cannot make up for the qualification requirement.

VETASSESS skills assessment: qualifications and experience

Subclass 190 / 491 status now

Policies confirmed + applications open + invitations imminent

Subclass 190 and 491 state nomination applications and invitation arrangements

As of the 24th, with South Australia opening its onshore ROI channel, the main streams of every state-nomination program are essentially open for lodgement, and NSW Subclass 491 Streams 1 and 3 will also open in mid-January.

At last week’s MIA state nomination briefing, each state government gave at least some indication of their upcoming invitation schedule — most intend to invite monthly. Because this year’s final quotas were allocated relatively late,Most states issued very few invitations in the first 4-5 months of the 2025-26 program year, so we should now see state-nomination invitations going out much more frequently.

For more background, see:Australian Migration Weekly Issue 404 | State officials speak directly: a full roundup of invitation schedules and selection rules for the eight state-nomination programs!

So if you haven’t prepared your skills assessment yet, act quickly.

Fortunately, most skills assessment bodies are currently processing fairly quickly — applying now still gets you into this year’s pool in time!

Today we had two VETASSESS skills assessments approved quickly — both for occupations currently in strong demand,one for a Construction Project Manager and one for a Management Consultant — with work experience fully recognised and able to be claimed in full!

VETASSESS

Skills assessment authority

currently assesses 361 skilled occupations; it also handles trade-occupation assessments, making it Australia’s largest skills assessment authority.Skills assessments are mostly based on an applicant’s qualifications (level and field) together with their work history.

VETASSESSdivides skilled occupations intoA,B,C,D,E,Fa total of6groups, each with different qualification and work-experience requirements.

Once you know which occupation group applies to you, matching it to the required qualifications and work experience gives you a good sense of whether you meet theVETASSESSskills assessment threshold requirements.

VETASSESS professional occupation groups

Group A

A relevant bachelor’s degree (or higher) is required

Relevant work experience is required

For occupations in this group, the qualification requirement cannot be offset by longer work experience. A bachelor’s degree is the minimum, and most require at least one year of relevant post-qualification work experience (at least 20 hours per week).

Examples include：actuaries, statisticians, mathematicians, university lecturers,life scientist, allied health occupations,food technologist, landscape architects, urban plannersand more.

VETASSESS Group A qualification and work experience requirements

VETASSESS Group A skills assessment criteria

Group B

A bachelor’s degree or higher is required

the field of study does not need to be related

A bachelor’s degree is mandatory; the field of study does not need to be related. The four scenarios below correspond to different work-experience requirements:

1.After completing a relevant bachelor’s degree, post-graduation1 years of relevant work experience

2. bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field, after graduation has2 years of relevant work experience, plus a relevant qualification (completed at any time) of at leastdiploma qualification

3. bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field, after graduation has3 years of relevant work experience, all of which must have been accrued within the past5 years

4. Ifwork experience was accrued before the bachelor’s degree, at least6 years of relevant work experience, including at least1 years completed within the past5 years of

Examples include:marketing specialists, advertising specialists, and editors of various kinds/writers, designers of various kinds (e.g. graphic, multimedia, web, and fashion designers), financial advisers,ICT sales representatives, management consultants, private tutors, public relations officers, recruitment consultantsand similar occupations.

VETASSESS Group B qualification and work experience pathways

VETASSESS Group B skills assessment criteria

Group C

must hold a qualification at least equivalent to an Australian Diploma

the field of study does not need to be related

DiplomaA qualification is mandatory; the field of study does not need to be related. The four scenarios below correspond to different work-experience requirements:

1. completed a relevantDiplomaqualification, with post-graduation1 years of relevant work experience

2. Diplomaqualification in an unrelated field, after graduation has1 years of relevant work experience, with a relevantCertificate 4 or higher is a good fit for clients who already hold a Chinese diploma and then come to Australia to study aC4 or a higher-level course+and build relevant work experience — such as a massage therapist or restaurant manager — after which a state nomination or employer-sponsored visa becomes a viable next step.

3. completed an unrelatedDiplomaqualification, and after graduation has2 years of relevant work experience, all of which must have been accrued within the past5 years

4. work experience withinDiplomaqualification, at least4 years of relevant work experience, including at least1 years completed within the past5 years of

Examples include:massage therapist, restaurant manager, architectural draftsperson, civil draftsperson, customer service manager, event plannerconference and event organiser，finance broker, insurance broker, interior designer, photographer, real estate agent, project administrator, contract administrator

VETASSESS Group C qualification and work experience pathways

VETASSESS Group C skills assessment criteria

Group D

holds a qualification at least equivalent to Australian Certificate III/IV

the field of study does not need to be related

DiplomaA qualification is mandatory; the field of study does not need to be related. The four scenarios below correspond to different work-experience requirements:

1. has a relevantC4qualification, and after completion has1 years of relevant work experience

2. has an unrelatedC4qualification, and after completion has2 years of relevant work experience

3. has a relevantC3qualification, after completion3 years of relevant work experience, all of which must have been accrued within the past5 years

4. Work experience was accruedC4qualification, at least4 years of relevant work experience, of which at least1 years completed within the past5 years.

Examples include:311215pharmacists,451711flight attendants,611211insurance brokers,612114real estate agents,411311recreational therapistsand so on.

VETASSESS Group D skills assessment criteria

Group E and Group F covers a very small number of niche occupations, which are not detailed here.

The most critical step in a skills assessment is deciding which occupation to nominate, based on your field of study and work experience. This choice also shapes the migration pathway you can follow later. Contact our client service team below to arrange a consultant assessment tailored to you.！