Everything we know, written down
No email gate. No PDF download form. If you would rather write the report yourself, these guides contain what you need — the rules, the competency standard, the codes, and the mistakes to avoid.
Skills assessment
- 11 min read
Engineers Australia Skills Assessment
An Engineers Australia skills assessment is the formal check that your engineering qualification and skills meet Australian standards for skilled migration. Most applicants outside the accord agreements prove this with a Competency Demonstration Report (CDR): three career episodes, a summary statement, a CPD list and a CV, assessed against the Stage 1 competencies.
Read guide - 9 min read
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
The Stage 1 competency standard is the benchmark Engineers Australia uses to assess entry-level competence. It has three groups — Knowledge and Skill Base, Engineering Application Ability, and Professional and Personal Attributes — containing sixteen elements for Professional Engineer and Engineering Technologist, and a parallel set for Engineering Associate.
Read guide - 8 min read
MSA Booklet
The MSA booklet is Engineers Australia's official Migration Skills Assessment guide. It sets the binding rules for a CDR: three career episodes of 1,000–2,500 words each in numbered paragraphs, a summary statement cross-referencing every competency element, a CPD list, and a CV of no more than three pages.
Read guide - 6 min read
Engineers Australia Fees
Engineers Australia charges a fee for the migration skills assessment itself, with additional fees for fast-track processing, relevant skilled employment assessment, adding an occupation, and appeals. Fees are revised annually and published on the Engineers Australia website — always confirm the current amount before paying.
Read guide - 5 min read
Skills Assessment Validity
An Engineers Australia or ACS skills assessment is normally valid for three years from its date of issue, unless the assessment letter states a shorter period. Your assessment must be valid at the time you lodge your visa application — not merely when you submit your Expression of Interest.
Read guide - 8 min read
ACS Skills Assessment
The Australian Computer Society assesses ICT occupations for skilled migration. It reviews your qualification's ICT content and closeness to your nominated ANZSCO code, then deducts two to six years of experience as the 'skill-met date'. Applicants without a relevant ICT qualification submit an RPL report instead of a CDR.
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Occupations & codes
- 9 min read
ANZSCO Codes
ANZSCO — the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations — assigns every occupation a six-digit code and a skill level from 1 to 5. Your nominated ANZSCO code determines your assessing authority, which skilled visas you can apply for, and which state nominations are open to you.
Read guide - 8 min read
Skilled Occupation List
Australia's skilled occupation lists define which ANZSCO occupations qualify for which visas. The MLTSSL feeds the subclass 189, 190 and 491; the STSOL feeds state-nominated and regional pathways; the ROL adds regional-only occupations; and the CSOL governs employer-sponsored subclass 482 nominations.
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Visas & EOI
- 9 min read
SkillSelect & EOI
SkillSelect is the Australian Government's online system for managing skilled migration. You lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) declaring your occupation, points and claims; the Department ranks EOIs by points and issues invitations in periodic rounds. An EOI is not an application and is valid for two years.
Read guide - 9 min read
Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate Visa
The subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa lets recent graduates of Australian institutions live, study and work in Australia temporarily after finishing their qualification. It has two streams — Post-Higher Education Work for degree graduates and Post-Vocational Education Work for trade and diploma graduates — and is the main way international students convert study into the local skilled experience that points-tested visas reward.
Read guide - 8 min read
Subclass 494 Visa
The subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa lets an employer in regional Australia sponsor a skilled worker for up to five years. It requires a positive skills assessment, at least three years of relevant work experience, and a commitment to live and work in the sponsoring region — with a pathway to permanent residence through the subclass 191.
Read guide - 7 min read
Subclass 407 Training Visa
The subclass 407 Training visa allows you to come to Australia for up to two years to undertake workplace-based occupational training. It requires an approved sponsor, a nomination, and a structured training plan — and it is used by engineers to complete training required for occupational registration or to build Australian experience.
Read guide - 8 min read
Subclass 189 Skilled Independent Visa
The subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa is a permanent, points-tested visa that needs no employer, state or family sponsorship. You need an occupation on the MLTSSL, a positive skills assessment, Competent English, to be under 45 at invitation, and a points score high enough to be invited from the SkillSelect pool.
Read guide - 7 min read
Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated Visa
The subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa is a permanent points-tested visa that requires nomination by an Australian state or territory. The nomination adds 5 points and comes with an expectation that you will live and work in the nominating state, typically for the first two years.
Read guide - 8 min read
Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional Visa
The subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa is a five-year points-tested visa requiring nomination by a state or territory, or sponsorship by an eligible relative in a designated regional area. It adds 15 points — the largest single nomination bonus — and leads to permanent residence through the subclass 191 after three years.
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Documents
- 7 min read
Documents Required for Skills Assessment
For an Australian skills assessment you need your passport bio page, a recognised English test result, your degree certificate and complete academic transcripts, employment references on company letterhead covering dates and duties, and certified English translations of any non-English document — plus the CDR or RPL itself.
Read guide - 10 min read
Reference Letter for Skills Assessment
An employment reference letter for an Australian skills assessment must be on company letterhead and state your full name, exact employment dates, position title, hours worked, and a detailed description of your actual duties — signed and dated by someone whose name, position and contact details are given.
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Careers & salary
Not sure your CDR is ready to submit?
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