Skills assessment · Early childhood
ACECQA Skills Assessment: Early Childhood Teachers and Childcare Roles
ACECQA assesses five childcare occupations for migration. The decisive gate differs by occupation: qualification, English or experience.
Quick answer
The ACECQA skills assessment covers early childhood teachers and childcare occupations for Australian skilled visas. The fee is $1,100 and ACECQA works to 80 calendar days from an assessment-ready application. Outcomes hold for three years. Early childhood teachers need the qualification and English, with no experience requirement.
Key facts
- Five occupations: early childhood teacher, child care centre manager, two child care worker streams, and OSHC worker
- Fee: $1,100 including GST; a review costs $990 — ACECQA guidelines, November 2025
- Timing: 80 calendar days from an assessment-ready application, per ACECQA's application guidelines
- Validity: three years from issue
- Since 7 December 2024: early childhood teachers are assessed by ACECQA, not AITSL
What the ACECQA assessment covers
ACECQA is the national authority for early childhood qualifications. Since 7 December 2024 it also runs the early childhood teacher skills assessment for migration. Before that date, AITSL assessed teachers in this field.
An ACECQA assessment serves five occupations, and each has a different decisive gate. Some turn on English, some on experience, and the early childhood teacher on neither alone.
| Occupation | ANZSCO | Decisive gate |
|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood (Pre-Primary School) Teacher | 241111 | Qualification plus English. No experience requirement |
| Child Care Centre Manager | 134111 | Qualification plus three years of post-qualification experience |
| Child Care Worker (group leaders only) | 421111 | Qualification plus one year of experience |
| Child Care Worker | 421111 | Qualification plus English |
| Out of School Hours Care Worker | 421114 | Qualification plus English |
The teacher and manager codes are the migration-heavy ones for points-tested visas. Confirm your occupation's live list row before building a pathway on the worker codes.
The qualification routes
The cleanest route is an ACECQA-approved qualification, or one it deems equivalent. Teachers without an approved early childhood teaching qualification are not shut out.
ACECQA runs a dual assessment in those cases. It assesses the qualification under the National Quality Framework inside the same application, with no separate fee. Extra evidence may be requested for the equivalence call.
An early childhood skills assessment for the worker codes accepts certificate-level qualifications. A childcare skills assessment for the manager code is stricter. It wants diploma level or higher, plus the experience gate.
The ACECQA English requirements
English is where early childhood teacher files most often stall. The bar is set high, and it is specific.
For the teacher code, one of these must hold. One year of full-time tertiary study in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, the UK or the USA. Or IELTS Academic at 7.0 in reading and writing, with 8.0 in speaking and listening, inside three years. Or ISLPR Level 4 in all four skills at an approved site.
The worker and OSHC codes accept IELTS at 5.0 in all four components, or the study exemption. The ACECQA English requirements name IELTS and ISLPR only, so do not assume a PTE score converts. Confirm directly with ACECQA before relying on PTE for this step.
Fees, timing and validity
The ACECQA fees are flat and published in its guidelines. The application fee is $1,100 including GST. A review of an adverse outcome costs $990. Fees are non-refundable once assessment starts. That is the whole ACECQA cost at the assessment stage.
The guidelines commit to 80 calendar days from an assessment-ready application, and that is the figure to plan against. A non-ready application is what causes delay, not the queue.
The ACECQA processing time clock starts at assessment-ready, not at lodgement. Outcomes are valid for three years.
How to apply
- Match occupation and gateConfirm the code from duties, and the gate that applies: qualification, English or experience.
- Assemble the evidenceParchment, full transcripts, passport, English evidence, and employer templates where experience is the gate.
- Lodge assessment-readyApply online under the Qualifications tab. A complete file is what the 80-day window assumes.
A registered migration agent can act as your authorised agent on the file. ACECQA then copies all correspondence to both of you.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the ACECQA skills assessment cost?
The application fee is $1,100 including GST, set in ACECQA's Skills Assessment Application Guidelines dated November 2025. A review of an unsuccessful outcome costs $990. Fees are non-refundable once the assessment has commenced. The dual assessment of a non-approved qualification happens inside the same application at no extra charge. Confirm the current guidelines edition before paying, because the fee moves with each reissue.
How much does an Australia skill assessment cost overall?
It depends entirely on the authority. ACECQA charges $1,100 for childcare occupations. Other authorities range from a few hundred dollars for nurses to about $1,500 for ICT roles. Every figure has a date on it, because authorities change fees without notice. The skills assessment hub on this site holds the per-authority table with the date each figure was checked.
How long does an ACECQA assessment take?
ACECQA's guidelines commit to 80 calendar days from the day your application is assessment-ready. Readiness is the real lever, because the clock only starts once the file is complete. Missing transcripts, unverifiable employment templates or thin English evidence stop it before it starts. Plan around the 80-day window rather than hoping for a faster run. Outcomes then hold for three years from the date of issue.
Can I apply for a skill assessment by myself?
Yes. ACECQA takes direct applications through its online form, and no agent is required. If you appoint one, ACECQA recognises authorised agents formally and copies correspondence to both parties. Representation earns its keep in route selection. That means the approved-versus-equivalent call, the dual assessment, and whether your English evidence fits the instruments ACECQA names. Procedurally, self-lodging is entirely workable.
Who is exempt from a skills assessment in Australia?
Exemptions attach to the visa, not to the person. Points-tested skilled visas effectively always need a suitable skills assessment before invitation. Some employer-sponsored applicants do not need one, depending on occupation, passport country and the nomination stream. A handful of applicants qualify through alternative evidence the visa rules name. Treat any claimed exemption as a rule to verify against the current Home Affairs page, never as folklore.
Where to go next
The assessment is the gateway. These pages carry the visa side of an early childhood pathway.
Is ACECQA your authority — and which gate applies to you?
The free check reads your qualification, English evidence and target occupation. It maps the assessment route before you spend a dollar.
Visa Advisor is a MARA-registered visa agent in Sydney, NSW, working with early childhood educators across Australia and offshore.
Sources and last checked dates
- ACECQA — Skills Assessment Application Guidelines (14 November 2025) read 26 Sep 2026 open ↗
- ACECQA — Apply for a migration skills assessment, Early Childhood (Pre-Primary School) Teacher read 26 Sep 2026 open ↗
- Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Occupation List (assessing authorities) read 26 Sep 2026 open ↗
- Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Compilation No. 288 — skills assessment currency rules read 26 Sep 2026 open ↗
ACECQA standards and fees are set in its published guidelines and change with each reissue. Confirm the current guidelines edition before acting on anything here. Visa Advisor is a registered migration agency in Sydney · MARN 0852408.