Skills assessment · Trades
TRA Skills Assessment: How Trades Recognition Australia Assesses Your Trade
Trades Recognition Australia runs four assessment programs. The right one depends on your trade, your visa and your licence needs.
Quick answer
A TRA skills assessment is the Australian Government check of your trade skills and employment for a skilled visa. Trades Recognition Australia assesses trade occupations such as electricians, plumbers and chefs. Your occupation, passport country and target visa decide which of its four programs applies.
Key facts
- Who it is for: trade occupations where the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) names TRA as the assessing authority
- Programs: MSA (documentary) · OSAP (practical, licensed trades) · TSS (482 visa) · Job Ready Program (onshore graduates)
- MSA fee: $720, on the TRA website at 26 September 2026
- Outcome: a skills assessment for the visa — not an Australian trade licence
What is a TRA skill assessment?
Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) is the Australian Government assessing authority for trade occupations. A TRA skills assessment tests your demonstrated skills and your employment, not academic comparability. That makes it different from a university-style qualification review.
You need a positive trade skills assessment before most skilled visa applications can proceed. The Skilled Occupation List (SOL) names the assessing authority beside each occupation. Where it names TRA, no other body's outcome counts for that occupation.
Your ANZSCO code comes first. Duties decide the code, never the job title on your contract.
Who needs a TRA skills assessment?
TRA assesses trade, technician, food, automotive, horticultural and personal-service occupations. Four licensed trades sit in a category of their own.
| Occupation | ANZSCO | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Plumber (General) | 334111 | OSAP only for permanent skilled visas; a practical demonstration is compulsory |
| Electrician (General) | 341111 | OSAP only; practical compulsory |
| Electrician (Special Class) | 341112 | OSAP only; practical compulsory |
| Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic | 342111 | OSAP only; practical compulsory |
Non-licensed trades — cooks, carpenters, motor mechanics, hairdressers and many more — usually have a documentary route available. TRA lists every occupation it assesses on its own site. Check the live list before planning, because capacity and routes change.
The four TRA programs, and which one is yours
The program follows the visa and the trade. This fork decides your cost, evidence and travel.
| Program | Who it serves | Cost and shape |
|---|---|---|
| Migration Skills Assessment | Non-licensed trades heading for a points-tested or permanent employer visa | The TRA MSA is documentary. The fee is $720 on the TRA site at 26 September 2026 |
| Offshore Skills Assessment Program | The licensed trades, and listed passport countries | The offshore skills assessment program includes a face-to-face practical. TRA's May 2026 guidelines price the full pathway at $5,320, or $2,020 where fewer stages apply |
| TSS Skills Assessment | Applicants for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) where TRA is required | Separate program; never OSAP. Exemptions exist for some licensed or high-income applicants |
| Job Ready Program | Onshore graduates of Australian trade study, usually on a 485 visa | A staged workplace program following a Provisional Skills Assessment |
The 482 and 485 visas never use the offshore skills assessment program. If someone quotes OSAP for a 482, the program is wrong. The TRA skills assessment fee depends on the program, so confirm it on the live TRA page.
How long does a TRA skill assessment take?
TRA publishes no single processing figure across programs. Its OSAP guidelines work to roughly fifteen weeks from a complete, decision-ready evidence package. An incomplete file stops the clock before it starts.
Three things move the timeline most. Assessor and RTO capacity for your occupation, travel for a practical, and evidence gaps. The live TRA page for your program carries the current guidance.
After the assessment: the licence step most people miss
A positive outcome is not a licence. For the licensed trades the chain runs in one direction only.
- OTSR issuedThe Offshore Technical Skills Record follows a successful OSAP practical.
- Provisional licenceA state regulator issues it onshore. You work under supervision.
- Gap training, full licenceAustralian-context training closes the gap. The full state licence follows.
There is no full Australian trade licence obtainable while offshore. Overseas licences carry no mutual recognition, except from New Zealand. Plan the state step into the migration timeline, not after it.
How to apply for a trade skills assessment
- Confirm code and authoritySettle the ANZSCO code from duties. Confirm TRA is the listed authority for it.
- Pick the program and RTOMSA, OSAP, TSS or the Job Ready Program. TRA's RTO finder shows who assesses and where.
- Lodge a complete packQualification, employment and identity evidence, decision-ready. The clock only runs on a complete file.
A trade skills assessment succeeds on evidence quality. Reference letters need dates, hours and duties that match the occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a TRA skill assessment?
A TRA skill assessment is the Australian Government evaluation of a tradesperson's skills and employment for migration. Trades Recognition Australia runs it through authorised training organisations rather than assessing files directly. The outcome tells the Department of Home Affairs your trade meets Australian standards. It supports points-tested and employer-sponsored visas where TRA is the listed authority. It is separate from any state licence you may later need to work.
Who needs a TRA skills assessment?
Anyone nominating a trade occupation where the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) names TRA as the assessing authority. That covers construction, electrotechnology, refrigeration, automotive, food and hair trades, among others. The four licensed trades always need the OSAP route for permanent skilled visas. Applicants for the 482 use the separate TSS program instead. Check your occupation's own row on the live list before you plan anything.
How much is a TRA assessment?
The cost depends on the program you fall into. The Migration Skills Assessment costs $720 on TRA's own page, read 26 September 2026. TRA's May 2026 OSAP guidelines price the full practical pathway at $5,320, or $2,020 where fewer stages apply. TSS program costs vary by RTO and occupation. Fees carry no fixed review date, so confirm the live figure before paying anyone.
Is a TRA skills assessment difficult?
It is demanding on evidence rather than on exams. TRA benchmarks your employment years against your training, from three years up to six. The licensed trades add a compulsory face-to-face practical demonstration. Most refusals trace to thin employment evidence: letters without dates, hours or matching duties. A complete, decision-ready file is what separates a smooth assessment from a slow one.
How long does a TRA skill assessment take to process?
TRA publishes no single figure across its programs. The OSAP guidelines work to about fifteen weeks from a complete evidence package, plus travel for the practical. Documentary MSA files move with assessor capacity for your occupation. The clock starts only when TRA confirms the file is complete. Check the current guidance on the TRA program page before fixing any visa deadline to it.
How long is a TRA skills assessment valid for?
Home Affairs accepts a skills assessment for the period the authority gives it, capped at three years from issue. The OTSR from a practical assessment is treated the same way for migration purposes. Lodge the expression of interest and the visa application while the assessment is current. An expired assessment at lodgement is a refusal risk no submission letter can fix.
Where to go next
The TRA outcome feeds a points-tested or employer-sponsored visa. These pages carry the next step.
Not sure which TRA program fits your trade?
The free check reads your occupation, country and visa target. It tells you which assessment route to plan around.
Visa Advisor is a MARA-registered visa agent in Sydney, NSW, working with trade applicants across Australia and offshore.
Sources and last checked dates
- Trades Recognition Australia — Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) program page read 26 Sep 2026 open ↗
- Trades Recognition Australia — OSAP Program Guidelines v16.0 (May 2026) read 26 Sep 2026 open ↗
- Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Occupation List (assessing authorities), via LIN 19/051 and LIN 24/093 read 26 Sep 2026 open ↗
- Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Compilation No. 288 — skills assessment currency rules read 26 Sep 2026 open ↗
TRA program fees, RTO capacity and state licensing rules change without notice. Confirm the current figure with the source before acting on anything on this page. Visa Advisor is a registered migration agency in Sydney · MARN 0852408.