Skills assessment · Professional occupations
VETASSESS Skills Assessment: What It Tests and How to Pass It Cleanly
VETASSESS assesses most professional and general occupations. Two limbs decide the outcome: your qualification and your employment.
Quick answer
The VETASSESS skills assessment checks two things for a skilled visa. It compares your qualification with the Australian Qualifications Framework. It tests your paid employment at the occupation's skill level. Both limbs must pass. It covers most professional and general occupations, costs $1,260.60 onshore, and usually takes about seven weeks.
Key facts
- Two limbs: qualification compared with the AQF, plus paid employment of 20 or more hours a week
- Fee: $1,260.60 for Australian residents, $1,146.00 offshore, on vetassess.com.au at 26 September 2026
- Timing: about seven weeks; a paid fast-track option assesses in 10 business days
- Validity: a suitable outcome usually holds for three years from issue
- English is not tested — that belongs to the visa and the points test, not to VETASSESS
What is the VETASSESS skills assessment?
VETASSESS is the assessing authority for most professional and general occupations on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL). Think marketing, management, HR, consulting and hundreds of roles without their own professional body.
A VETASSESS assessment runs on two limbs, and a skills assessment for migration fails if either falls short. Your qualification is compared with the Australian Qualifications Framework on level, length and content. Your employment must be paid, at 20 or more hours a week, and at the occupation's skill level.
Both limbs must pass. A strong degree cannot rescue thin employment, and long employment cannot rescue the wrong qualification level.
How the occupation groups work
VETASSESS sorts occupations into groups by their indicative skill level. Each VETASSESS group sets a qualification bar and an employment period.
Group A wants a bachelor degree in a highly relevant field, plus a year of skilled work. Groups C to F step the qualification down and the employment years up. Several occupations carry extra pathways or special criteria of their own.
Your ANZSCO code decides which page that is. Duties decide the code, never the job title.
VETASSESS fees, read live
VETASSESS fees moved in late September 2026, so older quotes are stale. VETASSESS cost questions get one honest answer: the live fees page. These are the figures on it today.
| Product | Australian resident (incl. GST) | Offshore (excl. GST) |
|---|---|---|
| Full skills assessment | $1,260.60 | $1,146.00 |
| Fast-track option | $949.30 | $863.00 |
| Points test advice (qualifications only) | $357.50 | $325.00 |
| Reassessment (within 12 months) | $856.90 | $779.00 |
| Review of outcome (within 90 days) | $391.60 to $1,050.50 | $356.00 to $955.00 |
| Renewal (within 3 years) | $544.50 | $495.00 |
These are VETASSESS charges only. They sit apart from any professional fees and from later government visa charges.
How long does VETASSESS take?
The standard full skills assessment runs about seven weeks. Complex files run longer. The VETASSESS processing time page carries the current figure.
The paid fast-track option confirms eligibility within two business days. It then assesses within 10 business days. Every document must be ready at upload, because nothing can be added later.
A suitable outcome usually holds for three years from its issue date. Lodge the expression of interest and the visa while it is current.
The Date Deemed Skilled decides your points
VETASSESS states the date you became skilled for your occupation. Employment before that date earns no skilled-employment points. Employment after it does.
The date usually follows your qualifying period: the qualification plus the group's required employment years. Points test advice is a separate product that scores qualifications for the points test.
Getting the date wrong can cost up to ten points. Check what the points calculator assumes against what your assessment will actually say.
Common VETASSESS mistakes, and the documents rule
- Nominating from the job title instead of the duties. The duties decide the occupation.
- Relying on the group summary instead of the occupation's own page.
- Statements of service missing dates, weekly hours or a duty list.
- Counting employment from the wrong qualification. The clock starts at the base qualification.
- Leaving general education details to the end. The online form asks for school history nothing else supplies.
Documents are scanned colour copies of originals. VETASSESS says plainly that documents do not need certifying. Never post originals, because they are not returned.
How to apply
- Confirm occupation and groupSettle the ANZSCO code from duties. Read the occupation's own VETASSESS page.
- Build the evidence packQualification records, statements of service, payslips and the school history the form asks for.
- Lodge and trackApply online, pay the fee, and answer any further request quickly.
A complete file at lodgement is the single biggest timing lever you control.
Frequently asked questions
What is VETASSESS skills assessment?
It is the qualification-and-employment check most professional and general occupations need for an Australian skilled visa. VETASSESS compares your qualification with the Australian Qualifications Framework. It then tests whether your paid employment sits at the occupation's skill level. Both limbs must pass for a suitable outcome. The result feeds points-tested visas and several employer-sponsored routes where a positive assessment is required.
How much does VETASSESS cost?
The full skills assessment costs $1,260.60 for Australian residents including GST. Offshore applicants pay $1,146.00 excluding GST. A paid fast-track option adds $949.30, and points test advice on qualifications costs $357.50. Those figures come from the VETASSESS fees page read on 26 September 2026. Fees move without notice, so confirm the live page before paying.
How long does VETASSESS take for skill assessment?
Plan around seven weeks for a standard full skills assessment, longer for complex files. The paid fast-track option confirms eligibility within two business days and assesses within ten business days. It only works when every document is ready at upload, because nothing can be added afterwards. The current published figure lives on the VETASSESS processing time page, so check it before fixing deadlines.
Can I pass a skill assessment in VETASSESS?
You can where both limbs genuinely hold. Your qualification must sit at the group's AQF level, in a field the occupation accepts. Your employment must be paid, 20 or more hours a week, at skill level, for the years your group requires. The occupation's own page sets the exact pathways. Where one limb is weak, a different occupation or a top-up qualification sometimes opens a cleaner route.
What if you fail a skill assessment?
A negative VETASSESS skill assessment outcome is not the end of the road. A review of the outcome can be requested within 90 days. A reassessment is available within 12 months, including against a different occupation. Many refusals trace to evidence gaps rather than genuine ineligibility, so the fix is often documentary. Take advice before re-lodging, because the same file will usually produce the same outcome.
What are common VETASSESS mistakes?
Five recur. Nominating from the job title rather than the duties. Trusting the group summary when the occupation's own page carries different pathways. Statements of service without dates, hours and duties. Counting employment from the wrong qualification date, which deletes points. And sending certified or original documents nobody asked for, since VETASSESS wants plain colour scans. Every one of these is avoidable before lodgement.
Where to go next
A positive outcome feeds the points-tested visas and several employer routes. These pages carry the next step.
Is VETASSESS the right authority for your occupation?
The free check reads your occupation and history. It tells you which authority assesses you and what the pathway looks like.
Visa Advisor is a MARA-registered visa agent in Sydney, NSW, working with skilled applicants across Australia and offshore.
Sources and last checked dates
- VETASSESS — Skills Assessment fees for professional occupations read 26 Sep 2026 open ↗
- VETASSESS — Skills assessment for professional occupations (criteria and process) 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 ↗
VETASSESS fees carry no fixed review date and each occupation's own page governs its criteria. Confirm the current figure and your occupation's page before acting on anything here. Visa Advisor is a registered migration agency in Sydney · MARN 0852408.