VETASSESS
Groups & Eligibility Criteria
This explains how VETASSESS assesses professional occupations for Australian skilled migration and how the occupation groups (A to E) work. Each occupation has its own requirements, so always check your exact occupation page in the VETASSESS “Check my occupation” tool before you apply.
Important: VETASSESS issues a positive outcome only if BOTH your qualification(s) and your employment meet the criteria for the nominated occupation.
What is a VETASSESS Skills Assessment?
A skills assessment is a formal assessment of your qualifications and employment experience against Australian standards for your nominated ANZSCO occupation. For VETASSESS professional occupations, the assessment usually includes:
- Qualification assessment – your qualification level is compared with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and checked for relevance to your occupation.
- Employment assessment – your work experience is assessed to confirm it is highly relevant and at the appropriate skill level.
How VETASSESS Groups Work (A–E)
VETASSESS places professional occupations into Groups A to E. The group tells you the minimum qualification level required and how much employment you need (and whether multiple pathways are available).
Common rules across most groups include:
- Employment must be highly relevant to the nominated occupation and at an appropriate skill level.
- Employment is usually required to be at least 20 hours per week.
- In many occupations, at least some employment must be post‑qualification (after you completed the qualification at the required level). If your work was mostly before you completed the required qualification, additional ‘pre‑qualifying’ years may be required.
Group A – Typical Criteria
Group A occupations generally require:
- A qualification comparable to at least an AQF Bachelor degree (or higher) in a field highly relevant to the nominated occupation; and
- At least 1 year of post‑qualification employment at an appropriate skill level, undertaken in the last 5 years; and
- Employment of 20 hours or more per week; and
- Employment that is highly relevant to the nominated occupation.
Group A commonly has one pathway (because the qualification and relevance requirement is strict).
Group B – Typical Criteria and Pathways (1–4)
Group B occupations usually require an AQF Bachelor degree (or higher). VETASSESS often provides four pathways depending on how relevant your qualification is and how much employment you have.
Pathway 1 (qualification highly relevant)
- AQF Bachelor degree (or higher) in a highly relevant field; and
- 1 year post‑qualification highly relevant employment in the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Pathway 2 (degree not highly relevant + additional relevant study)
- AQF Bachelor degree (or higher) not highly relevant; plus an additional highly relevant qualification at least AQF Diploma level; and
- 2 years post‑qualification highly relevant employment in the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Pathway 3 (degree not highly relevant)
- AQF Bachelor degree (or higher) not highly relevant; and
- 3 years post‑qualification highly relevant employment in the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Pathway 4 (longer employment option)
- AQF Bachelor degree (or higher) with or without a highly relevant major; and
- 6 years employment at an appropriate skill level including at least 1 year highly relevant employment within the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Note: If employment is before you completed the qualification at the required level, many Group B occupations require additional ‘pre‑qualifying’ years (check your occupation page for the exact rule).
Group C – Typical Criteria and Pathways (1–4)
Group C occupations generally require at least an AQF Diploma (or higher). VETASSESS often provides four pathways:
Pathway 1 (qualification highly relevant)
- AQF Diploma (or higher) in a highly relevant field; and
- 1 year post‑qualification highly relevant employment in the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Pathway 2 (diploma not highly relevant + additional relevant Certificate IV)
- AQF Diploma (or higher) not highly relevant; plus an additional highly relevant qualification at least AQF Certificate IV level; and
- 1 year post‑qualification highly relevant employment in the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Pathway 3 (diploma not highly relevant)
- AQF Diploma (or higher) not highly relevant; and
- 2 years post‑qualification highly relevant employment in the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Pathway 4 (longer employment option)
- AQF Diploma (or higher) with or without a highly relevant major; and
- 4 years employment at an appropriate skill level including at least 1 year highly relevant employment within the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Group D – Typical Criteria and Pathways (1–4)
Group D occupations generally require an AQF Certificate III/IV level or higher. VETASSESS often provides four pathways:
Pathway 1 (Certificate IV or higher, highly relevant)
- AQF Certificate IV (or higher) in a highly relevant field; and
- 1 year post‑qualification highly relevant employment in the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Pathway 2 (Certificate IV or higher, not highly relevant)
- AQF Certificate IV (or higher) not highly relevant; and
- 2 years post‑qualification highly relevant employment in the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Pathway 3 (Certificate III, highly relevant)
- AQF Certificate III in a highly relevant field; and
- 3 years post‑qualification highly relevant employment in the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Pathway 4 (longer employment option)
- AQF Certificate IV (or higher) with or without a highly relevant major; and
- 4 years employment at an appropriate skill level including at least 1 year highly relevant employment within the last 5 years (20+ hours/week).
Group E – Typical Criteria
Group E occupations typically require:
- A qualification comparable to at least an AQF Diploma (or higher) in a highly relevant field; and
- At least 1 year of post‑qualification highly relevant employment at an appropriate skill level in the last 5 years; and
- Employment of 20 hours or more per week.
Group E commonly has one pathway.
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FAQs
Some occupations allow you to count employment that occurred before you completed the required qualification, but VETASSESS may require additional ‘pre‑qualifying’ years. This is common in Group B occupations and can also apply in other groups.
Always read the notes on your occupation page. If your employment is not post‑qualification, VETASSESS may require extra years of highly relevant employment in addition to the minimum post‑qualification requirement.
Document requirements depend on your occupation, but VETASSESS commonly requests:
- Identity documents (passport biodata page, name change documents if applicable).
- Qualifications: certificate/award and full academic transcript (with subjects and results).
- Employment evidence for each claimed job: a Statement of Service/reference letter on company letterhead that includes your job title, start/end dates, hours worked, and detailed duties.
- Salary/payment evidence (e.g., payslips, tax documents, bank statements) to support the employment claim.
- Position description, employment contract, promotion letters, and organisational chart (required for some managerial occupations).
- If a Statement of Service cannot be obtained, a statutory declaration may be accepted as supporting evidence, together with other official documents (contracts, payslips, etc.).
- Choosing the wrong ANZSCO code (your duties must match the occupation description and tasks).
- Providing generic employment letters that do not list detailed duties or hours.
- Claiming employment that is not at the required skill level or not highly relevant.
- Assuming work experience can replace the required qualification level (for most professional occupations, VETASSESS still needs the required qualification level).
- Uploading unclear or uncertified documents, or missing translations when documents are not in English.
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