Do I need a skills assessment to be sponsored?

For most skilled visas a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority is required. It shows employers you are sponsorship-ready, which is exactly what they look for on SponsorTalent.

Which authority assesses my occupation?

It depends on your occupation: trades via TRA, nurses via ANMAC, IT via ACS, engineers via Engineers Australia, teachers via AITSL, and many general/professional roles via VETASSESS.

From WIDENWIDEN Migration ExpertsSponsorTalentWiden CPD Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536

Want to know you qualify before you contact a sponsor? 30 minutes with a registered migration agent (MARN 1576536), A$330 inc. GST, credited if you engage. Pick a time →

Skills Assessment for Australian Visa Sponsorship

A positive skills assessment is usually the first step to becoming sponsorship-ready — and it is the single strongest signal to an employer that you are worth sponsoring.

Before an Australian employer can sponsor you (on a 482, 186 or 494 visa), your skills usually need to be assessed by the assessing authority for your occupation. This page explains what each authority does and who it is for, so you know your pathway before you approach employers.

Choose your assessing authority

VETASSESS →

A wide range of professional and general (non-trade) occupations, plus many trades.

TRA →

Trade occupations — chefs, cooks, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, motor mechanics, welders, bakers and more.

ANMAC →

Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses and Midwives.

ACS →

ICT and technology occupations — software developers, analysts, network and systems roles.

AITSL →

School teachers — early childhood, primary and secondary.

Engineers Australia →

Engineering occupations — civil, mechanical, electrical, structural, mining and more.

Which authority do I need?

Trades (chef, electrician, carpenter, mechanic…) → TRA
Nursing & midwifery → ANMAC
IT & technology → ACS
Engineering → Engineers Australia
Teaching → AITSL
General & professional occupations → VETASSESS

Skills assessment done — or on the way?

Create your free SponsorTalent profile so Australian employers searching for sponsorship-ready workers can find you.

Create your free profile →

General information only and current as a guide — assessing-authority requirements, fees and processing times change often. Always verify directly with the assessing authority and the Department of Home Affairs before applying. SponsorTalent is a marketplace and does not prepare or write skills-assessment evidence (including ACS RPL reports or Engineers Australia CDRs).