Skills, Qualifications & Experience

Visa applicants or their appointed representatives are responsible for having their skills assessed, as required, by a designated skills assessing authority. The downloadable Table lists the skills assessing authorities for each occupation under the GSC DAMA.

It is not the responsibility of the DAR to certify the skills or experience of any visa applicant under the DAMA program. Applicants or their appointed representative must deal directly with the relevant skills assessing authority and not the DAR for skills assessment certification.

SKILLS ASSESSING AUTHORITIES

Further information for occupations with no skills and experience concessions and normally available through the skilled migration program skills is available at:
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skill-occupat...

VETASSESS (Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services) is the Skills Assessing Authority for the specified occupations.
Information on the VETASSESS skills assessment process can be obtained from the VETASSESS website:
https://www.vetassess.com.au/skills-assessment-for-migration/designated-...

For the meat industry occupations a skills assessment can also be obtained from MINTRAC (National Meat Industry Training Advisory Council Limited).
Details on MINTRAC registered Overseas Skilled Meat Worker Assessors can be downloaded from the MINTRAC website:
https://www.mintrac.com.au/page.asp?p=overseas-assessor

SKILLS REQUIREMENTS

The following skills, qualifications, experience and employment background requirements apply to the occupations listed in the tables below in relation to the TSS 482, SESR 494 and ENS 186 visas.

Where an occupation under the DAMA is on a Skilled Occupation List a mandatory skills assessment may be required for TSS, SESR and ENS visa applications. Occupations requiring a mandatory skills assessment are outlined under the relevant legislative instrument for the type of visa being applied for. This instrument will also set out the skills assessing authority that can issue mandatory skills assessments.

Skilled Occupation List

If the occupation title and ANZCO Code is on either of the following legislative instruments for the visa you are utilising under the GSC DAMA the intended overseas worker must complete a skills assessment.

The following links provide access to the legislative instrument for each visa to look up the occupation and see if it is on a skilled occupation list. If it is on the list a skills assessment must be provided.

TSS 482 https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020C01118

SESR 494 https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020C01141

Skills Assessments: skills assessment – provides general information on skills assessments

legislative instrument – provides a list of instruments for each subclass. You will note that for TSS and ENS there is only one instrument (which is for the skills assessment) and for SESR there are two.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The following qualifications, experience and employment background requirements apply to the occupations listed in each of the tables below in relation to the TSS, SESR and ENS visas.

Occupations on the combined eligible list of skilled occupations

For the occupations in the table below, which are on the eligible lists of skilled occupations (the Short-term Skilled Occupation List, Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List or Regional Occupation List), any nomination for these occupations or any application for a TSS, SESR or ENS visa connected with these occupations must satisfy the skills, qualifications, experience and employment background required under the standard visa programs, except:

• Where the relevant AQF qualification was obtained in Australia, only 1 year of relevant work experience (38 hours per week) is required for the TSS visa program.

Experience must be certified as being genuine and relevant to the nominated occupation/position, in order to assist the Minister's decision as to whether the visa applicant has the necessary employment background for the position.

Skills Assessment

A skills assessment is required by for the occupations in Table 2 where the applicant is part of a class of persons specified in the legislative instrument for the visa. This legislative instrument further prescribes the relevant Skills Assessing Authority that must undertake the assessment.

Table 2: Occupations on the combined eligible list of skilled occupations

ANZSCO Code	Occupation	ANZSCO Skill Level
311111	Agricultural Technician	2
321111	Automotive Electrician	3
121312	Beef Cattle Farmer	1
141111	Café or Restaurant Manager	2
351311	Chef	2
323211	Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machinist	3
351411	Cook	3
321212	Diesel Motor Mechanic	3
323212	Fitter & Turner	3
141311	Hotel or Motel Manager	2
322311	Metal Fabricator	3
121216	Mixed Crop Farmer	1
121317	Mixed Livestock Farmer	1
321211	Motor Mechanic - general	3
312912	Non-destructive Testing (NDT) Technician	2
324111	Panel beater	3
254412	Registered Nurse – Aged Care	1

Other occupations not on eligible skills lists

For the occupations, which are requested under this Agreement but are not on the combined eligible list of skilled occupations, the following skills, qualifications, experience and employment background criteria will apply to any nomination for these occupations or any application for a TSS, SESR or ENS visa made under the Migration Legislation.

Skills Assessment

A skills assessment is required for applications lodged for the occupations listed in Tables 3 to 6. Qualifications are to be assessed by the relevant Skills Assessing Authority (as specified in the labour agreement) as being at least equivalent to the relevant AQF qualification detailed for the relevant tables below, in order to assist the Minister's decision as to whether the visa applicant has the necessary qualifications for the position.

Experience must be certified as being genuine and relevant to the nominated occupation/position, in order to assist the Minister's decision as to whether the visa applicant has the necessary employment background for the position.

ANZSCO Skill Level 4 Occupations (non-meat-processing occupations)

The occupations outlined in Table 3 must meet the following requirements. The visa applicant must:

• Meet the skill level requirements as defined in ANZSCO including where 1 year of recent and relevant work experience can substitute the formal qualification, AND
• Undergo a skills assessment by the relevant Skills Assessing Authority (as specified in the labour agreement), AND
• Have at least 2 years of relevant work experience (38 hours per week) for the SESR visa program; OR
• Have at least 1 year of relevant work experience (38 hours per week) undertaken in Australia for the TSS visa program

OR

• Meet the additional work experience required under the standard, TSS and ENS programs

Table 3: ANZSCO Skill Level 4 Occupations not on the eligible skilled occupation list

ANZSCO Code	Occupation	ANZSCO Skill Level
423111	Aged or Disabled Carer	4
721111	Agricultural & Horticultural Mobile Plant Operator	4
721211	Earthmoving Plant Operator	4
711211	Industrial Spray painter	4
721999	Mobile Plant Operators nec	4
423312	Nursing Support Worker	4
423313	Personal Care Assistant	4
733111	Truck Driver - general	4

Meat processing occupations: ANZSCO skill level 4 skills requirements

The following skills and experience requirements are to be met for other meat processing occupations not included in the eligible list of skilled occupations, as outlined in Table 4.

Overseas Workers are to be assessed and verified by a MINTRAC registered assessor, or an assessor approved by the Commonwealth, with a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment experienced in meat processing, prior to visa application lodgement.

Skilled Meat Worker (Meat Boners & Slicers and Slaughterer)

TSS

• A minimum skill level commensurate with the MINTRAC referenced AQF Certificate III in meat processing; and either
• Demonstrate a minimum of two years skilled work experience obtained at an MPE acceptable to the Parties, or
• Have been working in Australia on a subclass 457 or TSS visa at an Australian MPE acceptable to the Parties for at least nine (9) months prior to being nominated, or
• At least one year relevant work experience in Australia on a temporary visa other than a Subclass 457 or TSS visa at an Australian MPE acceptable to the Parties.

SESR

• SESR visa applicants must meet the skill requirements as outlined above with the exception that they must have a minimum of two (2) years recent and relevant work experience (regardless of whether Australian or offshore work experience).

Product Quality Controller (Meat Grader)

• At least an AQF certificate II or III (or equivalent); or
• At least one (1) year of recent and relevant work experience

Table 4: Meat Processing ANZSCO Skill Level 4 Occupations 

ANZSCO Code	Occupation	ANZSCO Skill Level
831211	Meat Boners & Slicers	4
839312	Product Quality Controller (Meat Grader)	4
831212	Slaughterer	4

Meat and seafood processing occupations: ANZSCO skill level 5 skills requirements

• A visa applicant must undergo skills assessment conducted by the relevant Skills
• Assessing Authority (as specified in the labour agreement), and
• At time of visa application, an AQF Certificate I or compulsory secondary
• education; or 
• At least one (1) year of recent and relevant work experience