457 Visa Skill Requirement

The skill requirement depends on which occupation is being filled by the employee:

• A bachelor degree or higher; or
• 5 Years of relevant work experience

For some professional occupations, a relevant bachelor degree is essential, as well as registration or licensing.

• Intermediate service and facility managers
• Technicians
• A limited number of administrative occupations (eg Program or Project Administrator)

Associate professionals require either a diploma-level qualification or at least 3 years of relevant experience.

• Specialist Manager (Not Elsewhere Classified)
• Program or Project Administrator

Not all 457 applicants will be eligible for skills assessment in these occupations – in particular work experience in the specific occupation would in general be required. Skills assessment can take several months and cost over $500 so employers will need to take this into consideration.

• An Australian Certificate IV; or
• An Australian Certificate III with at least 2 years of on-the-job training

In some cases, 3 years of relevant work experience can suffice instead of formal qualifications.

Many trades also require a formal skills assessment – this is in general a trade test which requires applicants to demonstrate that they have a certain level of qualification and work experience, as well as practical skills. Whether a formal skills assessment is required depends on the occupation and passport country of the visa applicant.

Examples of occupations requiring registration include:

• Medical staff such as doctors and nurses
• Allied Health Professionals – physiotherapists, pharmacists, psychologists etc
• Construction professionals such as architects or building project managers
• Teachers
• Finance Professionals such as financial planners, stockbrokers etc
• Certain trades such as electricians