Update (October 2026)
Both changes described below are now standard VETASSESS practice: paid doctoral studies funded by living allowances or scholarships are not treated as paid employment, and VETASSESS gives an exact Date Deemed Skilled with a suitable outcome. See “What this means in 2026” below for the current assessment rules.
VETASSESS has made 2 important changes in its Skills Assessment procedures for migration purposes. These changes were:
1- Update to Skills Assessment process for PhD holders
Currently VETASSESS considers paid doctoral research level studies as valid employment for skills assessment purposes.
Please be advised that as of 15 December 2018, VETASSESS will not accept paid doctoral studies for skills assessment purposes, consistent with the Department of Home Affairs requirements.
For skilled employment to be considered ‘remunerated’, applicants must be engaged in the occupation on a paid basis, generally at the award or market rate of the occupation. A person receiving minimal living allowances or scholarships designed to cover study expenses would not be considered to be ‘remunerated’.
2- General Professional Occupations – Employment Date
VETASSESS currently uses only month and year to calculate the employment dates. As of 14 February 2019, we will be considering the exact date, including day, month and year for the Date Deemed Skilled to align with the Department of Home Affairs requirement for the date an applicant’s employment is considered ‘skilled’.
Please note that we will continue to retrieve these dates from official documents only. Supporting employment documentation can include payslips, tax returns, and a statement of service from your employer clearly indicating the exact period of employment and if applicable, any period of unpaid leave.
Employment outside Ten Years
Please be advised that as of 14 February 2019, VETASSESS may be able to consider closely related employment outside the last ten years, provided it is continuous employment with the same employer within the last ten years. Please contact us to discuss your case in detail.
What this means in 2026
VETASSESS remains the assessing authority for most general professional occupations used for the 189, 190 and 491 visas. Both your qualification and your employment are assessed, and relevant work experience cannot make up for a qualification below the required level. Each occupation group has one or more pathways, and you must meet one pathway in full: you cannot mix criteria from different pathways. Some occupations have special criteria that override the group rules.
Who this affects: anyone nominating a VETASSESS occupation, especially PhD graduates who worked on scholarships or stipends, and applicants who want to claim employment points. The exact Date Deemed Skilled matters because Home Affairs only awards work experience points for employment after that date.
| Group | Skill level | Qualification level |
| A and B | Skill Level 1 | Bachelor degree or higher (Masters or Doctorate) |
| C and E | Skill Level 2 | Associate Degree, Advanced Diploma or Diploma |
| D | Skill Level 3 | Certificate IV, or Certificate III with additional years of employment |
Check the group and pathway for your occupation before you apply. Some groups allow a pre qualification method, but only where the occupation says so.
