Changes in VETASSESS Migration Skills Assessments

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 2018VETASSESS 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.