Community Worker – ANZSCO 411711

Community workers facilitate community development initiatives and collective solutions within a community to address issues, needs and problems associated with recreational, health, housing, employment and other welfare matters.

Skill Level

Specialisations

Community Development Officer
Community Support Worker
Housing Officer

Skills Assessment Requirement

Unless you are exempt in very limited circumstances, you are required to have a positive Skills Assessment to apply for the visas listed above.

Skills Assessment authority for Community Worker is Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA). To have a positive skills assessment, you must meet the following criteria:

Relevant Qualification
- Must possess a relevant qualification at AQF Level 5. This can be one of the following:
  - An ACWA accredited qualification
  - A recognised relevant qualification at AQF Level 5 or higher
  - A relevant diploma or higher qualification that is related to community services
- Proficiency in English
  - Applicants must demonstrate their English proficiency in one of the following ways:
    - English language test results – must be within 3 years of the application
      - IETLS Level 7.0 in all bands
      - PTE Academic 65 in each band
      - Advanced (CAE) 185 in each band
      - TOEFL IBT PTE 24 in listening and reading, 27 in writing and 23 in speaking
    - Study conducted in English from a country where English is the main language
    - Two years of relevant industry experience in an English-speaking country
    - A suitable skills assessment that expired within the last 6 months
  - Employment and Currency
    - Applicants must demonstrate employment within the industry at an appropriate skill level within the last 4 years
      - Applicants with an ACWA accredited or recognised relevant qualification are deemed to have sufficient industry experience
      - Applicants with a relevant diploma or higher must have a minimum of 1 year full time or part-time equivalent industry experience in the last 4 years
    - Applicants must demonstrate their skills and knowledge are up to date by:
      - Holding a qualification that is less than 4 years old; or
      - A minimum of 3 months full-time employment or part-time equivalent in a relevant current role at the required skill level; or
      - At least 6 months relevant employment at the appropriate skill level in the past 18 months

Did you know?

There is a list of accredited courses by ACWA. It is better for you if you choose to study one of the accredited courses to get a positive skills assessment. Being an accredited course, it offers you the learning outcomes expected by ACWA, as well as provides you with work placement to fulfill the skills assessment criteria.

Potential Visa Pathways for Community Worker

ANZSCO	Occupation	Skills Assessment	189	190	485	491 (State)	491 (Family)	186 (Direct)	407 (Training)	494 (regional Sponsored)	482 (TSS Short Term)
411711	Community Worker	ACWA	x	√	x	√	x	x	√	√	√

Group: 4117 Welfare Support Workers

Description

Provide support, information and advice to clients on emotional, financial, recreational, health, housing and other social welfare matters, and evaluate and coordinate the services of welfare and community service agencies.

Tasks

Assessing clients’ needs and planning, developing and implementing educational, training and support programs
Interviewing clients and assessing the nature and extent of difficulties
Monitoring and reporting on the progress of clients
Referring clients to agencies that can provide additional help
Assessing community need and resources for health, welfare, housing, employment, training and other facilities and services
Liaising with community groups, welfare agencies, government bodies and private businesses about community issues and promoting awareness of community resources and services
Supporting families and providing education and care for children and disabled persons in adult service units, group housing and government institutions
Supervising offenders on probation and parole
Assisting young people to solve social, emotional and financial problems
Preparing submissions for funding and resources, and reports to government bodies and other agencies

Skill Level

In Australia and New Zealand:

Most occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with the following qualifications and experience:

Australia (ANZSCO Skill Level 2)
- AQF Associate Degree; or
- AQF Advanced Diploma; or
- AQF Diploma
New Zealand (ANZSCO Skill Level 2)
- NSQF Diploma

Please note: at least three years of relevant experience may be a substitute for the formal qualifications listed above. In some instances, relevant experience and/or on-the-job training may be required in addition to the formal qualification.

Occupations in this Group

411711 Community Worker
411712 Disabilities Services Officer
411713 Family Support Worker
411714 Parole or Probation Officer
411715 Residential Care Officer
411716 Youth Worker

How to calculate your points (skilled visas)

To apply for a skilled visa, you need to know how many points you can score. The minimum score to be eligible for application is 65 points. However, depending on your occupation, the competitiveness, and the states you are applying to, you might need to score more points to get an invite.

Points will be given to you based on the following:

Age
Educational Qualifications
Points for Professional Year
Points for NAATI- Credentialled Community Language
Points for 2 Year Study
Points for English
Points for Regional Study
Points for Work Experience
Points for Specialist Educational Qualifications (STEM)
Points for Partner

Click here to calculate your points.

Subclass 190 visa– Skilled Nominated Visa & Subclass 491 visa – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa

To apply for visa subclass 190 and visa subclass 491, you need to have a nomination from the state/territory government where you want to live and work. Each State and Territory have individual requirements that must be met in order to receive nomination. (See below)

While the 190 visa is a permanent visa, subclass 491 visa gives you right to live and work in regional Australia for 5 years with a pathway to permanent residency through the subclass 191 visa.

Another difference between the 190 and 491 visa is that you can only apply for visa subclass 491 if you are living and working in regional areas in Australia, while it is not a requirement if you are applying for the 190 visa.

In summary, to be eligible for 190 visa, you need to meet the following criteria:

Immigration Points

Must score at least 65 points, or higher points if the state or territory requires.

English

Must have at least Competent English, i.e., IELTS 6.0 or equivalent, or higher if the state or territory requires.

Age

Must be under 45 years of age.

be invited

Must lodge an EOI and be invited by the state or territory and then apply for the visa.

Skills assessment

Must have positive skills assessment. Each occupation has a specific assessing authority.

HEALTH AND CHARACTER

Must meet health and character requirements.

To check if the state/ territory government requirements for your occupation, refer to the following links

State/ Territory	Links to requirements
New South Wales	NSW Skilled Migration Nomination Requirement 2021-2022 (190 Visa) NSW Subclass 190 Skilled Occupation list Skilled occupation list for NSW 491 visa NSW Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) requirements NSW 491 Regional Skilled Occupation list (Stream 1) NSW 491 Regional Skilled Occupation list (Stream 2 and 3)
Victoria	Victoria Skilled visa nomination program (190 and 491 visa)
South Australia	South Australia Skilled Migration Program (190 and 491 visa) South Australia’s Skilled occupation list
Western Australia	Western Australia 190 and 491 nomination requirements. Western Australian skilled migration occupation list (WASMOL)
Northern Territory	Northern Territory 190 Visa requirements NT Migration Occupation List
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)	ACT Canberra Small Business Owner Pathway ACT Skilled Migration Nomination Requirements (190 and 491 visa) Canberra Matrix Points Calculator
Tasmania	Tasmania 491 Visa Requirements Tasmanian Skilled Occupations List (TSOL) Tasmania Small Business Owner Stream – 491 visa Tasmania Skilled Migration Nomination Requirements Tasmania 190 Visa Requirements
Queensland	491 visa criteria for Queensland Queensland Skilled Occupation Lists Far North Queensland DAMA 491 Visa – Queensland Small Business Owners Pathway

407 Training Visa

The 407 visa a short stay visa for individuals to participate in occupational training or professional development in Australia. This visa is generally valid to stay in Australia for 2 years. Please note this visa is subject to condition 8102 which forbids work apart from the training that is specified in the visa application. You are also required to maintain health insurance whilst in Australia.

To be eligible for visa 407, you need to meet the following criteria:

GTE

You must prove that you genuinely stay in Australia for training and will depart when you complete the training.

English Level

Must have Functional English, i.e. IELTS overall 4.5 with no band less than 4, or equivalent.

Age

Must be over 18 years old.

Be Sponsored

You must be sponsored by an approved temporary activities sponsor – Can be an employer or a commonwealth agency

HEALTH INSURANCE

Must hold valid private health insurance.

Health and Character

Must meet health and character requirements.

Subclass 494 visa – Skilled Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa

You can apply for subclass 494 if you have a regional employer who is willing to sponsor you. To be eligible for this visa, you must have at least 3 years of working experience in your nominated occupation and have a relevant skills assessment. With this visa, there is a requirement that you must work for the employer who is sponsoring you.

This visa provides pathway to permanent residency through the 191 visa.

Experience

At least 3 years full-time work experience in the nominated occupation.

English

Must have at least Competent English, i.e., IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.

Age

Must be under 45 years of age, unless exempt.

Be Sponsored

Must be sponsored by an Australian regional employer.

Skills assessment

Must have a positive skills assessment.

Location

Must live and work in regional areas in Australia.

482 SID visa – Skills in Demand visa (Specialist Skills Pathway)

The Subclass 482 SID visa (Specialist Skills Pathway) that requires a sponsorship from an Australian employer. The Specialist Skills stream allows to your live and work in Australia for up to 4 years each time you are granted this visa. You may apply for the Specialist Skills pathway SID 482 visa if you have an occupation on this list, and as long as the employer is willing to sponsor you. The SID 482 visa has a path to permanent residency through the 186 visa.