What Counts as Skilled Employment for Points: Hours, Pay and Leave

Employment points can make or break a skilled visa application. You can claim up to 20 points for skilled employment, but only if the work meets the definition in the regulations. This guide explains the rules the Department applies, based on its current instructions for the Schedule 6D points test.

How many points can you get?

Skilled employment in the 10 years before invitation	Points
Overseas: at least 3 years	5
Overseas: at least 5 years	10
Overseas: at least 8 years	15
Australia: at least 1 year	5
Australia: at least 3 years	10
Australia: at least 5 years	15
Australia: at least 8 years	20

You can have points for both Australian and overseas employment, but the total for employment is capped at 20. You cannot add overseas months to Australian months to reach a threshold. For example, 6 months overseas and 30 months in Australia does not make 3 years of Australian employment.

Work you do while you are physically in Australia is Australian employment, even if your employer is overseas. Work on an offshore resources or sea installation for a company registered in Australia can also count as Australian employment.

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The 20-hour rule

The regulations define employed as engaged in an occupation for remuneration for at least 20 hours a week. In practice:

• This generally means at least 20 hours in each week.
• If your contract spreads hours over more than a week, as with some shift workers, fly-in fly-out workers and seafarers, the officer can take that roster into account.
• If you are a casual and fell below 20 hours in some weeks because of illness or other compelling reasons, the Department’s instructions ask officers to be fair and reasonable.
• You may be asked for your contract and pay records, so keep payslips and rosters.

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It must be paid

The work must be done for pay. The following do not meet the definition of employed:

• unpaid work or internships, even if they gave you useful professional experience;
• postgraduate study funded by living allowances or scholarships;
• the work placement in a Professional Year. Separate paid skilled work done at the same time can still count.

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Leave periods

Only leave on full pay counts as time employed. Extended unpaid leave, including unpaid parental leave, is not counted. If you took leave on partial pay, get advice on how it will be treated.

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It must be skilled, and in the right occupation

The work must be in your nominated occupation or a closely related skilled occupation. Our guides on your assessing authority’s skilled date and ANZSCO and on closely related work and career progression explain how officers decide this. Australian work must also have been lawful, which we cover in work in breach of visa conditions earns no points.

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Gaps are fine

Your employment does not need to be continuous. The Department’s example is an accountant who works 2 years as an accountant, studies for 2 years, works 2 years in IT and then 3 more years as an accountant. That person can claim 5 years as an accountant, as long as it falls within the 10 years before the invitation.

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What you should do now

• List your employment: set out every period of work in the 10 years before invitation, with hours, pay and whether it was in your nominated or a closely related occupation.
• Gather the evidence: keep contracts, payslips, rosters and reference letters that show at least 20 paid hours a week.
• Remove what does not count: take out unpaid work, Professional Year placements and unpaid leave before you calculate your points.
• Keep Australian and overseas work separate: count each against its own thresholds, and remember the combined cap of 20 points.