Skills Assessment for Australian Migration: Fees, Time & Validity (2026)
Which assessing authority handles your occupation for a skilled Australian visa, what a skills assessment actually costs at each one, how long they really take, and how long the result stays valid. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 Skilled visa? You need a
- 0:15 Which body assesses your occupation
- 0:34 What it actually costs
- 0:54 15 weeks ≠ your result
- 1:08 VETASSESS: 7 weeks published
- 1:18 How Home Affairs treats validity
- 1:32 3 years vs 2 years
- 1:43 What most authorities want
- 1:55 If you're refused
- 2:10 Complex case?
- 2:23 Where to read more
Transcript
Before you can lodge an EOI for a 189, 190 or 491 visa, one thing has to happen first: a positive skills assessment from the right authority for your occupation.
Different bodies assess different occupations. Engineers Australia covers engineering. ACS covers ICT. VETASSESS covers most of what's left. ANMAC covers nursing and midwifery. TRA covers trades. Ahpra covers regulated health professions.
Fees are set by each authority. Engineers Australia charges $1,034 for a standard assessment. ACS charges $1,498. VETASSESS charges $1,146 offshore, or $1,260.60 onshore.
Watch this one. Engineers Australia's 15 weeks is just the wait to be assigned an assessor — not your full result. Even the $396 fast-track only assigns an assessor within 20 business days.
VETASSESS publishes 7 weeks as its current processing time for professional occupations, as of September 2026 — though a complex file can take longer.
Does your assessment expire? Home Affairs sets the real rule. No stated expiry means 3 years. A shorter stated period applies as stated. A longer one is still capped at 3 years.
VETASSESS states 3 years. ACS and ANMAC both state 2 years. Check your specific assessment's stated period before you rely on it.
Most authorities want certified qualification documents, detailed employment reference letters with a duty statement, and for Engineers Australia or ACS, a Competency Demonstration Report.
If you're refused, most authorities offer an internal review — VETASSESS gives you 90 days, ANMAC charges $300. You can also try a different occupation code, an alternative pathway, or judicial review.
For a complex case — international qualifications, mixed employment history, or a prior refusal — a migration agent's guidance on framing your evidence can help avoid the gaps that lead to another negative outcome.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.
Short versions
- Skills assessment fees range $395 to $1,498 (0:42)
- The '15 weeks' Engineers Australia trap (0:29)
- Does your skills assessment expire? (0:34)
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