South African electricians moving to Australia: OSAP, visas, and state licensing

How Electrician (General) reaches Australia's skilled visas, why the trade skills test happens entirely offshore, what it costs, and why state licensing — not the visa — is usually the harder step for South African electricians. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 Electrician (General): on Australia's national skills list — with a ca
  2. 0:17 One occupation code, four visa pathways
  3. 0:31 $79,423
  4. 0:43 OSAP: assessed offshore, before you migrate
  5. 0:56 4 years with formal training
  6. 1:06 $5,320
  7. 1:20 Pass OSAP → Offshore Technical Skills Record
  8. 1:31 6.0 = 0 points
  9. 1:45 The real challenge: state licensing, not the visa
  10. 2:00 Where to read more

Transcript

Electrician (General) sits on Australia's national skills list, which opens up every major skilled visa. But there's a catch: it's one of only 4 trades assessed through a special offshore program before you can even apply.

ANZSCO 341111, Electrician (General), reaches the subclass 189, subclass 190, subclass 491, and subclass 482 visas.

No points test on the subclass 482. An employer sponsors you directly, as long as the role pays at least $79,423 under the Core Skills stream.

But first, Trades Recognition Australia. Electrician is one of only 4 trades TRA always assesses offshore, through the Offshore Skills Assessment Program, before you migrate, not after.

Without an Australian trade qualification, TRA wants 4 years of full-time work in the trade if you completed formal training, or 6 years if you didn't.

The full assessment — documentary evidence, a technical interview, and a compulsory practical test — runs to roughly $5,320 in total, and TRA aims to finish it within 15 weeks.

Pass, and you get an Offshore Technical Skills Record, not an Australian trade certificate. It's what unlocks a provisional licence with a state regulator once you land.

For the points test, Competent English needs 6.0 in every IELTS band for 0 points. Proficient, at 7.0, adds 10. Superior, at 8.0, adds 20.

The visa usually isn't the hard part. Every state runs its own regulator, and Australian wiring rules use different cable colours, earthing methods, and RCD requirements than South Africa's — which is what catches people out.

The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description.

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