Trade skills assessment in Australia: is TRA your assessor, or does your work point elsewhere?

A trade skills assessment in Australia is done by whichever assessing authority Home Affairs names for your occupation, not by an authority you choose. For most trades that is Trades Recognition Australia (TRA), but the line moves the moment your duties change: a chef goes to TRA, a cafe or restaurant manager goes to VETASSESS, a civil engineer goes to Engineers Australia and a software engineer goes to the Australian Computer Society (ACS). Find your occupation on the Home Affairs combined list first, note its ANZSCO code and assessing authority, and only then start gathering evidence.

Why Home Affairs names one assessor for each occupation

Home Affairs says skills assessments are issued by the relevant skills assessing authority: an organisation that checks your skills meet the standards it sets for an occupation. It can only accept an assessment from that relevant authority.

That last part catches people out. A positive result from the wrong body does not help, however strong your experience is, and without a positive result from the right body, Home Affairs says you cannot apply for a skilled migration visa.

Each authority has its own procedures, timeframes and charges, and it is your responsibility to contact the right one. So the first job is not paperwork: it is finding the right door.

Reading the combined list: ANZSCO code, four lists and one authority

The combined list of eligible skilled occupations on the Home Affairs website gives you three things for every occupation:

• The ANZSCO code, the six-digit code that defines the occupation and its tasks.
• The lists it sits on: the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL).
• The assessing authority for that occupation.

There is one more detail that matters for tradespeople. Home Affairs uses ANZSCO 2022 for occupations on the CSOL, which covers the subclass 186 and 482 programs, and ANZSCO 2013 for other skilled visas, including the MLTSSL, STSOL and ROL. Most trade codes did not change, but some did: Plumber (General) is 334116 under ANZSCO 2022 for subclass 186 and 482 visas and 334111 under ANZSCO 2013 for other visas. Write down the code that matches the visa you are aiming for.

Which body assesses your occupation? Examples from the list

The table below shows how the list splits common occupations between authorities. It is a sample, not the full list: always search your own occupation on the Home Affairs page before you apply anywhere.

Notice the pairs that work side by side: the chef and the restaurant manager go to different assessors, and so do the carpenter and the construction project manager. The authority follows the occupation you nominate, and the occupation should follow the work you have actually done.

TRA: the assessor for most trades

TRA is the designated relevant assessing authority for a range of trade and associate professional occupations under the Migration Regulations 1994, and it sets the standards against which those skills are assessed. Cooks, bakers, butchers, bricklayers, tilers, plumbers, fitters, panelbeaters and hairdressers are all on the list with TRA as their assessor.

TRA also runs several programs, including the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) and the Migration Skills Assessment, and which one applies depends on your occupation, passport, where you studied and the visa you want. Our guide to choosing between the TRA skills assessment programs covers that choice.

The Migration Skills Assessment, for example, is decided on documents alone. Its guidelines ask for at least 3 years of paid work in the occupation, including at least 12 months full-time (38 hours/week) or part-time equivalent within the 3 years before you apply, and TRA lists the total cost as $795 (AUD). Read our checklist of evidence for a TRA skills assessment before you upload anything.

Electrician (General), Electrician (Special Class), Plumber (General) and Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic must go through OSAP for permanent migration, whatever their passport: see our electrician skills assessment guide.

TRA vs VETASSESS: two roles, easy to confuse

VETASSESS as the assessing authority. VETASSESS says it assesses more than 341 professional and other non-trade occupations, comparing your qualifications with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and checking that your employment is relevant and at an appropriate skill level. Its full fee for professional occupations is AUD $1260.60 from within Australia (including GST) or AUD $1146.00 for applicants who are not Australian tax residents. Hotel or motel managers, project builders and farm occupations such as Dairy Cattle Farmer are also on the list with VETASSESS.

VETASSESS doing trade assessments for TRA. VETASSESS also describes itself as a TRA-approved RTO for trade assessments, through the TSS program and OSAP. In that role TRA is still the authority, and VETASSESS says trade fees are paid directly to TRA.

So a chef might complete OSAP with VETASSESS, while a cafe manager goes to VETASSESS as the authority itself. Our skills assessment guide for chefs shows how that plays out in a kitchen career.

Engineers, IT and accountants: the professional bodies

Trade workers who moved into design, technology or finance work will find their assessor is a professional body rather than TRA.

Engineers Australia

Engineers Australia is authorised by Home Affairs to assess engineers, in four categories: professional engineer, engineering technologist, engineering associate and engineering manager. If your qualification is not accredited, or you want assessment in an occupation that differs from your qualification title, the competency demonstration report (CDR) pathway applies; a standard CDR costs $940 excluding GST ($1034 including GST). Standard applications generally take 15 weeks just to be assigned to an assessor, which is not the time to an outcome.

ACS for IT roles

ACS assesses IT, data science and cyber security professionals, such as Software Engineer (261313). One split surprises people: ICT Support Engineer (263212, ANZSCO 2013) goes to ACS, but ICT Support Technicians nec (313199) go to TRA. ACS's own Recognition of Prior Learning pathway, for people without formal tertiary IT qualifications, asks for 6 years of relevant work experience and two project reports, with a $625 application fee. It is a skills assessment pathway, not an Australian qualification. See also our post on the ACS skills assessment and slower IT visa decisions.

Accounting bodies

Accountant (General) can be assessed by CAANZ, CPA Australia or IPA. CPA Australia asks for a qualification it assesses as equivalent to at least an Australian bachelor's degree and an English proficiency requirement, with standard processing of approximately 10 business days. Where an authority or your visa asks for an English test result, PractiseNow lets you practise for the test before you book it.

Occupations that sit on the line between authorities

• Vocational Education Teacher (242211) is assessed by VETASSESS for non-trades or TRA for trades, so an electrician who now teaches the trade is on a different path from a business trainer.
• Driving work: no truck driver occupation appeared on the combined list when it was checked on 2026-10-08, so there was no skills assessment to choose for it.

If your work covers two occupations, choose the one your evidence supports best: employer statements, payslips and photos are read against the tasks of the occupation you nominate.

How to find your assessing authority, step by step

1. List the tasks you did most often in each job, with dates and hours.
2. Open the Home Affairs skills assessment page and the combined list, and search for occupations that match those tasks, not just your job title.
3. Note the ANZSCO code for the version your visa uses, the lists and the assessing authority.
4. On that authority's website, find the program or pathway that fits your occupation, passport, study and visa.
5. Gather evidence for that program: identity, qualifications, employer statements, pay evidence and, for some TRA programs, photos or videos of your work.
6. Check the validity: for points-tested visas, an assessment with no validity period shown is valid for 3 years from the date of issue.

A skills assessment is not a qualification

TRA says it does not award Australian qualifications, occupational registrations or occupational licences. A positive skills assessment tells Home Affairs your skills meet the standard for an occupation; it does not give you a Certificate III or a licence.

Recognition of Prior Learning is a separate process. A qualified assessor at a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) compares your evidence from work and training with the units of a nationally recognised qualification and, if it meets the requirements, the RTO issues it. For a carpenter that might be the Certificate III in Carpentry (CPC30326), the current carpentry qualification, released on 23 September 2026; for a cook, the Certificate III in Commercial Cookery; for an electrician, the Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician, though electrical licensing has its own state steps.

The two can connect: OSAP Pathway 2 is for applicants who already hold a relevant Australian VET qualification or a current identified Australian licence without restrictions. If you have spent years doing the work, our post on years on the tools without a certificate looks at where recognition can help. Outcomes always depend on your evidence.

Common mistakes when choosing an assessing authority

• Choosing by job title. A "kitchen manager" who cooks every shift may fit Chef, not Cafe or Restaurant Manager.
• Using the wrong ANZSCO version. A few codes differ between 2022 and 2013.
• Treating VETASSESS's trade work as a separate route. For trades, TRA is still the authority.
• Reusing a provisional result. A provisional assessment issued for a subclass 485 visa is not suitable for a points-tested visa.
• Thinking the assessment is the certificate. A qualification or licence is a separate step.

Frequently asked questions

Who does a trade skills assessment in Australia?

The assessing authority Home Affairs names for your occupation on its combined list. For most trades, such as chef, carpenter, electrician and welder, that is Trades Recognition Australia, sometimes through a TRA-approved RTO.

Is VETASSESS or TRA my assessing authority?

Check your occupation on the Home Affairs combined list. VETASSESS is the authority for many professional and non-trade occupations, while for trades it acts as a TRA-approved RTO and the fees are paid directly to TRA.

Can I choose a different assessing authority?

No. Home Affairs can only accept an assessment from the relevant authority for your nominated occupation. If your work fits more than one occupation, you choose the occupation, and the authority follows from it.

Does a positive skills assessment give me an Australian qualification?

No. TRA says it does not award Australian qualifications, registrations or licences. A nationally recognised qualification comes from an RTO, for example through RPL, which is a separate process.

How long is a skills assessment valid?

For points-tested visas, Home Affairs says an assessment with no validity period shown is valid for 3 years from the date of issue. One showing a shorter period is valid for that period, and one showing a longer period is valid for three years.

Key takeaways

• Home Affairs names one assessing authority per occupation on its combined list; you cannot pick another.
• TRA assesses most trades; VETASSESS, Engineers Australia, ACS and the accounting bodies assess other occupations.
• Match your occupation to the tasks you actually did, and use the ANZSCO version your visa uses.
• VETASSESS can assess trades for TRA, but TRA remains the authority for those occupations.
• A skills assessment is not a qualification or licence; RPL towards a Certificate III is a separate step.