TSS Skills Assessment
- https://www.tradesrecognitionaustralia.gov.au/programs/tss-skills-assessmentTSS Skills Assessment
The TSS Skills Assessment Program is an assessment pathway for applicants applying for a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa, who:
- work in a nominated occupation and hold a passport from a nominated country or Special Administrative Region (SAR) as indicated in the table below;
- are required by the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) to have a skills assessment for temporary migration.
A skills assessment determines if you have the skills and experience necessary to work in Australia at the trade level for your occupation.
Please Note: It is your responsibility to confirm with Home Affairs that your visa pathway requires a skills assessment, and that TRA is the relevant assessing authority for your nominated occupation, before submitting an application.
How to Apply
There are two skills assessment pathways available under the TSS Skills Assessment Program:
Pathway 1 is for applicants that do not hold an Australian qualification in their trade. Skills assessments are conducted against the requirements of the relevant training package qualification for the nominated occupation. The Pathway 1 assessment process consists of four steps that must be completed sequentially.
Pathway 2 is for applicants who hold a:
- relevant Australian VET qualification; or
- current identified Australian occupational licence*.
In addition to your qualification you must be able to demonstrate work experience of at least three years full-time employment in a directly related occupation. This must include 12 months full-time paid employment in your nominated occupation in the three years prior to lodging your application. For applicants applying with a current identified Australian occupational licence the 12 months full-time paid employment must be in Australia.
TSS SCL 482-Medium term stream ( Australian Work Visa)
Under the medium term stream:
- The occupation must be on the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL)
- A higher English language requirement applies compared to the short term stream
- The visa can be valid for 1, 2, 3 or 4 years
- The visa can be renewed without limitation and applicants may be eligible for permanent employer sponsored options.
Required English scores as follows:
| Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | |
| IELTS | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| TOEFL iBT | 4 | 4 | 14 | 14 |
| PTE Academic | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
| OET | B | B | B | B |
| Cambridge (CAE) | 154 | 154 | 154 | 154 |
New Pacific Labour Stream – Seasonal workers program
New Pacific Labour Stream – Seasonal workers program
01. Introduce a new Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) stream which will provide a temporary visa pathway for participants to work in Australia for up to three years;
02. Allow participants in the Seasonal Worker Program (SWP) to be granted, subject to conditions, a multi-year, multi-entry visa;
03. Amend the ‘visa in effect’ settings to benefit Subclass 403 visa holders by providing them more time to prepare for their entry and stay in Australia, while not impacting on the visa holder’s granted period of stay;
04. Strengthen integrity measures in the Pacific Labour and the Seasonal Workers streams by introducing a new condition that provides the visa holder must only work for the sponsor in relation to which the visa was granted, although changes of sponsor will be permitted in limited circumstances.
Legislative Instrument – F2018L00829 – Migration Amendment (Pacific Labour Scheme) Regulations 2018 specifies changes to the Subclass 403 Temporary Work (International Relations) visa, to implement initiatives to promote Australia’s international policy in relation to employment opportunities and pathways for Pacific Island Countries.
Migration (IMMI 18/067: Pool and Pass Marks for General Skilled Migration Visas) Instrument 2018
- https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018L00920Pool and Pass Marks for GSM
Legislative Instrument-IMMI18/067-Pool and Pass Marks for General Skilled Migration Visas Instrument 2018.
Part 2 of this instrument increases the pool and pass mark to 65 for the following three subclasses where an application is made on or after 1 July 2018 in response to an invitation given on or after 1 July 2018:
- Skilled-Independent (Permanent) (Class SI) Subclass 189
- Skilled-Nominated (Permanent) (Class SN) Subclass 190
- Skilled-Regional Sponsored (Provisional) (Class SP) Subclass 489
Global Talent Scheme (GTS)
- https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/work/skilledvisas/visas-for-innovationVisas for innovation – Global Talent Scheme (GTS)
What is the Global Talent Scheme (GTS)?
The GTS is a niche pilot scheme under the TSS visa program. The 12 month pilot will run from 1 July 2018.
Introducing the GTS as a pilot allows the Government to make refinements in consultation with industry to ensure it achieves its purpose.
The GTS is only for employers to fill highly-skilled positions that cannot be filled:
- by Australian workers
- through other visa programs, in particular the short-term and medium-term streams of the TSS visa.
Access to the GTS is not guaranteed. You must be able to demonstrate your need to access the scheme. If you can do this, you will be invited to enter into an agreement with the Government under the agreement stream of the TSS visa. Only then will you be able to sponsor workers for a TSS visa under the GTS.
The following information is to help employers decide whether to approach us to access the GTS.