What are the Skilled Australian Visa Options for a person holding a Working Holiday Visa (417 or 462)?

There are a number of options to apply for a skilled migrant visa, but which one you apply for depends on your qualifications and experience. You may need to lodge an expression of interest and complete a point test, and then wait for an invitation from the states or territories before you can lodge an application. There are also different options when looking for permanent residency visas.

You can apply while living overseas or in Australia. When applying for a skilled visa from Australia, you will be issued with a bridging visa while your application is assessed. The following are the visas you may be eligible for:

• Skilled (Independent) subclass 189 visa
• Skilled (State Sponsored) subclass 190 visa
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional) subclass 494
• Skilled Regional visa subclass 489 visa (family sponsored)
• Employer Nominated Scheme subclass 186 visa
• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme subclass 187 visa
• Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa subclass 482
• Temporary Graduate subclass 485 visa (graduate work stream)
• Skilled (Regional) subclass 489 visa (State or Territory nominated)
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) subclass 491 visa
• Training subclass 407 visa.

Skill assessments for trade professionals

All trade occupations require a skill assessment for a visa in Australia. Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) is the assessing authority for most trade occupations. There are several types of assessments and which one you should apply for depends on where you are migrating from, where you studied, your occupation and type of visa you are applying for.

Following is a brief summary of each TRA skill assessment program. You can research the full guidelines for each program on the TRA website.

The PSA is the first step and if successful you can make a visa application for a temporary graduate subclass 485 visa (graduate work stream). Its purpose is to verify your Australian trade qualifications and your work experience in Australia.

Eligibility to complete a PSA includes the following:

• Having held an Australian student visa as an international student for studies in Australia.
• Completed an Australian qualification show skills gained that are relevant to the TRA assessment.
• Provide evidence of completing 360 hours of work directly related to your occupation in Australia within the three years prior to applying for a JRP assessment.

Job Ready Employment

The JRE is the second step in the process. The JRE gives you the opportunity to gain workplace experience in your nominated occupation.

You must either have or applied for a visa that allows you to work 1725 hours of paid employment over a 12-month period. You must also:

• Have successfully completed the PSA.
• Secured suitable employment in your nominated occupation.

Job Ready Workplace Assessment

The JRWA assesses your ability to work at the required skill level for an Australian employer. A TRA workplace assessor will complete the assessment and they will focus on the activities you are required to complete while at work.

For a workplace to be eligible for a JRWA it must be approved and you must provide:

• Proof of at least 863 hours of paid employment over a minimum of six months from when you started your JRE.
• Acceptable skilled progress reports, a signed employment verification report and any other evidence that states you are completing your work at an acceptable standard for your occupation.

Job Ready Final Assessment

The JRFA is the final step in the JRP. To be eligible you must have:

• Completed the JRWA successfully.
• Provided the employment evidence required of the JRE.

Temporary Skills Shortage Skills Assessment

Apply for the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Skills Assessment Program when applying for the Temporary Skill Shortage subclass 482 visa where you are required to complete a skill assessment for your nominated occupation.

The TSS has two pathways:

• Pathway 1 is for applicants who do not have Australian qualifications in their nominated occupation.
• Pathway 2 is for applicants who hold a relevant Australian qualification or a current identified Australian occupational licence.

Offshore Skills Assessment Program

If you want to apply for a skilled visa other than a subclass 485 or TSS subclass 482 visa, you will need to complete the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP). It is mandatory to complete the OSAP when you are from a specified country and for some occupations.

The OSAP has two pathways:

• Pathway 1 is for applicants who do not have Australian qualifications in their nominated occupation.
• Pathway 2 is for applicants who hold a relevant Australian qualification or a current identified Australian occupational licence.

Migration Skills Assessment Program

Apply for the Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) Program when you want to apply for a skilled visa if your country and occupation does not have an approved TRA Registered Training Organisation.

This is a paper-based assessment of your employment history and skills to assess whether your skills meet Australian standards.

For eligibility to apply for the MSA, your occupation must be:

• On the medium and long-term strategic skills list or short-term skilled occupations list.
• Relevant to your qualification and employment.

How we can help

With so many visa choices available when applying to work in Australia in a trades profession, the process is complex. The specialists at Direct Migration Experts can help you every step of the way. We are registered migration experts and can assess your situation to help you make the right choices and decisions. We can also assist with the documents you need and making your EOI, visa application and applying for the right skills assessment.