Trades Recognition Australia, also known as TRA, is the skill assessment authority for trade occupations. For example, occupations such as chefs, bricklayers, electricians and plumbers are all assessed by TRA.

TRA assesses whether the applicant’s qualifications, skills and employments meet Australian standards for migration purposes.

There are several assessment pathways and it is important that you choose the correct one to apply for.

TRA provides several different skills assessment services, which are based on an applicant’s occupation, country of passport, where they studied and the type of visa they are seeking. You must choose the right assessment pathway according to what visa you want to apply for:

1. Job Ready Program (JRP)
Applicable to applicants who have obtained corresponding academic qualifications in Australia and want to apply for a Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485) or a GSM visa (subclass 491/190/189).

2. TSS Skills Assessment Program
This program is for applicants from a specified country and occpation who want to apply for a TSS visa (subclass 482).

3. Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP)
Applicable to applicants from a specified country of passport and occupation, who want to apply for a General Skilled Migration visa (subclass 491/190/189).

4. Migration Skills Assessment Program (MSA)
This program is for applicants who want to apply for a General Skilled Migration visa (subclass 491/190/189) and are not from a specified country of passport and occupation.

 1. Job Ready Program (JRP)

The Job Ready Program is for international graduates who have completed 2 years of study in Australua resulting in a relevant academic qualification. This is suitable for international students who come to Australia for vocational studies.

There are four steps to the JRP.

Step 1: Provisional skills assessment (PSA)

Eligibility

To be eligible for a PSA you must have:

• held an international student visa (as the primary visa holder) to study in Australia; and
• a qualification relevant to an occupation assessed by TRA, and awarded by a CRICOS RTO as a result of study in Australia; and
• evidence of a minimum of 360 hours of employment and/or a vocational placement relevant to your qualification and nominated occupation, completed in an Australian workplace, within the three years prior to submitting a PSA application (TAFE will usually arrange an internship/placement in the second year, which can generally meet the requirement)

For example, if you want to be assessed as a chef, you will need to have at least completed a Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery and have evidence of 360 hours paid employment or vocational placement.

A successful outcome of a PSA will enable you to apply for a 485 visa and step 2.

Step 2: Job Ready Employment (JRE)

Eligibility

To be eligible for JRE you must:

• have received a successful PSA outcome
• have less than 4 months remaining on your student visa
• hold or have lodged 485 visa or other visas that has full work rights and is valid for a minimum of 12 months
• have completed 1725 hours of relevant skilled work in one year

Step 3: Job Ready Workplace Assessment (JRWA)

Eligibility

To be eligible for a JRWA, the following is required:

• your employment arrangements must have been approved by TRA
• acceptable pay evidence for at least 863 hours over a minimum of six months from your JRE Start Date
• acceptable Skills Progress Reports (SPR), Employment Verification Report (EVR) and any other relevant information confirming you are performing expected tasks and duties and developing the skills required for your nominated occupation

The third step and the second step are actually related to each other. The applicant can apply for the third step after working for the employer for half a year and reached 863 hours of work.

Step 4: Job Ready Final Assessment (JRFA)

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for a JRFA you must have:

• your employment arrangements approved by TRA
• achieved a successful JRWA outcome
• provided TRA with acceptable pay evidence for at least 1725 hours employment in your nominated occupation over a minimum of 12 months from your JRE Start Date

This is the final step of the JRP. With a successful outcome, you will be able to apply for a GSM visa.

2. TSS Skills Assessment Program

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 this table.
• are required by the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) to have a skills assessment for temporary migration.

You are required to select a Registered Raining Organisation (RTO) to conduct your skills assessment.

Step 1: Documentary Evidence Assessment

Applicants with Australian qualifications are required to submit their academic certificates and relevant employment evidence.

Applicants without Australian qualifications need to submit relevant overseas qualifications AND to demonstrate that they have:

• full-time employment for more than 3 years
• at least 12 months full-time employment in the last 3 years

Step 2: Technical Assessment

You will be required to participate in a technical assessment of your skills and knowledge, conducted by a qualified assessor who will also be a qualified tradesperson in your nominated occupation.

The assessor will focus on collecting evidence to determine if you meet the requirements of the relevant VET qualification in the Australian Training Package for your nominated occupation. This will involve a technical interview and may involve a practical demonstration of skills and gathering evidence from any nominated employers or other referees.

If successful, you will also receive an outcome letter which can be presented to Home Affairs with your visa application.

3. Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP)

The Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) is for applicants applying for a GSM visa, who work in a nominated occupation and hold a passport from a nominated country or Special Administrative Region (SAR) as indicated in this table.

You are required to select a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to conduct your skills assessment.

Step 1: Documentary Evidence Assessment

Applicants with Australian qualifications are required to submit their academic certificates and relevant employment evidence.

Applicants without Australian qualifications need to submit relevant overseas qualifications AND to demonstrate that they have:

• full-time employment for more than 3 years
• at least 12 months full-time employment in the last 3 years

Step 2: Technical Assessment

You will be required to participate in a technical assessment of your skills and knowledge, conducted by a qualified assessor who will also be a qualified tradesperson in your nominated occupation.

The assessor will focus on collecting evidence to determine if you meet the requirements of the relevant VET qualification in the Australian Training Package for your nominated occupation. This will involve a technical interview and may involve a practical demonstration of skills and gathering evidence from any nominated employers or other referees.

If successful, you will also receive an outcome letter which can be presented to Home Affairs with your visa application.

4. Migration Skills Assessment Program (MSA)

The Migration Skills Assessment Program (MSA) is for applicants applying for a permanent skilled migration visa with the Department of Home Affairs.

It is an evidence based assessment of your qualification/s and employment history to determine comparability with Australian standards for a skilled worker in your nominated occupation.

With a successful outcome, you will be able to apply for a GSM visa.

Do you need help?

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