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Skills assessment in Australia for Filipinos: who checks your trade, and which English score counts

Visa guide · 2026-10-26 · 10 min read

A skills assessment for Australia checks whether your Filipino training and work history meet the Australian standard for your occupation, and it is done by the one assessing authority named for that job, not by Home Affairs. It is mandatory for some Skills in Demand (subclass 482) applicants and must be started before the visa is lodged. English is a separate test: for the 482 Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams, IELTS needs at least 5.0 in each part, unless an exemption applies to you.

This guide puts both checks side by side for Filipino workers, kabayan, so you know which one to start first and what to bring from home.

Two separate checks: your trade and your English

A skills assessing authority is an organisation that checks that a person's skills meet the standards it sets for an occupation. Home Affairs only accepts an assessment from the authority named for your job.

English is checked through a test result, or an exemption, that you attach to the visa application. Passing one check tells the government nothing about the other, so plan for both from the start.

When Australia asks for a skills assessment

The answer depends on the visa. This table sums up what the official pages say for the main employer-sponsored and skilled visas.

For the 186, applicants aged 18 or over assessed as not having functional English pay a second instalment of AUD9,800 as main applicants. English matters even on the permanent visas.

Our Skills in Demand (482) visa guide explains the streams and how a sponsored job is set up.

Finding the body that assesses your job

Every occupation's assessing authority is shown in the Home Affairs combined list of eligible skilled occupations. Each authority has its own procedures, timeframes and charges. Start on the Home Affairs skills assessment page, then go to the authority it names.

Trades: Trades Recognition Australia

Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) runs several programs. Its Migration Skills Assessment compares your qualifications and employment history with Australian standards, using documents only.

If you are an electrician in Cebu, two TRA programs matter. The Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) is compulsory for permanent migration as an Electrician (General), Electrician (Special Class), Plumber (General) or Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic, and TRA says the outcome comes about 15 weeks after complete evidence. For the 482, TRA's Temporary Skills Shortage program is compulsory for electricians, with an outcome about 9 weeks after complete evidence.

A positive TRA result is not a licence. TRA does not award Australian qualifications or occupational licences, so a licensed trade still has its own state steps after you arrive.

Professions: ACS and Engineers Australia

For IT occupations assessed by the ACS, its General Skills assessment costs $1,498, and its Recognition of Prior Learning assessment, for people with at least 6 years of experience, costs $625. As a rough comparison only, at the Reserve Bank of Australia's rate of 16 October 2026, $1,498 is about PHP 65,600. Rates change every day.

Engineering occupations go to Engineers Australia. Its standard Competency Demonstration Report assessment is $1034 including GST, roughly PHP 45,300 at the same rate, and a fast-track fee can be added.

Already in IT? See our IT and technology jobs to compare real roles with your own experience.

TESDA, PRC and school records: what to bring from home

A TESDA certificate, a PRC licence or a diploma is a Philippine document. It is strong evidence, but it is not an Australian qualification. The assessing authority compares it, together with your work history, against its own standard.

Under the 2023 DMW rules, these documentation costs are the worker's to pay: passport, NBI clearance, PSA birth certificate, school records, PRC licence, TESDA certificate and the medical exam. Budget for them early, and keep certified copies of each.

The same rules list transcripts and diplomas certified by CHED and authenticated or apostilled by the DFA among the documents an OFW may need. The Philippines, Australia and New Zealand are all parties to the Hague Apostille Convention.

Ask each employer for a certificate of employment that lists your job title, dates, hours and real duties. An assessor reads duties, not titles.

English tests Australia accepts, and the 482 scores

For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, Home Affairs accepts C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, LANGUAGECERT Academic, the Michigan English Test, OET, PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT taken at a secure test centre. At-home online tests such as IELTS Online are not accepted.

For the 482 Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams, for tests taken on or after 13 September 2025, the minimum scores are these:

The test must be taken within 3 years before you apply. TOEFL iBT takers must select "Taking TOEFL for Australia" when registering. Check the current table on the Home Affairs 482 English page before you book.

Before test day, timed mock tests help you learn the format. PractiseNow has IELTS and PTE practice you can do from home.

An exemption worth checking if you studied in English

A 482 applicant is exempt from the English test after at least 5 years of full-time study at a secondary or higher institution where most classes were in English. If that describes your schooling, keep transcripts or a school letter that shows it. The passport exemption covers only Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States, not the Philippines.

New Zealand: the AEWV asks different questions

For the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), Immigration New Zealand asks for a different kind of proof. You show 2 years or more of relevant experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework, in the same field as the job.

English is needed when the job is at ANZSCO or NOL skill level 3 to 5, and test results must be no more than 2 years old. Jobs at skill level 1 or 2 do not need it. Read the official AEWV page, and our AEWV guide for Filipino workers.

To compare a Philippine qualification with New Zealand ones, NZQA offers an International Qualification Assessment. NZQA says average wait times are now 10 weeks.

Your order of steps

1. Find your exact occupation on the combined list and write down its assessing authority.
2. Read that authority's own rules and fees, and check whether your visa makes the assessment mandatory.
3. Collect certificates of employment, TESDA or PRC documents and school records.
4. Check whether the 5-year English study exemption applies to you; if not, book an accepted test at a test centre.
5. Apply for the skills assessment, so it is started before any 482 is lodged.
6. Apply to sponsored roles that match your assessed occupation, for example this fabricator and welder job in Perth.
7. Once an offer comes, follow our guide to the route from your trade to a sponsored visa and OFW Pass, and book your visa medical in the Philippines.

Common mistakes Filipino applicants make

• Taking the test online at home. IELTS Online, OET@Home and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are not accepted for Australian visas.
• Lodging the 482 before the assessment has started. Where it is mandatory, the application is not valid.
• Letting results expire. A skills assessment with no validity period shown lasts 3 years from issue, and a 482 English test must be within 3 years before you apply.
• Sending a certificate of employment with a title only. List your duties, hours and dates.
• Assuming a TRA result is a licence. Electricians and plumbers still face state licensing steps in Australia.
• Paying someone to "fix" an assessment. Anyone giving immigration assistance with an Australian visa must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person.

Frequently asked questions

Do all Filipino workers need a skills assessment for the 482 visa?

No. Home Affairs says some primary 482 applicants need a mandatory skills assessment, depending on the occupation. Where it applies, it must be started before the visa application is lodged, or the application is not valid.

Is a TESDA certificate accepted in Australia?

A TESDA certificate is useful evidence, but it is not an Australian qualification. The assessing authority for your occupation compares it, with your employment history, against its own standard, so send it together with detailed certificates of employment.

Which is easier for the 482, IELTS or PTE?

Neither is officially easier: Home Affairs accepts both for tests taken at a secure test centre. The 482 minimums are IELTS 5.0 in each part, or PTE Academic Listening 33, Reading 36, Writing 29 and Speaking 24, so pick the format you practise best in.

Can I be exempt from the English test as a Filipino?

Not because of your passport, since the passport exemption covers only Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. You may be exempt if you completed at least 5 years of full-time secondary or higher study where most classes were in English.

Does the New Zealand AEWV need a skills assessment?

The AEWV asks for 2 years or more of relevant experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the NZQCF, in the same field as the job. English is needed for jobs at skill level 3 to 5, with results no more than 2 years old.

Key takeaways

• The skills assessment and the English test are two separate checks: plan both from the start.
• Find your assessing authority on the Home Affairs combined list, then follow that body's own rules and fees.
• Where a 482 skills assessment is mandatory, start it before the visa is lodged.
• Take IELTS, PTE or another accepted test at a test centre, never an at-home online version.
• Check the 5-year English study exemption before paying for a test.

Every case is different — book a consultation and our partner registered migration agents (MARA) / licensed NZ advisers will assess yours.

Last checked: 2026-10-26 against the official pages linked above.

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