What is Trade Recognition Australia (TRA) Skill Assessment?
Trade Recognition Australia (TRA) is the main governing body that evaluates if your educational qualifications and work experience is at professional level for trade occupations in Australia. It specializes in assessing people with trade skills. It includes welders, electricians, chefs, plumbers, and more. Certification by TRA also increases your points in their immigration system.
It checks if your formal education and vocational experience is up to the Australian industry standards. Your education and work experience needs to be closely related to your nominated occupation for the visa type you are applying. The Skilled Occupation List (SOL) includes over 160 occupations in the trade fields. These are mostly jobs which are in shortage in the local labor market. After fulfilling all its criteria, it awards a certificate of qualification or a license which can then be used to migrate to Australia.
Eligibility
Want to check if you are eligible to qualify in TRA Migration Skills Assessment? You need to prove the following information by procuring documentary evidence:
- You must be from a country listed by the TRA.
- You must be in the occupation covered by their MSA program.
- You must possess qualifications comparable to the Australian qualification for the nominated occupation.
- You must have completed three years of full time paid or equivalent part time employment in your nominated occupation at the skill level required.
- You must have paid a fee of $1000.
Skill Assessment Programs
Here are the assessment programs of TRA:
Career Readiness
It is an employment-based skill assessment for international students with Australian qualifications. It provides opportunities for career growth, work experience in Australia, and an outcome for the Department of Home Affairs when applying for a skilled migration visa.
TSS Skill Assessment
TSS Skills Assessments are for TSS visa applicants from nominated countries and occupations. The assessment ensures their skills and qualifications meet Australian standards, helping to address labor shortages and support Australia's economy.
Offshore Skill Assessment
TSS Skills Assessments are for TSS visa applicants from nominated countries and occupations. The assessment verifies if their skills and qualifications meet Australian standards to address labor shortages and support the economy.
TRA Skills Assessment
By applying for Migration Skill Assessment through TRA, applicants can demonstrate that their qualifications, skills, and experience meet Australian standards, enabling them to work professionally in Australia. This assessment helps applicants advance their careers in Australia in the same field as in their home country.
Migration Points Advice
Australia’s points-based immigration system evaluates applicants based on factors like age (e.g., 25-33 years = 30 points) and English proficiency (10 points). A total of 65 points is required for eligibility, and Migration Points Advice assesses applicants' standing in this system.
Migrants Skills Evaluation
Migrants in Australia on partner, family, humanitarian, or refugee visas who haven’t undergone skills assessment can apply for the Skills Assessment Opportunities for Migrants Pilot program. This program provides quick assessments, helping them qualify for occupations in their field and prove their suitability for professional work in Australia.
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Pre Migration Assessment
There are groups that require pre-migration assessment. In other words, there are groups of people, whose vocational skills need to be assessed by the concerned authority before they migrate to Australia. They fall under mainly two groups:
- Applicants under GSM (General Skilled Migration) program
- Applicants under Employer Sponsored Migration program (this could be waived under certain circumstances)
Migrants from humanitarian, working holiday makers, and family streams are not required to have any pre-migration assessment. The main pre-migration assessing body is Trade Recognition Australia (TRA), while the other pre-migration assessing body is Vocational Education Training and Assessment Services (VETASSES) for occupations that do not fall under the traditional trade definition.
Post Migration Assessment
A larger range of groups may need to obtain post-migration recognition of trade qualifications. They are:
- Immigrants, under the GSM program, who require professional registration or licensing
- Those who need to get their skills assessed such as family members of the migrants under secondary GSM program applicants
- Those who have entered Australia under humanitarian grounds
- Temporary residents who want to work in Australia
- Australian citizens who have received qualifications from other countries
The type of occupation engaged in determines the nature of the assessment. In many occupations under VETASSESS, regulation is not required. It is completely the employer’s wish to demand documents required from the employees for the occupation in question. There are a number of occupations that do require registration and licensing while a number of them don’t. Licensing is done “for public health and safety reasons or to reflect internationally accepted standards of practice”. Registration and licensing is up to the state or territory to decide.