Engineers are the driving force of innovation in a country. Australia, being the nation of modernization and invention is nowadays the perfect destination for engineers to settle. Over the last few years, the demand for engineers has been rising sharply in Australia. In fact, the University of New South Wales has reported that the demand for engineers has outnumbered the supply of graduates every year. Whether it is civil, transport, structural, aeronautical, environmental, electrical, mechanical, or chemical engineers, one can find their dream job in Australia, the land of opportunities.

How to get a Skill Assessment in Australia?

Skill assessment is one of the curial steps before applying for a Visa. The applicants need to nominate an occupation for which they want to get the skill assessment done. For different skilled occupations, there are different skill assessment authorities. These authorities check whether the applicants meet the skill requirements that have been set for the skilled occupation that the applicant has nominated.

The applicant first needs to find the list of eligible skilled occupations and the relevant assessing authority for the occupation that they want to nominate. Then they need to provide the required documents and pay the fees as required by the assessing authority. If the candidate receives a positive assessment for the skill assessment then they need to provide the assessment certificate along with the visa application.

What is Engineers Australia (EA)?

Engineers Australia is a skill assessment authority for Engineers who want to migrate to Australia. It is not only an assessing body but an association of all the engineers who have settled in Australia. Trusted by the Department of Home Affairs Australia, EA offers a wide range of services to engineers in Australia including:

1. Providing technical and professional support to the engineers in Australia
2. Inspiring the students in schools and colleges to become future engineers
3. Providing accreditation to engineering education in Australia
4. Conducting Migration Skills Assessment for engineers aspiring to settle in Australia
5. Awarding the competent engineers with the status of NER, EngExec and Chartered

What is the Engineers Australia Migration Skills Assessment?

The skill assessment process of Engineers Australia can be divided into a step by step guide:

1. Read the Engineers Australia MSA Booklet (Migration Skill Assessment Booklet) to understand the Engineers Australia assessment criteria.
2. Find your assessment pathway on the basis of your educational backgrounds and qualifications. There are a total of five pathways for assessment namely – Competency Demonstration Report (CDR), Dublin Accord Qualifications, Accredited Australian Qualifications, Sydney Accord Qualifications and Washington Accord Qualifications.
3. Read the Applicant User Guide properly to get a clear idea of how to register to Engineers Australia and other formalities.
4. Register to EA using the guidelines mentioned in Applicant User Guide
5. Login to the portal and navigate through the application to understand more about migration skills assessment
6. Lodge your application

How long does Engineers Australia take for migration skills assessment?

Generally, the Engineers Australia Skills Assessment timeline is around 4 to 7 months. For non-accredited qualifications, it takes almost 9 weeks before the application is forwarded to a case officer. For Accredited and Accord qualifications, it takes almost 7 weeks before the application is forwarded to a case officer. This time frame can vary depending upon the number of applications already present with Engineers Australia.

However, applicants can shorten the Engineers Australia assessment time by using the ‘FAST-TRACK’ services. In this, the application is forwarded to a case officer in 20 working days. In case the assessors need additional documents, it is totally the applicant’s call to provide the additional documents to the assessors or not.

How long is Engineers Australia assessment valid for?

The EA Assessment is valid for an infinite time. But the applicants should take note that the notification of the assessment will not appear on the portal for more than 3 years of time from the date of application of migration.

Do applicants need to present their English language competencies for skill assessment?

Yes, for Migration Skills Assessment Australia, one needs to present their English language competencies to EA. The Engineers Australia accepts IELTS, PTE and TOEFL iBT currently. It does not accept TOEFL PBT and Cambridge English test.

Engineers Australia IELTS requirements per module can be found on the official website of Engineers Australia. A minimum score of 6 is required in each module.

Engineers Australia accepts PTE scores only through Pearson’s online portal. A minimum score of 50 is required in each module for PTE Academic.

For TOEFL iBT the applicant must have a minimum score of 12 (Listening), 13 (Reading), 21 (Writing) and 18 (Speaking).

Engineers Australia also accepts a combination of scores of two tests of similar type. But it does not accept the combined results of two different tests. For instance, you cannot submit scores of TOEFL iBT and IELTS but you can send the combined score of two IELTS tests.

The test results of the English competency test should be no more than 2 years when Engineers Australia receives an application.

What is Engineers Australia Assessment Outcome Letter?

The outcome letter contains the result of the Migration Skills Assessment by Engineers Australia. The letter is sent to the applicant via email and the same can be verified online on the outcome verification page. Third parties can also view the outcome letter.

How much is Engineers Australia fee?

Based on the type of assessment such as CDR Assessment, Accredited Qualifications Assessment, International Accord Assessment the fee for EA assessment may vary. There are additional administrative charges as well. For instance, the fee for Standard Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) Assessment is AUD 862.40 (inclusive of GST). More information about the EA fees can be found on the website for Engineers Australia.