Skills assessment cost, timeline and documents — compared by authority

Before you lodge a skilled visa, you usually need a positive skills assessment — and the authority that does it is decided by your ANZSCO code, not by you. ICT codes go to one body, engineering to another, trades to a third. Each sets its own fee and its own processing time, so the cost and the wait swing widely depending on which code you fall under. This is a rough comparison for the budgeting and planning stage.

A blunt warning first: every fee and timeline below is volatile. Authorities reprice (most index up around 1 July), and processing times move with application volume. Treat the figures as ballpark ranges and confirm the live number on the authority’s own page before you rely on it. The links go straight to each fee page.

How the authority is chosen

The assessing authority follows the 6-digit code. The common mappings:

• ACS — ICT codes (the 261x, 262x and 263x families).
• Engineers Australia — engineering codes (the 233xxx group).
• VETASSESS — a very wide range of professional and general occupations, plus some trades.
• ANMAC — nursing and midwifery.
• CPA Australia / CA ANZ — accounting and finance (2211 family).
• TRA (Trades Recognition Australia) — trades in Major Group 3.

The occupation page for your code names its authority. Confirm it there before you start, because scope changes and some codes have more than one eligible body.

Rough cost and timeline by authority

Indicative ranges in AUD. Read each as “from approximately”, not a quote.

Authority	Covers	Typical fee (from ~)	Typical timeline
VETASSESS	wide professional + general; some trades	~$900–1,100	~7 weeks (priority ~10 business days, extra fee)
ACS	ICT (261x/262x/263x)	~$1,500	~8–10 weeks (priority for tight visa deadlines)
Engineers Australia	engineering (233xxx)	~$540–1,460 by pathway	~8–16 weeks (fast-track assignment ~20 business days)
ANMAC	nursing, midwifery	~$400–600	~6–8 weeks
CPA / CA ANZ	accounting (2211)	~$510–560 offshore	~2–6 weeks
TRA	trades (Major Group 3)	per legislative instrument	up to ~120 days; Job Ready up to ~6 months

A few things the table hides. Engineers Australia’s fee depends heavily on pathway — a Washington Accord qualification is far cheaper to assess than a Competency Demonstration Report (CDR). ACS sits at the higher end for a single flat fee. TRA’s trade pathways (including Job Ready Program steps) are a different process from a document-based professional assessment and run longest. Priority or fast-track options exist at most authorities for an extra charge, but “fast-track” usually means faster assignment to an assessor, not a guaranteed faster outcome.

The core document checklist

The paperwork is broadly similar across authorities, even where the process differs:

• Identity — passport and, where relevant, evidence of name changes.
• Qualifications — degree or trade certificates plus full academic transcripts.
• Employment evidence — detailed reference letters on company letterhead stating your role, dates, hours and duties, backed by payslips, tax records or contracts.
• A current CV/résumé mapping your experience to the nominated occupation.
• English evidence where the authority or visa requires it.
• Pathway-specific items — for example a CDR for some Engineers Australia pathways, or employment-verification steps for TRA.

Most authorities take full payment up front and will not begin until the file is complete. Several explicitly will not accept extra documents once assessment is underway, so lodge a complete application the first time. Incomplete files are the single biggest cause of delay — the clock often starts only when the authority confirms the application is complete.

Check before you rely on it

Fees and processing times change without much notice, and several authorities reprice around 1 July. Always confirm the current figure on the authority’s own page — VETASSESS, ACS, Engineers Australia, ANMAC, CA ANZ or TRA — before you budget against it.

To find your ANZSCO code and see which authority assesses it, browse the occupation index. If you are unsure which code fits your background, the CV matcher at app.anzscofinder.com shows your closest matches with a confidence score.

For advice on which assessment and visa are right for your situation, speak to a registered migration agent. We find codes and show sources. We do not give migration advice.