TSS & OSAP Skills Assessment FAQs

BEFORE APPLYING

AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A SKILLS ASSESSMENT?

To apply for a TSS or OSAP Skills Assessment with William Angliss Institute, you will need to meet the following requirements:

Have current culinary experience, skills and knowledge in Western cuisine
Be employed in your nominated occupation in a full-time paid capacity for a minimum of 12 months within the past 3 years prior to lodging your application.
Have original and verifiable documentary evidence of all your employment and relevant education and training qualifications.
Have a minimum of 3 years of full-time paid experience in your nominated occupation (if you have undertaken relevant formal culinary training), or;
Have a minimum of 5 years of full-time paid experience in your nominated occupation (if you have not undertaken any relevant formal culinary training previously).

William Angliss Institute only conducts Skills Assessments for candidates with experience in Western cuisine. If the majority of your work experience, skills and knowledge are aligned with Asian cuisine, we would recommend you to refer to the TRA RTO Finder to find a suitable RTO that conducts Skills Assessment for Asian Cookery.

HOW MUCH WORK EXPERIENCE DO I NEED TO HAVE TO BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY? AM I CONSIDERED A COOK OR A CHEF?

While in the industry it may be common to refer to cooks working in a professional kitchen as ‘chefs’, for the purpose of the TRA Skills Assessment program, the nominated occupation of CHEF refers to applicants employed in a senior chef role with kitchen management responsibilities. If you currently report to a Head/Sous Chef in your workplace, you are considered as a COOK for your Skills Assessment.

You must be able to provide satisfactory supporting documentary evidence of your current and previous employment to substantiate your experience. Unpaid or unverifiable employment will not be eligible for consideration.

If you have completed relevant formal culinary training for your occupation, you must be able to provide academic transcripts and qualifications/certificates as evidence.

Minimum Work Experience Required For Candidates with Formal Studies/Training:

Cooks/Pastrycooks/Bakers

Minimum of 3 years full-time paid employment as a COOK/PASTRYCOOK/BAKER (eg. Commis/Demi/Chef de Partie/Senior Chef de Partie/Pastrycook/Baker)

Chefs/Pastry Chefs

Minimum of 12 months of relevant full-time paid employment as a CHEF/PASTRY CHEF (eg. Senior CDP/Junior Sous/Sous Chef/Head Chef/Head Pastry Chef) with kitchen management responsibilities, and at least 5 years of relevant full-time paid employment if you do not have relevant formal training (or 3 years if you do), showing progression from a Commis to a Senior CDP/Junior Sous/Sous/Head Chef position.

Minimum Work Experience Required For Candidates without Formal Studies/Training:

Cooks/Pastrycooks/Bakers

Minimum of 5 years full-time paid employment as a COOK/PASTRYCOOK/BAKER (eg. Commis/Demi/Chef de Partie/Senior Chef de Partie/Pastrycook/Baker)

Chefs/Pastry Chefs

Minimum of 12 months of relevant full-time paid employment as a CHEF/PASTRY CHEF (eg. Senior CDP/Junior Sous/Sous Chef/Head Chef/Head Pastry Chef) with kitchen management responsibilities, and at least 5 years of relevant full-time paid employment if you do not have relevant formal training (or 3 years if you do), showing progression from a Commis to Senior CDP/Junior Sous/Sous/Head Chef position.

We will also be able to recommend which nominated occupation you are most suited to be assessed for based on the Pre-assessment from your supporting documentary evidence.

WHICH SKILLS ASSESSMENT SHOULD I BE APPLYING FOR?

You should apply under the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Skills Assessment Program if:

You are applying for a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa who work in a nominated occupation, and;
You hold a passport from a nominated country or Special Administrative Region (SAR).

This pathway is also applicable if you are required by the Department of Home Affairs to have a Skills Assessment for temporary migration purposes.

To find out more about TRA TSS Skills Assessments, or for the list of nominated countries for your occupation, you may refer to the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Skills Assessment page on the TRA website.

Please note that it is your responsibility to confirm with the Department of Home Affairs that your visa pathway requires a Skills Assessment, and that TRA is the relevant assessing authority for your nominated occupation, before submitting an application.

You should apply under the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) if:

You applying for a Skilled Migration visa (excluding 485 and TSS visas) to work in a nominated occupation. This assessment is compulsory for applicants from the nominated countries, and Special Administrative Regions (SARs)
You are not from one of the nominated countries, but would like to apply for a Skills Assessment under the Opt-In Arrangement to validate that you have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to operate in their nominated occupation for employment purposes in Australia

To find out more about TRA OSAP Skills Assessments, or for the list of nominated countries for your occupation, you may refer to the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) page on the TRA website.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APPLYING AS A PATHWAY 1 CANDIDATE AND A PATHWAY 2 CANDIDATE?

If you do not have the relevant accredited Australian VET qualification for the TRA nominated occupation, you are considered as a Pathway 1 applicant.

If you have attained the relevant accredited Australian VET qualification (whether by formal studies or RPL) for the TRA nominated occupation, you are considered as a Pathway 2 applicant.

Below is a reference guide of which Australian VET qualification corresponds to which TRA nominated occupation for Pathway 2:

TRA Nominated Occupation	Relevant Pathway 2 Australian VET Qualification
COOK	Certificate III in Commercial Cookery
PASTRY CHEF	Certificate IV in Kitchen Management
PASTRYCOOK (Cake and Pastry)	Certificate III in Cake and Pastry
PASTRYCOOK (Patisserie)	Certificate III in Patisserie
PASTRY CHEF	Certificate IV in Patisserie
BAKER	Certificate III in Bread Baking

HOW LONG WILL THE SKILLS ASSESSMENT PROCESS TAKE?

A typical Skills Assessment application on average takes 8 to 12 weeks to complete the process, depending on whether you have all the required ‘decision-ready’ documentary evidence ready for submission. It may also vary depending on the availability of Technical Interview appointment dates, and how long TRA takes to review and provide WAI with the final decision on the Skills Assessment Outcome after completing your Technical Interview.

I HAVE A SKILLS ASSESSMENT ASSESSMENT OUTCOME LETTER, BUT IT IS NO LONGER VALID/HAS EXPIRED. CAN I APPLY FOR A RENEWAL?

The TRA Skills Assessment Outcome Letter is valid for 3 years from the date of issue. Once your TRA Skills Assessment Outcome Letter has expired, there is no option for renewal. You will need to apply for a new Skills Assessment and undergo the process for a new Skills Assessment application.

I HAVE PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED A SKILLS ASSESSMENT/QUALIFICATION FROM WILLIAM ANGLISS INSTITUTE. AM I ABLE TO APPLY FOR A NEW SKILLS ASSESSMENT FOR THE SAME OCCUPATION LEVEL WITH WILLIAM ANGLISS INSTITUTE?

TRA has now approved for William Angliss Institute to undertake the Skills Assessments process for all eligible applicants, including applicants who have previously applied for their Skills Assessments with WAI, and students who have undertaken training/obtain a qualification from WAI.

WILL WILLIAM ANGLISS INSTITUTE BE ABLE TO ASSIST WITH MY VISA APPLICATION?

William Angliss Institute is only authorized by TRA to provide and facilitate with the Skills Assessment program. We will not be able to provide advice or assistance regarding your visa application itself. You may wish to consult directly with the Department of Home Affairs, or with a registered migration lawyer or agent for all visa-related queries.

EVIDENCE ASSESSMENT

WHAT IS ‘DECISION-READY’ DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE?

As part of the Skills Assessment, you must be able to provide sufficient and satisfactory documentary evidence of your current and past employment, education and training qualifications that you have completed, as well as a portfolio that demonstrates your level of culinary skills, knowledge and experience. Documentary evidence submitted must also meet the required standards of TRA (i.e. high-resolution colour scans of original documents) for assessment purposes.

Insufficient, unreliable, or documentary evidence that do not meet the required standards at the time of submission for the Evidence Assessment may be rejected, or lead to delays or unsuccessful assessment outcomes. If you are unable to provide the requested standard of documentary evidence to verify your employment, education, or experience eat the time of the Evidence Assessment, you will not be able to pass the Evidence Assessment or proceed with your Skills Assessment application.

CAN I PROVIDE NEW OR ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS FOR CONSIDERATION FOR THE EVIDENCE ASSESSMENT IF I DID NOT RECEIVE A SUCCESSFUL EVIDENCE ASSESSMENT OUTCOME?

While you may provide additional supporting documents for review during the Pre-assessment stage, once the Evidence Assessment has commenced, we will only be able to assess documentary evidence that have already been submitted at that stage. If you have new or additional documentary evidence that you wish to submit to appeal an unsuccessful Evidence Assessment outcome, you will need to apply for the Evidence Assessment Re-assessment instead for us to be able to consider the new documentary evidence.

WILL MY AGENT OR I BE ABLE TO REQUEST FOR COPIES OF DOCUMENTS I HAVE PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED FOR MY SKILLS ASSESSMENT?

No, we will not be able to return or provide you or your agent with any of the documents you submitted as part of your Skills Assessment. You should always have and retain your original documents.

WILL INFORMATION I PROVIDE BE SHARED WITH OTHER PARTIES?

William Angliss Institute maintains the privacy and confidentiality of all applicants. Your details and information will not be shared with other individuals or organisations without your authorised permission. Please note however that under Australian law, your personal information and documents may be made available to Commonwealth and State Government agencies and authorities upon request.

TECHNICAL INTERVIEW

AM I ALLOWED TO USE AN INTERPRETER, ELECTRONIC DEVICES OR ONLINE ASSISTANCE FOR THE TECHNICAL INTERVIEW IF MY ENGLISH PROFICIENCY IS NOT GOOD?

No, the Technical Interview assessment is required to be conducted strictly in the medium of English language. The usage of interpreters, electronic devices or online assistance for the Technical Interview is not permitted. You should have a IELTs band of 5.5 and above for Listening and Speaking. or comparable level English proficiency, to ensure you are able to understand and respond to the Technical Interview Assessment questions.

WHAT IF I AM UNABLE TO ATTEND MY SCHEDULED TECHNICAL INTERVIEW APPOINTMENT? HOW MUCH NOTICE DO I NEED TO PROVIDE?

If you are unable to attend your scheduled Technical Interview appointment for any reason, you will need to notify the William Angliss Institute Skills Assessment team no later than 3 days prior to your appointment date. Your appointment date may also be rescheduled to a much later date if we are unable to accommodate your preferred date/time options due to limited availability. If you cancel or are absent from your appointment without notifying WAI in advance, you may receive an unsuccessful outcome for your assessment.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I FAIL MY TECHNICAL INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT? HOW MANY TIMES CAN I BE RE-ASSESSED?

If you have failed your Technical Interview assessment, it is likely that you lack adequate skills, knowledge or experience in some areas of competencies for your nominated occupation. There is an option to apply for a Re-Assessment, should you wish to to be re-assessed on the units you were unsuccessful in. You are recommended to give yourself at least a month or ideally more to undertake further training and revision to address the gaps and prepare for your Re-assessment. You should only consider applying for a Re-assessment when you are confident that you have the required level of competency for the areas you were assessed to be unsuccessful in from your previous Technical Interview.

You are only eligible for one Re-assessment for your Technical Interview, and only in relation to the Nominated Occupation in your original Skills Assessment application. If you are unsuccessful in your second attempt, you will not be able to apply for a new Re-assessment, and will need to start a new Skills Assessment application.

If you wish to attain a new Skills Assessment outcome, you will need to consult with WAI to apply and submit a new Skills Assessment application, and restart at the Pre-Assessment stage again. If invited to apply, you will need to pay for a new Documentary Evidence and Technical Interview assessment.

FEES, PAYMENT AND FEEDBACK

WHAT ARE THE FEES AND PAYMENT OPTIONS? HOW DO I MAKE PAYMENT?

Please refer to the TRA Fee Structure section for the fees for each Skills Assessment service. Fees are set by TRA and standardized across all RTOs, and subject to any changes from TRA.

All TRA Skills Assessment Service Fees must be paid directly to TRA via the TRA Online Portal. The payment facility only accepts payments made by Visa or Mastercard credit and debit cards. American Express and Diners Club credit cards are not accepted. William Angliss Institute will not be able to accept direct payments or make payments to TRA on your behalf.

Payment is made in two stages: first, prior to the commencement of the Documentary Evidence Assessment; and second, when you are invited to apply for your Technical Interview Assessment. Your application is deemed to have commenced once you have made your Evidence Assessment Fee payment.

To make your fee payment, you must first register an account for your Skills Assessment application via the TRA Online Portal. You must register your name and details as per your current passport (i.e. name format).

Each applicant requires an individual account in the portal; there is no provision for bulk account registrations or payments. All accounts must be created using the applicant’s personal information, and account login details remain the property of the specified applicant. There is no provision for agent profiles within the TRA Online Portal.

A unique RTO Assessment Payment Identifier Code is assigned to each individual service for each RTO. Before making payment, you must contact William Angliss Institute for the correct RTO Assessment Payment Identifier Code for the Skills Assessment service you need to complete in the current stage of your application. We will only provide you with the payment code when you are eligible to progress on the required assessment stage of your Skills Assessment application.

When you have made your TRA Service payment, you will receive an email directly from TRA with your payment receipt. You will need to email us your payment receipt as evidence of your payment being made for us to proceed to the next stage of your Skills Assessment application.

ARE THE FEES REFUNDABLE? WHAT HAPPENS IF I USED A WRONG PAYMENT CODE?

Fee refunds are subject to the TRA Payment and Refund Policy, which can be located on the Forms & Policy page on the TRA website. If you encounter any difficulties or issues with your fee payments, you should contact TRA directly for assistance at traenquiries@dewr.gov.au.

HOW DO I LEAVE A FEEDBACK? WHAT IF I WISH TO LODGE A COMPLAINT?

If you wish to leave a feedback, or are unhappy with the handling of your Skills Assessment application, you may contact us directly at skills.assessment@angliss.edu.au, and we will get in touch with you within 3-5 business days.

If you wish to provide feedback or lodge a formal complaint directly to TRA, you are advised to complete the ‘Feedback/Complaint Form’ available in the Forms & Policy page on the TRA website. Complaints may also be made by letter (email or fax), by telephone or through the ‘Contact Us’ section of the TRA website. These complaints will be responded to within the standard response time (28 days). Any response to a complaint will be referred to the relevant manager for clearance.

1 I am a:

2 I want to study in: