Every applicant under the skilled migration program must have their skills assessed by the relevant assessing authority before submitting an EOI. The assessment confirms that the applicant's qualifications and experience meet Australian standards for the nominated occupation.

The assessing body depends on the occupation. Key assessing bodies for Indian professionals:

Assessing Body	Occupations
Engineers Australia (EA)	Civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, software engineers
Australian Computer Society (ACS)	ICT professionals (software developers, systems analysts, database admins)
CPA Australia / CAANZ / IPA	Accountants
AHPRA	Medical practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists
TRA (Trades Recognition Australia)	Electricians, plumbers, mechanics, cooks
VETASSESS	Over 360 professional, technical, and trade occupations
ACWA	Social workers
Speech Pathology Australia	Speech pathologists
AIQS	Quantity surveyors
ANMAC	Nurses and midwives

Engineers Australia uses a competency-based assessment. Applicants must demonstrate that their qualifications and work experience meet the Stage 1 competencies of the Australian Engineering Competency Standards.

There are four pathways:

1. Washington Accord pathway: for graduates from accredited engineering programs (IITs, NITs, and several other Indian universities are signatories)
2. Sydney Accord pathway: for engineering associates
3. Dublin Accord pathway: for engineering technologists
4. Non-accredited pathway: for graduates from non-accredited programs

Under the Washington Accord pathway, applicants submit a Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) that includes a detailed résumé written in the Australian format, academic transcripts, and employment evidence. The assessment focuses on whether the applicant's career episodes demonstrate the relevant competencies.

Processing time: 8 to 12 weeks. Fee: approximately AUD 700–900.

ACS assesses ICT occupations. The assessment has two parts: a qualification assessment and a skills assessment. ACS maps the applicant's prior qualifications and work experience to an equivalent Australian qualification level and determines which ANZSCO occupation the applicant's skills match.

ACS offers two main tracks:

• ICT Major: for applicants with a computing-related degree
• ICT Minor: for applicants with a non-computing degree but significant IT work experience

Processing time: 6 to 10 weeks. Fee: approximately AUD 500–700.

For medical professionals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists - AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) handles registration rather than a standalone skills assessment. Indian medical practitioners must:

1. Have their overseas qualifications assessed
2. Pass competency exams (for doctors: AMC MCQ and clinical exam; for nurses: NCLEX-RN or OSCE)
3. Meet English language standards
4. Undergo character and background checks

Doctors trained outside Australia are subject to Additional requirements, including a period of supervised practice in an Australian clinical setting. The pathway is longer and more demanding than for other professional groups.

VETASSESS assesses applicants across a wide range of professional, technical, and trade occupations - more than 360 in total. Many Indian applicants in occupations not covered by a specialist body (such as marketing professionals, project managers, human resources managers, and chefs) go through VETASSESS.

VETASSESS has two assessment types:

• Group A: for degree-level occupations (requires a relevant degree plus one year of post-qualification experience in the last five years)
• Group B: for non-degree occupations (requires a relevant qualification at Diploma level or above plus two years of highly relevant experience)

Processing time: 10 to 16 weeks. Fee: approximately AUD 600–1,200 depending on occupation.

The most frequent reason for negative or delayed skills assessments from Indian applicants involves mismatched job titles. An applicant may have the title "Software Developer" in India but their duties include project management or business analysis. The assessing body evaluates actual duties performed, not job titles.

Applicants who worked in roles with evolving duties, common in Indian IT environments, must provide detailed position descriptions and evidence of actual work performed. This includes project documentation, team structures, and employment contracts or offer letters.