Migration Skills Assessment and Fast Track Migration Skills Assessment
Engineers with an engineering degree from overseas countries and are not signatories to the Sydney Accord, Washington Accord, and Dublin Accord must go through the Migration Skills Assessment and Fast track migration skills.
Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) and Fast Track Migration Skills Assessment (FTMSA) are two processes used by the Australian government to assess the skills of individuals seeking to migrate to Australia. The MSA process evaluates applicants’ qualifications and work experience in a specific occupation. In contrast, the FTMSA process expedites the assessment of highly skilled individuals in certain occupations.
Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) conducts MSA for trade and vocational occupations. Engineers Australia is responsible for assessing the qualifications and work experience of engineers seeking to migrate to Australia.
The MSA process typically takes several months, while the FTMSA process can get completed in a shorter period. The exact assessment time for Engineers Australia fast track can vary, but it typically takes several weeks.
Both the MSA and FTMSA processes are essential components of the Australian immigration system, as they help to ensure that individuals who migrate to Australia have the necessary skills and qualifications to contribute to the Australian economy.
Overall, the Migration Skills Assessment and Fast Track Migration Skills Assessment are essential steps in the Australian immigration process for individuals who want to migrate to Australia as skilled workers. It assesses the applicant’s skills, qualifications, and work experience in a specific occupation. It gets managed by organizations like Trades Recognition Australia and Engineers Australia, which have a particular assessment time for each step.
The EA selects candidates who possess skills and knowledge according to their field and are competent engineers to work in Australia. For this reason, Engineers Australia (EA) assesses the Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) and checks engineers’ level of skills and knowledge.
The process of Migration Skills Assessment takes around 4-7 months. The MSA application takes a long time to process and has a point-based system to attract highly qualified professionals with the experience to perfectly meet Australia’s needed skills. Table of Contents
If you want fast results in a short period, apply for the fast track of your application. You can have your application to an evaluator and get it processed within 20-25 working days. The EA evaluators choose the engineers by adequately analyzing the CDR and selecting who is eligible, and reject or ask to resubmit if they find any mistakes in the CDR.
For the fast track service, select “Fast Track” when you are completing your online application for MSA. If you already have an existing MSA and want it to get fast-tracked, then you can submit the online form provided by EA.
The fast-track service costs more than the standard Migration Skills assessment. The fee for Migration Skills Assessment is different from the fast track. Most people prefer the fast-track method to wait for that long time for visa approval.
The Fast Track service is favorable when you need a quick completion of the process. Since many future activities depend on the result of your visa application, it is a saving factor for many things.
On the other hand, a standard procedure of MSA is delicate when you aren’t in any hurry and have all the time to let the assessment process take its course.
No one can be sure of the exact assessment period; however, the waiting period for the Engineers Australia Migration Skills Assessment depends on the number of applications they receive.
EA also requests the applicants not to contact the authorities about the status of the application before 15 days in the Fast Track process and 16 weeks (or four months) in the case of the standard skill assessment process. These activities will only delay the processing times of all applications it receives.
However, you can send a blank status email request to receive an automated response, which contains updated advice on the dates of applications currently being processed.
The current turnaround time for standard MSA applications
- For the Non-accredited qualifications turnaround, the time for standard MSA applications is nine weeks before the application gets assigned to a case officer.
- For the Accredited Australian and Accord qualifications turnaround, the time for standard MSA applications is seven weeks before the application gets assigned to a case officer.
Note: You can use fast-track service to have your application assigned to a case officer in 20 working days.
Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) assessment fees
| MSA Fees 2022 - 2023 (Valid from 1 September 2022) | Fee Excl. GST | Fee Incl. GST |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Competency Demonstration Report | $825.00 (AUD) | $907.50 (AUD) |
| Competency Demonstration Report + Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment (+$360 Excl. GST) | $1200 (AUD) | $1320 (AUD) |
| Competency Demonstration Report + Overseas PhD Assessment (+$225 Excl. GST) | $1060.00 (AUD) | $1166.00 (AUD) |
| Competency Demonstration Report + Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment (+$360 Excl. GST) + Overseas PhD Assessment (+$225 Excl. GST) | $1435.00 (AUD) | $1,578.00 (AUD) |
Administrative fees
| MSA Fees 2022 - 2023 (Valid from 1 September 2022) | Fee Excl. GST | Fee Incl. GST |
|---|---|---|
| Informal Review | $290.00 (AUD) | $320.00 (AUD) |
| Formal Appeal | $560.00 (AUD) | $616.00 (AUD) |
| Standard Administration Fee | $110.00 (AUD) | $121.00 (AUD) |
| Fast Track Fee | $310.00 (AUD) | $342.00 (AUD) |
Reference: Assessment fees and additional services | Engineers Australia
Standard Migration Skills Assessment and Fast Track
The applicants must be patient since their migration skill evaluation results can take up to seven months. Is there, however, a way to achieve it in less time?
Yes! Australian immigration recognizes the migrants’ urgency and supports their desire to become a part of Australia. As a result, they provide a Fast Track service, which reduces the long wait time for processing the Engineers Australia Migration Skill Assessment application.
Why Fast Track Migration Skills Assessment?
Some factors are there to support the determination of the fast-track migration skills assessment strategy, like:
- If you want to get in a short period, you have to apply for a Fast-track process that can get done within 2-3 weeks. Regular assessment CDR takes more time, i.e., 4 to 6 months.
- Every year, migration policies in Australia are getting stickier. The benefit of having this fast-track assessment is to save time as well.
Essential points for Fast track Engineers Australia
- After they have lodged their application, they can apply for a Fast track service.
- They will require all the documents like Migration skill assessment number, Engineers Australia ID, Name, and payer’s details for obtaining fast-track service requests to get Fast track service.
- If they didn’t previously apply for the visa before applying, one could apply for the MSA Fast Track service.
- The secondary applicants do not require Fast Track Service when the fast track service is meant only for the primary applicants.
- The fee for fast-track service needs to be refunded.
How can an applicant check their fast-track application status?
Engineers Australia recommends that applicants using the Fast track service have to seek the status of the application within 20 days. To check the status of their Fast track application, they can send a blank status email request to Engineers Australia, and only then will they get an automated response.
How much time would the Fast Track service take?
Engineers Australia Fast Track assessment time is just 20 working days. This time indicates that the application will reach the case officer within 20 working days. Due to this, application processing time gets decreases and proves beneficial where the occupation of the candidates is in high demand in the job market of Australia.
The fast-track processing service started in January 2016, enabling the 5-day turnaround period for skill assessment processing time to be quicker than the standard turnaround of 13 weeks or longer.
Generally, CDR processing time is a lengthy process. If your occupation files come under ‘in demand’ lists by Australian states, you can have higher point scores, and your visa will get prioritized. That’s why, if your occupation exists in SOL lists or you already have an Australian employer interested in you, you might quickly opt for the fast-track process and get your visa approval.
Note: The outcome of the Migration skill assessment entirely depends on the quality of the application filed by the candidate. The fast track does not guarantee that the development comes quickly; if the application is complete and contains all required documents, the case officer might take only a few days to assess your application. EA doesn’t take any responsibility for the delay caused due to your incomplete applications.
Why does the Standard Skills Assessment Process take so long?
It takes time because there are so many applications for Migration Skills Assessment. In addition, the information about the applications is necessary for the procedure to get completed on time.
If you applied for a job in Australia and sent your CDR report appropriately, you should be aware that you can inquire about your application’s status after 16 weeks (four months).
Learn More: Become an Australian Permanent Resident 👨🎓✈️
What are the things that influence an application’s Waiting Time?
The number of applications with Engineers Australia: processing times will increase as the number of applications with EA grows.
Provision of Required Information: the sooner the candidate submits the required information and papers, the faster EA will process the application.
Why should you choose the Fast Track Skill Assessment?
Engineers have always get welcomed in Australia. Since January 2016, the fast-track processing service has enabled a 5-day turnaround for talent assessment processing, significantly quicker than the typical turnaround of 13 weeks or more significant.
The majority of engineering jobs are on the SOL list. Fresh engineering graduates with no work experience are also welcome to apply for an 18-month work visa under the Skilled Recognised Graduate Subclass 476 visa category.
CDR report processing can be a time-consuming process in most cases. If your engineering occupation appears on a list of ‘in demand’ occupations maintained by Australian states and territories, you will receive a significant boost in your point score, and your visa will get prioritized.
Wrapping up
Suppose your occupation is on the SOL list, or you already have an Australian employer interested in recruiting you. In that case, you may choose the fast-track option to expedite your visa processing.
In conclusion, the Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) and Fast Track Migration Skills Assessment (FTMSA) are vital components of the Australian immigration system, as they help to ensure that individuals who migrate to Australia possess the necessary skills and qualifications to contribute to the Australian economy.
Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) and Engineers Australia are the organizations responsible for conducting MSA and FTMSA for trade, vocational occupations, and engineers, respectively.
The MSA process typically takes several months, while the FTMSA process can get completed in a shorter period depending on the occupation and qualifications of the applicant. These processes are essential for those looking to migrate to Australia as skilled workers and provide a fair evaluation of the applicant’s skills, qualifications, and work experience.
To learn more about the Fast Track Engineers Australian Skilled Migration Assessment procedure, you can contact CDRReportWriters.
