Does AITSL offer a fast-track assessment service?
What documents can I upload for the identity requirements?
Do I need an agent to apply for an assessment?
Do supporting documents need to be submitted at the same time as an application?
What documents should NOT be provided with my application?
Only the documents that are required in the occupation checklist and Application Guide should be provided as part of your AITSL application. Providing additional documents will not assist your application and can slow down the assessment process. Examples of documents that should not be provided with applications include:
Will AITSL provide updates about the assessment?
No, AITSL does not provide updates. The dashboard in the Applicant portal will show you when your application is under assessment, if there is a request for information or if there is a final outcome.
If AITSL needs to contact you, AITSL will send an email to your registered address requesting further information.
How long does an assessment take?
The majority of assessment-ready applications are completed within 4 weeks, some may take up to 6 weeks to complete. However, processing times can be impacted by the volume and complexity of applications received. Significant delays may occur during peak periods, which may impact your migration goals; please ensure you submit your application early to avoid disappointment. Additionally, if an application is incomplete, if there are incorrect documents or information provided is inconsistent with available information, this will also delay the processing of your application.
Can an application be withdrawn? Will a refund be issued?
Yes, an application can be withdrawn. AITSL can only issue a partial refund if the assessment of the application has not commenced. No refund will be issued if the application is under assessment.
If your application still appears in the 'Application Submitted' table on your Applicant Portal dashboard, it means the assessment has not commenced. When you view your application in the SUBMITTED state, a ‘Request refund’ button will be available at the bottom of the application form. AITSL will consider your refund request. If the application is no longer in the SUBMITTED state, no refund will be issued, however the application can still be withdrawn. If you wish to withdraw your application, please contact AITSL by emailing [email protected]. Please include your registered name, email address and the first 8 characters of the payment reference.
For the refund amount, please refer to our Fees webpage.
Do I need to provide information about how COVID-19 affected my initial teacher education qualification study?
No, AITSL no longer requires additional evidence that outlines how your study was or was not affected by COVID-19. However, AITSL reserves the right to request additional information about Covid arrangements during the assessment process.
How do I upload my documents?
Scan your documents in at least 300 dpi resolution and in colour. Ensure that your documents are in the correct format. The Applicant portal can accept PDF, PNG and JPEG file formats.
How do I add a document after I have submitted my application?
Once you have submitted your application, you will not be able to add documents. You will receive a request via email if you are required to submit additional documents and you will be able to submit additional documents in the Applicant portal.
How do I get technical help with using the Applicant portal?
Check the Applicant Portal User Guide first.
You can contact AITSL via email on [email protected]
What are the criteria and requirements?
For information about criteria and requirements for the different teacher occupations, please visit the Applying for a skills assessment webpage and download the Application Guide and the checklist specific to the occupation you wish to nominate. Please also read our downloadable fact sheets to support your application process.
Can I get advice from AITSL on whether I meet the criteria?
No. We do not provide a pre-assessment service. AITSL compares an applicant's qualifications against the assessment criteria in place at the time they apply. Without a complete application including a full set of evidence, AITSL is not able to provide any opinion.
What should I study to gain a successful assessment?
Assessment criteria may change over time to reflect current Australian teaching standards and Australia’s immigration policy. As such, AITSL advises against making educational choices solely based on hoping to achieve a particular migration outcome.
I have been working as a teacher, does experience count in meeting the criteria?
Which school teacher occupation should I apply for?
What is the difference between Special Needs Teacher and Special Education Teacher (nec)?
A Special Needs Teacher has a specialist qualification for teaching students in early childhood, primary, middle and secondary school, with learning difficulties or other special needs.
A Special Education Teacher (not elsewhere classified) has a specialist qualification in a distinct field(s) of special education not covered by these three occupations: special needs teacher, teacher of the hearing impaired or teacher of the sight impaired.
What is an initial teacher education (ITE) qualification?
An initial teacher education qualification is the qualification required to teach in a school classroom or educational setting. It must include at least one year of full-time study (or part-time equivalent) and be specific to the stage of schooling of the nominated occupation.
The qualification must include a program of professional studies in education including discipline-specific curriculum, pedagogical studies, general education studies and supervised teaching practice relevant to the age range of the students for the occupation you have nominated.
What qualifications can AITSL consider?
For teaching qualifications, AITSL is able to consider qualifications comparable to the educational level of an Australian Bachelor degree (Australian Qualifications Framework Level 7) or higher.
For non-teaching qualifications, AITSL is able to consider qualifications comparable to the educational level of an Australian Advanced Diploma / Associate Degree (Australian Qualifications Framework Level 6) or higher.
AITSL does not have a list of accredited programs for skills assessment purposes and does not assess short courses (less than 1 year full-time study), non-academic qualifications, professional development programs or incomplete qualifications.
Do I have to include all my higher education qualifications in my application?
Applicants should include details of all completed higher education qualifications, including undergraduate qualifications. Please refer to the occupation checklists for the documents to include for each qualification.
Can incomplete qualifications be considered as part of the assessment?
No, AITSL cannot consider study that has not resulted in a formal academic qualification.
My course is not on AITSL’s accredited list. Could my course be recognised?
AITSL Teacher Migration Services and Support does NOT have a list of accredited programs for the purposes of skilled migration. The accredited programs list on the AITSL website is a record of programs accredited as an initial teacher education program by the teacher regulatory authority in each state/territory.
Can AITSL download my award certificate and transcript from my university portal?
No, it is your responsibility to download these documents from the university portal and upload them to your application. Do not change the file name. Changing the file name disables verification features and will result in delays to the assessment process.
Does an initial teacher education qualification need to be relevant to the nominated school teacher occupation?
Yes, the skills assessment requires an applicant to have completed at least one year of initial teacher education study relevant to the nominated occupation.
I have Montessori qualifications. Can I use them as evidence of initial teacher education?
No, Montessori qualifications in general are not recognised by AITSL as meeting the professional criterion as it is considered a specialised method of teaching.
Can Teaching English Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) qualifications be considered as initial teacher education qualifications?
Is teacher registration required for an AITSL skills assessment?
AITSL skills assessment does not require an applicant to obtain teacher registration. However, Australian teacher registration may be considered during the assessment process.
If you wish to work as a teacher in Australia, you will need to gain registration with the teacher regulatory authority in the relevant state/territory. A complete list of authorities is available here.
I am a registered teacher in Australia, do I need to apply for an AITSL skills assessment?
An AITSL skills assessment is for skilled migration purposes only. It is separate to teacher registration requirements. If, as part of your migration you require a skills assessment for a school teacher occupation, you will need to apply to AITSL. Please confirm with the Department of Home Affairs whether you require a skills assessment for your migration.
Although many of the requirements for teacher registration and an AITSL skills assessment are similar, you still need to submit all the evidence outlined in the occupation checklists and Application Guide. This may differ from the documents you submitted for teacher registration.
I have received a suitable skills assessment outcome for a teacher occupation. Do I need teacher registration too?
To teach in Australia, you need teacher registration. The registration and employment of teachers in Australia is the responsibility of the relevant state and territory authorities.
Contact details of the state and territory regulatory authorities can be found at Migrate to Australia links.
I have teacher registration in New Zealand. Do I still need to undergo a skills assessment?
An AITSL skills assessment is for skilled migration purposes only. It is separate to teacher registration requirements. The Trans-Tasman mutual recognition agreement only applies to teacher registration. Visit the webpages of state and territory regulatory authorities for further information.
If, as part of your migration you require a skills assessment for a school teacher occupation, you will need to apply to AITSL. Please confirm with the Department of Home Affairs whether you require a skills assessment for migration purposes.