The Australia-based Department of Home Affairs takes into consideration a combination of three core factors in order to distribute scores for Work Experience via the Skilled Employment program:

• evaluating and verifying the opinions shared by relevant Skills Assessing Authorities during the application period (i.e., the date when the applicant was deemed skilled as per regulations)

• must be aligned with the requirements of the ANZSCO. This is inclusive of any pre-requisite work-relevant qualifications

• assessing references, employment records, and associated legitimate information and documentation

In case the applicant receives lower points as compared to those he/she was awarded in their EOI (Expression of Interest) profile, then the Dept. prioritizes the data provided by the ANZSCO and an outcome of increasing favorability is applicable to the candidate which then detects the total duration in which he/she was employed as a skilled laborer.

Even though the feedback from the Skills Assessing Authorities matters, the Dept. should also be satisfied with the legitimacy and accuracy of the supporting application documents before they decide on shelling out points.

As per the rules and regulations, the candidate should be employed in an occupation nominated as a ‘skilled’ type for a specific period of time and doesn’t concern the candidate possessing necessary skills catering to that occupation. The Dept. checks whether he/she is abiding by at least certain duties and job descriptions as prescribed by the ANZSCO, like, in case the client claims to be working in a skilled job labeled as a Cashier, he/she shouldn’t be doing tasks that don’t meet the specific job roles of a typical cashier.

Australian and Overseas Employment: Points Calculation

In this situation, the Dept. will consider benefits associated with prolonged workplace experience in an occupation that has been nominated as a ‘skilled’ type or is closely associated with one. The Dept. prioritizes relevant work experience for a minimum period of 10 years, as accounted for just before the candidate was invited to apply for this visa type.

People that score higher in this category range are given greater priority and due recognition for possession of relevant first-hand working experience. If migrants denote a decent understanding of the typical Australian workplace environment, he/she automatically seem to be a good fit for getting established into the country’s labor market.

One catch is that the employment period need not be consistent or continuous in nature. Proper attention is given to an aggregated sum of the employment period even if it was inclusive of a set of fixated breaks in between. Hence, candidates possessing periods spent being unemployed or pursuing higher education or working part-time are also eligible for this visa.

Let’s take an example of an applicant whose nominated skilled occupation is listed as an HR employee. He worked as an HR professional for 2 years, then as a college professor for 2 years, then shifted to pursue an MBA for 2 more years, and then continued working as an HR consultant for 3 years. Here, the employee is eligible for a total of 5 years of working experience as an HR professional, as the remaining time was spent in irrelevant work types or studying.

In case an applicant possesses both, Australian as well as Overseas employment experience, he/she would be eligible for work experience points. For example, a lady worked as a school professor for 5 years abroad and then for another 3 years in the country on a temporary employment visa. She would be eligible to receive points based on both, the 5-year and 3-year experience.

However, it’s not permitted for a candidate to combine together shortened periods of employment of the ‘skilled’ type while working both, within and out of the country in order to satisfy the work experience-related factors. Taking the example of the lady above, she cannot gain points for a total of 8-years’ working experience.

Employment, Leave Periods, and Remuneration

Employment is the terminology used to describe someone who is employed in a job position for remuneration with a minimum of 20 hours of weekly work. However, in the cases of certain employees who work on shifts, sometimes, the employment contract describes a varied distribution of working hours which may go beyond one week. In this scenario, the Dept. will carefully assess whether the particular applicant has completed a duly duration of at least 20 hours working per week. In case they need further proof of this working experience, candidates could be requested to send in relevant documentation as evidence.

To be eligible for remuneration, he/she should have been engaged in a particular job position along with a paid package.

One must note that only complete durations wherein a full-pay was allotted are accounted for as being employed. Periods inclusive of maternity leave, wherein the leave is extended without pay are not considered as employment as per the Dept.