Online
Today

Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment

Engineers Australia (EA) also offers a service called a Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment to review and assess an applicant’s engineering employment experience. It entails a process of examining documentary evidence to establish if the advertised engineering role is related to the nominated occupation.

Applicants seeking a skilled visa to Australia should consider relevant engineering work experience to be assessed to help prepare for the recognition of their professional experience for migration purposes. The assessment by Engineers Australia is not a migration assessment, however. The final decision about points under the skilled migration points test is made by the relevant Australian government authority.

Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment
Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment

What Is a Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment?

Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment (RSEA) is a process of evaluating an applicant’s engineering employment documents. Employability claims are evaluated by Engineers Australia by way of primary and secondary documentation.

The service is available for applicants from an organisation as well as for applicants who are self-employed. Engineers Australia says the assessment is offered in all engineering occupation categories, and is a requirement for those wishing to seek assessment as anEngineering Manager.

The intention is to determine whether the alleged employment is “skilled engineering employment” as evidenced by the information submitted.

Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment

Who Needs a Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment?

Applicants might want to seek this type of assessment when they wish Engineers Australia to evaluate their engineering work experience as part of the skills assessment for migration.

The assessment may be of particular relevance if an applicant has:

  • Professional engineering work experience
  • Engineering employment obtained overseas
  • Engineering employment in Australia
  • Employment in an occupation closely related to the nominated engineering occupation
  • A combination of employment periods that they want assessed
  • Self-employed engineering experience supported by appropriate evidence

Engineers Australia includes the assessment of relevant skilled employment as a key requirement for the assessment process for applications for Engineering Manager.

Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment Requirements

Employment papers should be carefully prepared before being submitted for an application.

Employment Reference Letter

Engineers Australia requests a reference letter from the employer on their letterhead for staff.

The letter should contain:

  • Your job title
  • Employed from and to dates.Employment start and end dates.
  • Whether full-time or part-time employment
  • Your pay rate
  • Completed 5 or more key engineering tasks
  • The date on which the letter was issued is provided. The date of the letter is given.
  • The manager’s signature and appropriate manager’s endorsement (direct supervisor)
  • The work email address of the signatory
  • The signatory’s phone number
  • Include the company stamp, if applicable.

Information should represent the employment time and responsibilities in an accurate manner.

Job Offer or Performance Review

If the employment reference does not include all the required responsibilities, Engineers Australia permits supporting documentation which includes:

A letter of offer with a minimum of five engineering responsibilities outlined, or

An annual review of a company’s letterhead with at least five detailed engineering duties.

These documents may be useful to support the duties listed for the employment time period.

Secondary Employment Evidence

Secondary evidence is also required by Engineers Australia to support the employment claim.

For employees, this may include government or official documents or proof of employment, including:

  • Income tax documentation
  • Superannuation or equivalent contribution statements.
  • Social security or insurance statements
  • Retirement or provident fund contribution records (if applicable)
  • Work permits
  • Residence permits
  • Other official government documents or work contracts with the employment details.

Secondary evidence must support the employment period and name the applicant and/or the employer if necessary.

Not Sure Which Service You Need?

Take our free Eligibility Test โ€” answer 5 quick questions about your engineering background, qualifications, and visa goals. We’ll identify your assessment body, ANZSCO code, and the exact documents required. Takes under 3 minutes.

How Engineers Australia Assesses Relevant Employment

In each of the periods of evidence, Engineers Australia will scrutinise the evidence provided. The interpretation will be based on primary and secondary sources.

The evidence of work should provide some key details like:

  • Employer
  • Job title
  • Employment period
  • Employment type
  • Pay rate
  • Engineering duties
  • Evidence that supports the employment relationship

The reference should be more of a description of the engineering work done and not just a generic statement of employment. Currently, Engineers Australia demands a minimum of five primary engineering roles be specified in the reference letter.

What Counts as Relevant Engineering Employment?

The meaning of being relevant to employment is that it has a meaningful relationship to the applicant’s nominated engineering job.

It is therefore important for the applicant to make it clear in their job documents that the job is engineering.

For instance, if you are writing a reference letter for an engineering position, you shouldn’t write something that just says:

“Worked as an engineer and performed engineering duties.”

In contrast, it should particularly specify the actual technical duties undertaken in the job, like engineering design, analysis, project work, technical management, site work, engineering documentation, testing, or related work for the particular job.

It is dependent upon the specific job, employment situation, and proof provided by the applicant. It is therefore important for applicants to not presume that all positions listed with an engineering job title will qualify as skilled, engineering-related.

Does Work Experience Before Graduation Count?

Care must be taken to remember the timing of the applicants’ engineering jobs.

Earlier, Engineers Australia published guidance which indicated that employment secured prior to or concurrent with the nominated occupation would not be considered relevant in relation to the qualification supporting the nominated occupation, and the published guidance has since been repeated to that effect. It is important to therefore review the current requirements for each assessment pathway and qualification before claiming any periods of employment.

Applicants who have done internships, placements or engineering work during the course of their studies will be especially interested to know this.

Relevant Skilled Employment for Self-Employed Engineers

If an applicant is self-employed, they can request a relevant skilled employment assessment from Engineers Australia.

Self-employed applicants need to provide appropriate documentary evidence demonstrating their engineering work and business activities. Applicants will need to ensure that their documentation is able to adequately cover the period of employment, role, and engineering activities as a self-employed individual, as there is no employer reference letter.

The evidence must be coherent for the entire application and provide enough information for Engineers Australia to evaluate the employment claim.

Common Documents for Employment Evidence

The documents required will be determined on a case-by-case basis. In a typical employee application, the user might fill out such a form to include the following:

Document

Purpose

Employment reference letter

Confirms employment and engineering duties

Job offer letter

Can support duties and employment details

Performance review

Can provide additional evidence of engineering duties

Tax documentation

Supports employment and income history

Provident/superannuation records

Supports the employment period

Work permit

Supports legal employment

Employment contract

Supports employer, role and employment conditions

Other official government records

Provides additional employment verification

The documentation requirements for applicants must be based on the current Engineers Australia documentation requirements and not an old checklist.

How to Apply for a Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment

The process is broadly as follows: preparing necessary documentation; choosing the appropriate pathway to a skills assessment for migration; and submitting the documents via the Engineers Australia online system.

Step 1: Identify Your Assessment Pathway

To start, find out which Engineers Australia migration skills assessment pathway is relevant to your qualification and nominated occupation.

Engineers Australia offers a variety of options based on the engineering qualification and the applicant’s situation.

Step 2: Prepare Your Employment Evidence

Gather your letters of reference and job-related paperwork.

Ensure the dates, job titles, employer information and responsibilities are consistent in all documents.

Step 3: Request the Relevant Employment Assessment

Relevant skilled employment can be requested as an extra assessment service. It can be packaged as an add-on to some migration skills assessment applications or as a standalone option.

Step 4: Submit the Application

Applicants set up an account on Engineers Australia, choose the right Engineers Australia skills assessment service, and upload the necessary documents.

Engineers Australia advises that the migration skills assessment requirements and preparation document be read prior to submitting the application.

Step 5: Receive the Outcome

Engineers Australia evaluates the evidence submitted and issues an outcome that reflects the employment period(s) that have been assessed to be relevant, where appropriate.

The assessment outcome will depend on the evidence presented. The final decision on migration locations is at the discretion of the appropriate Australian Government official.

How to Apply for a Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment

How Much Does Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment Cost?

Engineers Australia published fees for 2026-27 are:

  • Separate Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment: AUD $485 excluding GST / AUD $533.50 including GST
  • CDR assessment + Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment: AUD $1,375 excluding GST / AUD $1,512.50 including GST
  • Australian engineering qualification assessment + Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment: AUD $750 excluding GST / AUD $825 including GST
  • International Accord qualification assessment + Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment: AUD $940 excluding GST / AUD $1,034 including GST

The fee may vary, and applicants should refer to the latest Engineers Australia fee schedule before applying.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Submitting a Generic Reference Letter

A letter stating only your job title and employment dates is not necessarily enough to give details of your engineering work.

Design engineering tasks, as per Engineers Australia requirements.

Inconsistent Employment Dates

Your reference letter, employment contract, and any supporting documents should NOT have conflicting dates.

Review all documents prior to submission.

Missing Secondary Evidence

Documentation requirements may not be met with a reference letter alone. Engineers Australia requires secondary evidence for an employee’s claim with regard to employment.

Using Poor-Quality Documents

The applicant is to supply clear, high-resolution scans of the required original documents and adhere to the current instructions applicable to the file format in Engineers Australia’s guidelines.

Claiming Unrelated Work

The engineering-related job title does not assume that an employment period is relevant. The actual duties and relationship to the nominated occupation are important considerations.

Relying on Outdated Requirements

The requirements and fees for Engineers Australia may change. Please refer to the most up-to-date official advice before applying.

How CDR Writers Can Help

The consistency, detail and supporting documentation to prepare employment evidence for use in a Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment are significant.

At CDR Writers, we can guide applicants through the documentation process, collate employment details, and professionally structure the employment documentation content using their true employment experience.

Our support will cover:

  • Guidance on the employment reference letter.
  • Engineering duty documentation
  • Employment evidence organisation
  • Document consistency checks
  • Engineers Australia assessment guidance
  • A course that integrates CDR/Migration skills assessment support.

Applicants should provide genuine information about their employment. Job responsibilities and supporting documentation should reflect the actual job tasks.

soft skills for migrant engineers

Looking for expert CDR Writer for Engineers Australia?

Dhara Gupta WA scan 1

CDR reports, resumes, VETASSESS, and RPL applications can be challenging to prepare. Our team of professionals has effectively helped clients obtain approval with professional services that address all of these needs.

Conclusion on Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment

A Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment is a process through which Engineers Australia can evaluate the engineering employment evidence that an applicant can provide, and the relevance of claimed engineering employment.

Consistent and correct documentation is key to any application’s strength. Applicants should include comprehensive employment references, arrange supporting information, and ensure that the duties they state are a true reflection of their engineering duties.

Please refer to the latest Engineers Australia requirements, fees and documentation advice before applying, as requirements are subject to change.

For assistance in arranging your engineering documentation for employment or your migration skills assessment documentation, you can contact CDR Writers to help you arrange your information and prepare your documentation based on the applicable requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment?

A service provided by Engineers Australia to review and assess documentary evidence of an applicant’s engineering employment.

It is “an extra service required for many engineering professions” but Engineers Australia points out that it is a requirement for anyone who wants to be assessed as an Engineering Manager.

Yes. Engineers Australia has one more service listed as a Relevant Skilled Employment Assessment.

As a general rule, it is necessary for the employee to have an employment reference letter with employment information and engineering duties, and to have secondary evidence to substantiate these engineering duties and employment period.

According to the current guidance of Engineers Australia, there should be at least five key engineering tasks completed while in the job.