Last Updated on August 8, 2025 by Ozlinks Education
What is an Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP)?
The Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) is a mandatory program for certain skilled migrants applying for Australian visas who need to have their trade skills assessed.
A skills assessment through the Offshore Skills Assessment Program is for applicants who are applying for a general skilled migration (GSM) visa, such as subclass 491, subclass 189, or subclass 190, or the employer nomination subclass 186 Direct Entry visa to Australia, which means excluding subclass 485 and Subclass 482 visa.
The objective of the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) is to determine whether an applicant has skills and experience that meet the standards required for work in Australia at the required skill level for the nominated occupation. This aims to ensure successful applicants can contribute immediately to Australia’s skilled workforce.
The Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) is only applicable to a person who holds a passport from a nominated country referred to in the list below. The OSAP program is managed by Trade Recognition Australia (TRA), and specifically for this trade, the occupations are listed below.
Skill Assessment Support
Most of the evidence documentation required for your skills assessment is also required for your visa application. Ozlinks Education is an agency that can assist you in understanding and meeting the skill assessment criteria, giving you the best chance of a positive result. Fill out the form for a free consultation.
Skills Assessment SupportSkills Assessment Pathway
Skills Assessment Pathway
There are two skills assessment pathways for this occupation either Pathway 1 or Pathway 2 depends on whether you have or don’t have an accepted Australian qualification.
Pathway 1: You don’t have an Australian qualification.
As part of the skill assessment application process, you must have:
- 5 years of work experience for a non-licenced trade occupation, or
- 6 years of work experience with a licenced trade occupation.
Pathway 2 – You do have an Australian qualification.
As part of the skill assessment application process, you must have:
- A relevant Australian qualification, including a Statement of Results.
- 3 years of work experience for a non-licenced trade occupation, or
- 4 years of work experience with a licenced trade occupation.
Skill Assessment Outcome
If you successfully completed skill assessment with positive outcome through Pathway 1, you would receive the following:
- a relevant Australian Quality Framework (AQF) qualification if it is a non-licensed occupation, or
- an Offshore Technical Skills Record (OTSR) if it is a licensed occupation,
- a migration outcome letter if the assessment is to support your visa application.
Offshore Skills Assessment Program Occupation List
An important aspect of the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) if your passport country is not listed alongside your occupation in the table below, you are still eligible to register for a skills assessment. There are 29 ANZSCO occupations on the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP). To find out more about the skills assessment requirements for each occupation, please click on the corresponding ANZSCO occupation number.
