Education & Qualification Points for Skilled Visas
If you are interested in a skilled visa (subclasses 189, 190 and 491), you’ll need to know how many points you can claim. There are several categories related to educational qualifications. We’ll outline the different categories you may be eligible to claim points in relating to your education and qualifications, as well as how many points you may be able to claim.
Do you qualify for a visa?
Free AssessmentMaximum points available for education / qualifications = 50 (across multiple categories)
Education and Qualification Points for Skilled Visas
| Qualification | Points |
|---|---|
| Doctorate degree (PhD) | 20 |
| At least a Bachelor degree | 15 |
| A diploma or trade qualification, or a qualification recognised by your skills assessment authority | 10 |
Firstly, you can get points for your qualifications – but they will need to be recognised as being equivalent to an Australian qualification of the same level. Not all overseas qualifications will directly be equivalent to the Australian qualification. For this category, if you have multiple degrees, you can only claim the points for the highest of your qualifications, not multiple.
Additional Points Categories - Other Education Experiences
Category Details Points
Specialist Education Requirement If you have studied in Australia and obtained either a Masters degree by research or a Doctorate degree including at least 2 years of academic study in a relevant field. This is only relevant for certain fields such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics or ICT. You may be eligible to claim an additional 10 points
Australian Study Requirement If you have one or more degrees, diplomas or trade qualifications from an Australian educational institution You may be eligible to claim an additional 5 points
Regional Australian Study Requirement If you have one or more degrees, diplomas or trade qualifications from an Australian educational institution based in an eligible area of regional Australia You may be eligible to claim an additional 5 points
Professional Year In some cases in the fields of Accounting, ICT/Computing or Engineering, if you have completed a Professional Year You may be eligible to claim an additional 5 points
Credentialled Community Language If you hold a recognised qualification in a credentialled community language, accredited at the paraprofessional level or above and/or recognised by NAATI You may be eligible to claim an additional 5 points
There are a number of other categories you may be eligible to claim points in which each have specific education (and location of that education) requirements. It can be challenging to determine if you meet the relevant categories, and have suitable evidence to prove it, so we encourage you to reach out to our Registered Migration Agents for a free assessment.
This is only one of many categories you can gain points in when you are applying for skilled visas. Click here to find out more about the other points categories.