Why Work Experience Matters in the Australian Skilled Visa Points Test

Two separate tables: overseas vs Australian experience

The points test scores skilled employment on two separate tables, and Australian experience is worth more at every equivalent bracket:

Overseas skilled employment (outside Australia, in the 10 years before you apply):

• Less than 3 years: 0 points
• 3–4 years: 5 points
• 5–7 years: 10 points
• 8+ years: 15 points

Australian skilled employment (in the 10 years before you apply):

• Less than 1 year: 0 points
• 1–2 years: 5 points
• 3–4 years: 10 points
• 5–7 years: 15 points
• 8+ years: 20 points

Notice the Australian table both starts counting sooner (from 1 year, not 3) and tops out higher (20 points, not 15). This is a deliberate incentive to work in Australia before applying, not just overseas.

What actually counts as "skilled" employment

Not every job on your resume counts. To be claimable, the employment generally has to be:

• In an occupation closely related to your nominated occupation on the skilled occupation list — the same or a very similar ANZSCO code, not just a related industry.
• At the correct skill level for that occupation, meaning your actual duties matched a skilled role, not a support or trainee position with a skilled-sounding title.
• Paid employment, generally for at least 20 hours a week, not unpaid work experience or a short internship.

A common Filipino scenario: several years as a "Senior Accounting Officer" with duties that map closely to the ANZSCO description for Accountant will usually count. A similar number of years as, say, a general Administrative Assistant handling occasional bookkeeping tasks likely will not, because the duties do not match the nominated occupation's skill level closely enough.

Why the skills-assessment date matters here too

In most cases, only employment from the date your skills assessment recognises as when you became suitably qualified for the occupation counts toward employment points — not your entire career history in that field. This trips up applicants who have worked in a role for a decade but whose assessing authority only recognises the more recent years as meeting the occupation's exact standard. Read your skills assessment outcome letter carefully: it will usually state a specific date from which your experience is considered to meet the occupation requirement.

Building evidence that survives scrutiny

Because employment points get checked closely, the evidence matters as much as the years themselves. Useful documents include:

• Detailed statements of service from each employer, describing actual duties (not just job titles) and confirming dates and hours worked.
• Payslips or tax records covering the claimed period.
• Any promotion or performance records that support the seniority and skill level of the role.

Gathering this evidence properly, especially from employers you have since left, is often the slowest part of preparing a skilled visa application — start early rather than at the point of lodging. If you would like help checking whether your specific work history will count the way you expect, book a discovery call and we'll walk through it with you.