How Long Is a Skills Assessment Valid in Australia?

Both Engineers Australia and the ACS issue outcomes that are normally valid for three years. The letter itself states the validity — read it, because a small number of outcomes carry a shorter period.

The Department of Home Affairs requires a valid skills assessment at the time of visa application. Some visa subclasses also require it at invitation. What it does not require is validity for the whole processing period — once lodged with a valid assessment, expiry during processing does not undo the application.

Here is where applicants get caught. You lodge your EOI in month two of your three-year window, with a competitive but not leading points score. Invitation rounds pass. In month thirty-four your assessment expires and your EOI is now unsupported — you cannot accept an invitation without paying for a fresh assessment.

Two defences. First, raise your points so the wait is shorter: our points calculator shows which lever moves your score fastest. Second, watch the calendar and start a re-assessment at around the thirty-month mark if an invitation has not arrived.

There is no renewal. An expired assessment is reassessed as a new application, with a new fee. The good news is that your existing CDR is normally reusable — Engineers Australia is assessing the same qualification and experience. What changes is that you should update the CPD list and CV with the intervening years, and consider whether additional employment now supports a stronger relevant skilled employment claim.