To assist applicants with preparing their application, please see below the criteria that will be considered in the assessment. The AASW is unable to comment on the information provided as to specific employment positions prior to lodging an application. The Skilled Employment assessment will determine as to whether applicants will meet the criteria.

Skilled Employment applications are assessed according to the following requirements. It is suggested that applicants take time to read the information below.

• The Applicant must have had their social work qualifications assessed by the AASW and gained a positive outcome prior to a Skilled Employment application being lodged.
• the assessment of an Applicant’s post qualifying employment as a qualified Social Worker is assessed from the date of lodgement of the application and in this instance, with the AASW.
• the evidence of a minimum of 3 years or more of post qualifying social work employment overseas in employment as a qualified Social Worker in the past 10 years.

AND/OR

• minimum of 1 year of post qualifying social work employment in Australia in the past 10 years, in employment as a qualified Social Worker (with evidence of the employment as on-going for the full period of employment; if there were gaps in service these should be verified with documentation and the reason why a gap in employment existed).
• the date that it is deemed the Applicant is skilled in the nominated occupation is based on evidence of when the applicant successfully met the requirements of their social work qualification and commenced employment in the specific position and that employment is within the last ten (10) years in the nominated occupation.
• To claim points for skilled employment, the experience must be in an applicant’s nominated occupation, or a closely related occupation. For the occupation of ‘Social Worker’ as stated by Dept of Home Affairs, the Dept Home Affairs will take into consideration the occupations within one unit group classified under Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). Regarding the occupation unit group of ‘Social Worker’, there is no closely related occupation, there is only one occupation within the Social Worker Unit group, and this is as a Social Worker. 

1220.0 – ANZSCO – Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, 2013, Version 1.3 (abs.gov.au)

As such, only employment where you were in a position titled as a qualified Social Worker and/or a tertiary qualification in Social Work was required for the position, is very significant to the assessment.

• Employment must be on a fulltime paid basis however the Dept Home Affairs can consider employment from 20 hours or more each week. As such, the assessment will be determined based on this definition of fulltime employment- working in excess of 20 hours per week which must be ongoing.

1. • Working less that 20 hours paid employment as a qualified Social Worker will not meet the criteria.
   • Employment less than 3 months is not considered.
   • Where paid Social Work positions are in excess of 20 hours per week and overlapping, only one position will be considered for the specific time period, not both. The assessment will not consider overlapping positions to make up hours. eg. one SW position of 10 hour and another SW position of 11 hours to equate to in excess of 20 hours per week. Each of these positions would be assessed as separate positions and neither would meet one of the threshold SE criteria due to each not being in excess of 20 hours per week.
   • Unpaid, voluntary, pro-bono work is not considered as paid full time employment
   • Paid or unpaid maternity leave where you are not working in the position is not deemed as paid full time employment.