wayne and tegan

As per title really, as some will know i retrained 3 years ago and got employed in a field 'on the list', now im getting close to the 3 full years employed in my new profession so now seeking advice on what to do before starting the official ball rolling.

New system is a little strange so am i right in saying i need qualifications assessment and ielts done before lodging an eoi?

I will need max points on ielts so if i did this first how long is the result valid for? does it expire at some point?

My job drops between two categories so do i need assessment in the most applicable? if so which one will it be is the question ive posed to the tra and not got a straight answer. ive since been on their site and see there is an enquiry form, is this system new and do i need to pay for this advice service?

And if ive done the points check properly... im 34 so i get 25 points, i need the max score in the ielts of 8 superior so 20 points, 3 years working in job here in uk is 5 points and assessed qualifications is 10 points giving me a total of 60 points so we could go for the skilled independent 189.

if you see anything wrong in the above please tell me so when i start that ball rolling i dont fail.

thanks wayne

Bermudashorts

I have seen a few of the agents indicate that yes you should definitely get your skills assessment done first and personally I think might as well get your IELTS done simultaneously so that you lodge your EOI with as many points as possible.

You will need to deicde which occupation code to use, I am sure you are best placed for this.

mrsgreenstar76

Yes, you must have the skills assessment & IELTS done prior to submitting the EoI.

newjersey

i think it is still two years from the date of the test. If you are not very good with multiple-guess tests or have an anxiety attack, for lack of a better example, you should know that realistically you have only one go at it in about two months - advance booking plus 14 days to get the results back gives you about that, give or take a week, then you rebook and repeat until you hit all 8s you need. Also, Academic is not that much harder to study for (As in you'd be describing a chart instead of writing a complaint letter of sorts, that type of a difference), and is generally easier to get a seat for sooner, than for the General test. Both are equally acceptable by DIAC.