Overseas Qualifications Recognition (OQR)

Your overseas qualification may be assessed if you:

1. Are currently living in South Australia

1. Are an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or a temporary visa holder with work rights

1. Have completed a higher education or technical or vocational qualification overseas

If you meet these requirements, you can apply online through the Skilled & Business Migration Portal.

We cannot assess:

• Qualifications completed in less than one semester or six months of full-time study

• Trade qualifications

• Secondary education qualifications

• Incomplete qualifications or single subjects

• Work experience

• English language proficiency

• Qualifications completed in Australia

When you do not need an OQR

You do not need an OQR assessment if:

• You are seeking study credit or course entry: OQR does not compare subjects, competencies or study content. Education providers assess qualifications for admission purposes.

• You are applying for migration purposes: Migration skills assessments are conducted by the relevant assessing authorities listed on the Department of Home Affairs Skilled Occupations List.

• You require occupational registration or licensing: Refer directly to the relevant Australian registration or licensing authority for your occupation.

Certify your documents

You must provide certified copies of your qualification documents, including certificates, transcripts and English translations where applicable.

To have a document certified, present the original documents and copies to an authorised person.

Certified documents must:

• State “I certify this is a true copy of…”

• Include the name, signature, qualification and date of the authorised person

• Be signed or initialled on every page

An authorised person may include:

• Justice of the Peace

• Police officer

• Registered nurse

• Pharmacist

Applications without certified documents may be delayed, cancelled or withdrawn.

Further information, including a full list of authorised persons, is available on the Department of Education’s website.

All documents must:

• Be scanned in colour and of high quality

• Be submitted as PDF or JPEG files

• Not exceed 4 MB per page or 16 MB per application

You must provide:

1. Proof of identity (one of the below documents):

• Passport (photo and signature page)

• Australian birth certificate

• Australian citizenship certificate

• Australian driver’s licence

2. Proof of visa status (if not Australian citizen)

• Immigration grant notification

• Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) document

3. Proof of name change (if applicable):

• Marriage certificate

• Deed poll certificate

4. Proof of South Australian residency:

• Utility bill

• Bank statement

• Rental agreement

• Driver’s licence

5. Certified qualification documents for each qualification assessed:

• Award certificate (degree, diploma or qualification certificate)

• Academic transcript or marksheet showing all years of study

• Certified English translations, if required

Additional documents may be required:

• For postgraduate qualifications, provide certified undergraduate qualification documents

• For technical or vocational qualifications, provide certified evidence of studies completed prior to the qualification

Applications missing required documents may be delayed, cancelled or withdrawn.

Documents translated in Australia must be completed by a NAATI-accredited translator.

A list of accredited translators is available on the NAATI website.

Documents translated overseas must include:

• Translator’s full name and contact details

• Translator’s qualifications and language expertise

You may be eligible for free translation services through the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). Eligibility information is available on the AMEP website.

All translations must also be certified.

Once you have confirmed eligibility and prepared certified documents:

1. Log in to the Skilled and Business Migration portal
   1. If you do not have an account, register and select Skilled Migrant as your registration type
2. Under Services, select Apply for Overseas Qualification Recognition
3. Complete the application and upload all required documents
4. Submit your declaration

You can track the progress of your application at any time by logging into the Skilled & Business Migration portal.

Processing times

Current processing timeframes are published on the Processing Times page.
Timeframes may vary depending on application volume, complexity and document completeness.

Urgent requests

Requests for priority processing must be made in writing and supported by one of the following:

• A letter from a South Australian employer requesting an education level comparison

• A written job offer on official letterhead from an employer

• Written evidence from a professional body requiring the assessment

Assessment advice

If successful, you will receive an Overseas Qualification Recognition assessment advice confirming how your qualification aligns with the AQF.

Assessments are based on Country Education Profiles (CEP) developed by the Department of Education.

Case-by-case referrals

If a qualification is not covered by a CEP, you may be referred for an individual assessment by the Department of Education. Further information can be found on the Department of Education’s International Education website.

Advice not available

In some cases, an assessment cannot be provided due to the absence of recognised CEP information. You will be advised in writing if this applies.