FACT SHEET

SKILLS ASSESSMENT

PERMANENT RESIDENCE / SKILLED REGIONAL (PROVISIONAL) VISA

I already have current General Registration with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia; do I really need a

Skills Assessment?

The Department of Home Affairs sets the requirements for visa applications. To check whether a Skills Assessment is

necessary for the visa you’re applying for, please contact DHA directly at www.homeaffairs.gov.au

Submission of Documents

The online application for the Skills Assessment – Permanent Residence/Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa requires you to

upload scanned copies of your original documents. You do not need to supply these to us in hard copy format.

Document Requirements

For us to accept your documents, they will need to meet the following requirements:

• Be a colour copy of the ORIGINAL document at 300 dpi resolution (or more). Scans of photocopies or

certified copies will not be accepted

• Include all edges and corners

• Have all text be readable

• Have visible security features (such as the issuing authority’s official stamp, seal, signatures, hologram etc.)

• Be in .pdf format

Where a document has more than one page and/or side, please ensure all pages and sides are scanned and combined into

one file.

Your assessment will be delayed if:

• Your documents do not meet the above requirements

• You do not upload the required documents

What If My Documents Aren’t in English?

If your supporting documents are written in a language other than English, you will need to provide:

• All supporting documents in the original language; and

• Official translated version of all documents.

The Council reserves the right to request applicants to provide translations completed by a translator accredited by the

National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).

What If There Are Issues with My Documents?

If there are any problems with any of your documents, we will be in touch by email to let you know and will provide

instructions for how to resolve this.

FACT SHEET

SKILLS ASSESSMENT

PERMANENT RESIDENCE / SKILLED REGIONAL (PROVISIONAL) VISA

What do I need to provide?

 Passport Photo Identity Page

• One scanned copy of your original passport photo identity page

 Change of name

• One scanned copy of an original Commonwealth Statutory Declaration

or other evidence of your change of

name (if the name on your passport is different to that on any of your other documents)

 Degree Certificate

• One scanned copy of your original entry-level physiotherapy qualification degree certificate OR Letter of

Completion issued by the university academic registrar.

This must be the official certificate awarded to you upon completion of your program, and would normally be

expected to include various security features e.g. official university stamp, seal, signatures, hologram etc.

 Statement of Results

• One scanned copy of your original official statement of results from your entry-level physiotherapy qualification.

This must include:

o A list of each individual subject in your entire physiotherapy course

o The grade or result you were awarded for each subject

o A statement that confirms you have completed the course requirements

This must be the official statement of results awarded to you upon completion of your program and would

normally be expected to include various security features e.g. official university stamp, seal, signatures, hologram

etc.

 Other Qualification Documentation

•

One scanned copy of your original Degree Certificate/Letter of Completion and Statement of Results for any

other qualifications you wish to be assessed as part of your application

Only include qualifications leading to a diploma or degree - please do not submit Continuous Professional

Development (CPD) or other short courses that don't lead to an award of an official qualification

FACT SHEET

SKILLS ASSESSMENT

PERMANENT RESIDENCE / SKILLED REGIONAL (PROVISIONAL) VISA

What do I need to provide? (cont.)

☐ Current Registration (if applicable)

• One scanned copy of your original current Certificate of General Registration (without conditions) issued by the

Physiotherapy Board of Australia OR current and unconditional Annual Practicing Certificate issued by the

Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand

 English Language Ability

• One scanned copy of your original current Certificate of Registration (either Limited or General, without an

English language exemption/conditions) issued by the Physiotherapy Board of Australia, OR

• On

e scanned copy of your original OET, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT or IELTS English language test result that

meets the requirements as prescribed by the Physiotherapy Board of Australia’s English Language Skills

Registration Standard, OR

• On

e scanned copy of an original English Language Skills declaration form and one scanned copy of each of the

original required supporting documents as your evidence of continuous education. Please see Appendix Three:

English Language Skills for further detail.

 Skilled Employment Documentation

• One scanned copy of an original completed Professional Reference Template

(see Appendix Two) or

Commonwealth Statutory Declaration (as applicable) and one scanned copy of each the original required

supporting documents for each individual role. Please see Appendix One: Skilled Employment for further

information regarding skilled employment.

APPENDIX ONE:

Skilled Employment

What skilled employment do I need to include in my Skills Assessment application?

As part of your visa application, you may wish to make claims of skilled employment. For example, if you are applying for a

points-based visa, you may wish to be able claim points for skilled employment. Any such claims should also be included in

your Skills Assessment so that we can advise whether your job roles can be seen to be work at an appropriately skilled level

for the occupation of physiotherapist. By this, we mean work undertaken without any restrictions on your practice.

How much skilled employment should I include?

You only need to include roles that you wish to count towards any skilled employment claims for your visa application. For

instance, if you were employed in a full-time role that you believe meets the Department of Home Affairs’ requirements for

skilled employment for your visa it may not be necessary to include any casual positions you were working in at the same

time. If you are unsure of the skilled employment requirements for your visa, please contact the

Department of Home

Affairs, or speak to a registered migration agent. Only the Department and registered migration agents are legally able to

provide migration advice – the Council is unfortunately unable to assist with this.

What about roles under limited/restricted registration?

You may still include positions where you held a type of limited or restricted registration. However, please be aware that it

is unlikely that these would be found to be work of an appropriately skilled level for the occupation. They will still be

included in your Skills Certificate, just under a different heading. Please do understand that this is not a reflection of your

abilities or the quality of work undertaken – this is simply our advice to the Department of Home Affairs. It is ultimately up

to the Department itself to decide how this is taken into account in evaluating your visa application.

How do I provide information regarding skilled employment?

Please use the Professional Reference template

(see Appendix Two) to provide a reference from your employer for each job

role that you wish to claim as skilled employment for your visa application.

An editable version of the Professional Reference template can be downloaded from the Council’s website here.

Each reference must:

o have all fields filled out

o be signed by your referee and yourself

o be dated no more than 6 months old

o be for a single position held during your employment. If you held more than one role with an employer or the

terms of your employment (e.g. hours worked per week) changed, please complete a separate Professional

Reference template for each position and ensure the appropriate supporting documentation is provided for

every role.

To support your Professional References, you will also need to provide the following documentation:

o contract(s) of employment covering the entire period in a role

o most recent payslip (or bank statement clearly showing the final/most recent payment from your employer if a

payslip is unavailable)

o registration to practice without restriction (in countries where a regulatory system exists).

The detail in the above supporting documents must match that in your Professional Reference. This includes information

such as:

o Position title

o Start and end dates of employment

o Hours worked per week/fortnight

Where information is different or unspecified, it is advisable to include an official statement from your employer (on its

letterhead and with signatures) clarifying this. Where a contract of employment is not available, please provide such a

statement from your employer including the details above.

What about casual work?

If you were employed on a casual basis and the number of hours you worked per week regularly changed, please provide an

official statement from your employer on its letterhead with either:

o the range of the number of hours worked per week (e.g. 24-36 hours per week) OR

o a week-by-week breakdown of the total number of hours worked in each e.g.:

01/01/2019 – 06/01/2019 18 hours

07/01/2019 – 13/01/2019 16 hours

14/01/2019 – 20/01/2019 22 hours

21/01/2019 – 27/01/2019 0 hours

The statement must clarify any weeks in which you did not work. Please also be aware that the Department of Home

Affairs will usually require a minimum of remuneration of 20 hours per week, so any weeks where you worked less than this

must be clearly stated.

What about self-employment?

If you are (or have been) self-employed (i.e., you owned your own practice), please submit a

Commonwealth Statutory

Declaration containing:

o The occupation of employment and the capacity in which self-employed

o The name and address of your business

o Commencement and completion dates of your self-employment

o The number of hours worked per week

o Any dates of leave/breaks in employment and the reason for this (e.g. sick leave, parental leave, carer’s leave,

sabbatical etc.)

o Any dates where the number of hours worked per week changed (e.g. if hours were reduced after parental leave)

o Salary details

o The nature and content of the work you performed

o The number of staff employed and their occupations

N.B. All dates should be in DD/MM/YYYY format

and you must include:

o Taxation certificates for each period of self-employment showing yearly earnings

o Documentation showing registration to practice without restriction (in countries where a regulatory system exists)

covering the entire period of employment

and also include at least one of the following documents covering the duration of your self-employment:

o Business registration certificates covering each period of self-employment, OR

o A statement on a letterhead from your accountant or legal representative certifying the name and nature of your

business, OR

o Statements from your clients with details of the work performed and dates, OR

o A combination of the above documents

For information on making a Commonwealth Statutory Declaration, please see the Australian Government Attorney-General

Department’s website at https://www.ag.gov.au/Publications/Statutory-declarations/Pages/default.aspx

What about contractor/locum work?

Where you were working as a contractor physiotherapist or through a locum/recruitment agency, please provide details of

this through the Professional Reference Template and associated documentation noted above. For locum/recruitment

agency roles, you should submit a separate Professional Reference and appropriate supporting documentation for each

specific assignment undertaken, not simply the details of your entire time registered, and any general agreement with, the

agency.

What if my employment changes while my application is undergoing assessment?

Applicants must keep the Council updated of any changes to their employment circumstances after a Skills Assessment

application has been lodged.

APPENDIX TWO:

PROFESSIONAL

REFERENCE TEMPLATE

Please use the template over the page to provide details of any positions you wish to claim as skilled employment for your

visa application.

Where you held different roles with the same organisation or the terms of your employment changed (e.g. hours worked

per week/fortnight), please provide a separate completed template and required attachments for each individual position.

The information within the Professional Reference template will need to be supported by the following attachments:

☐ Contract of Employment

If you have more than one contract for a particular role, please provide these to cover the entire period (not just

your most recent). This must confirm:

o Name of company/organisation

o Position title

o Start date of employment

o Number of hours worked per week/fortnight

☐ Last/Most Recent Payslip

This must match the end date of your employment, or be the most recent one you have received (if you are still

employed in this role)

☐ Registration to practise covering the period of this role

(unless there is no regulatory body in the country in which this work took place)

APPENDIX TWO:

PROFESSIONAL

REFERENCE TEMPLATE

An editable version of this template can be downloaded from the Council’s website here

APPLICANT DETAILS

Full Name

Click here to enter text.

DETAILS OF COMPANY / ORGANISATION

Name of Company/Organisation

(if this was a locum/recruitment agency or

similar, please complete with agency

details)

Click here to enter text.

Full official address of

Company/Organisation (registered

street address of organisation, not the

practice where you worked)

Click here to enter text.

Contact details of

Company/Organisation (registered

office of organisation, not the practice

where you worked)

Phone: Click here to enter text.

Email:Click here to enter text.

Period of work

This must match/be supported by your

contract(s) of employment and payslip

Date Commenced (dd-mon-yy): Click here to enter text.

Date Completed (dd-mon-yy): Click here to enter text.

Applicant’s position title

This must match your contract of

employment

Click here to enter text.

Number of hours worked per

week/fortnight

This must match your contract of

employment

Click here to enter text.

Period of unpaid/study leave

(If applicable)

Date Commenced (dd-mon-yy): Click here to enter text.

Date Completed (dd-mon-yy): Click here to enter text.

DETAILS OF SCOPE OF WORK

Type of setting worked

(E.g. hospital, private practice, community,

etc.)

Click here to enter text.

Cases commonly treated

(E.g. respiratory, chronic back pain, etc.)

Click here to enter text.

Common treatment approaches used

(E.g. exercise prescription, manual joint

mobilization, hydrotherapy, soft tissue

work, etc.)

Click here to enter text.

Equipment commonly used

(E.g. ultrasound, goniometers, etc.)

Click here to enter text.

DETAILS OF REFEREE

Name of referee

Referee must be a supervisor or manager.

Click here to enter text.

Contact details of referee

Phone: Click here to enter text.

Email:Click here to enter text.

Referee’s position title

Click here to enter text.

Referee’s relationship to applicant

Click here to enter text.

Signature of referee

Date (dd-mon-yy): Click here to enter text.

Signature of applicant

Date (dd-mon-yy): Click here to enter text.

APPENDIX THREE:

ENGLISH

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Please use this form if you are using one of the following options to demonstrate how you meet the English Language

Skills Registration Standard* for your Skills Assessment. Use the checklist to ensure that you provide the required

supporting evidence in your application.

An editable version of this form is available from the Council’s website here.

Method to Meet Standard

Evidence Requirements

☐ My primary language is English and I have

undertaken and satisfactorily completed

• All my primary and secondary

education which was taught and assessed

solely in English in a country listed in the

table on the reverse side of this page

AND

• My physiotherapy qualification (provided

in application) was taught and assessed solely

in English

☐ Complete the table on the reverse side of this page detailing

the education on which you are relying

AND

☐ If your physiotherapy qualification is not from a

Physiotherapy Board of Australia Approved Program of Study,

confirmation that the course was taught and assessed solely in

English, via either:

• you

r original Statement of Results, OR

• an original letter from your institution.

☐ I have a combination of secondary education

and a physiotherapy qualification, where I have

undertaken and satisfactorily completed:

• At least two years of my secondary

education, which was taught and assessed

solely in English in a country listed in the

table on the reverse side of this page

AND

• My physiotherapy qualification (provided

in application) was taught and assessed solely

in English in a country listed in the table

on the reverse side of this page

☐ Complete the table on the reverse side of this page detailing

the education on which you are relying

AND

☐ If your physiotherapy qualification is not from a

Physiotherapy Board of Australia Approved Program of Study,

confirmation that the course was taught and assessed solely in

English, via either:

• you

r original Statement of Results, OR

• an original letter from your institution.

☐ I have undertaken and satisfactorily completed at

least six years’ (full time equivalent) continuous

education taught and assessed solely in English, in a

country listed in the table on the reverse side of

this page, which includes my physiotherapy

qualification (provided in application)

☐ Complete the table on the reverse side of this page detailing

the education on which you are relying

AND

☐ Provide a scanned copy of your original Statement of

Results for each qualification

If your Statement of Results does not show that the course

was taught and assessed solely in English, provide a scanned

copy of an original letter from the institution confirming this

*Physiotherapy Board of Australia’s English Language Skills Registration Standard refers to the Registration Standard found on

http://www.physiotherapyboard.gov.au

A list of Physiotherapy Board of Australia Approved Programs of Study can be found at https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Accreditation/Approved-

Programs-of-Study.aspx.

APPENDIX THREE:

ENGLISH

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Complete the below table if you are relying on one of the following to meet the English Language Skills Registration

Standard for your Skills Assessment:

i. My primary language is English and I have undertaken and satisfactorily completed

• All my primary and secondary education which was taught and assessed solely in English in a country listed in

the table below, AND

• My physiotherapy qualification was taught and assessed solely in English

ii. I have a combination of secondary education and a physiotherapy qualification, where I have undertaken and

satisfactorily completed

• At least two years of my secondary education, which was taught and assessed solely in English in a country

listed in the table below, AND

• My physiotherapy qualification was taught and assessed solely in English in a country listed in the table below

iii. I have undertaken and satisfactorily completed at least six years’ (full time equivalent) continuous education taught and

assessed solely in English, in a country listed in the table below, which includes my physiotherapy qualification

Dates of Study

Level of

Education

Program Name

(if applicable)

Educational Institution

(Name, City, State, Country)

Country

(if applicable)

Study

Status

Date commenced

(mm/yyyy):

Click here to enter text.

Date completed

(mm/yyyy):

Click here to enter text.

☐

Primary

☐ Secondary

☐ Vocational

☐

Tertiary

Click here to enter text.

☐

Australia

☐ Canada

☐ New Zealand

☐ Republic of Ireland

☐ South Africa

☐ United Kingdom

☐ United States

☐

Full time

☐ Part time

Date commenced

(mm/yyyy):

Click here to enter

text.

Date completed

(mm/yyyy):

Click here to enter text.

☐

Primary

☐ Secondary

☐ Vocational

☐

Tertiary

Click here to enter text.

☐

Australia

☐ Canada

☐ New Zealand

☐ Republic of Ireland

☐ South Africa

☐ United Kingdom

☐ United States

☐

Full time

☐ Part time

Date commenced

(mm/yyyy):

Click here to enter text.

Date completed

(mm/yyyy):

Click here to enter text.

☐

Primary

☐ Secondary

☐ Vocational

☐

Tertiary

Click here to enter text.

☐

Australia

☐ Canada

☐ New Zealand

☐ Republic of Ireland

☐ South Africa

☐ United Kingdom

☐ United States

☐

Full time

☐ Part time

Please attach a separate sheet with any additional details that do not fit in the space above.

I declare that the information in this form and all attachments is true, complete, and current at the time of signing this declaration.

Signature of applicant:……………………………………………………. Date:………………………………..