Job Ready Program (JRP) FAQs

TRA will endeavour to process PSA applications within 90 working days from the date of receipt. However, times can vary depending on the volume of applications received, as well as the complexity of the verification process in each case.

No. To support a fair process to all applicants, applications are assessed in order of receipt of the PSA application through the TRA Online Portal. Therefore, TRA is unable to expedite a PSA application.

Our current processing times are 90 days from the date of receipt of your PSA application. You should contact the Department of Home Affairs website immediately if this timeframe means you will be unable to meet any deadlines they have set for you.

You can apply for a PSA and if successful, apply to the Department of Home Affairs for a Temporary Graduate visa subclass 485. Please read the Job Ready Program Applicant Guidelines on the TRA website for more information about the PSA.

If you are intending to apply for Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485), you should also check that your nominated occupation is on the Medium and Long‐term Strategic Skills List on the Department of Home Affairs website.

No, you must have completed your study for a qualification relevant to an occupation assessed by TRA. The qualification must have been awarded by a Commonwealth Register of institute Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) Registered Training Organisation (RTO) as a result of study in Australia before you apply before you apply for a PSA which is the first step of the JRP.

To be eligible to apply for a PSA, TRA requires evidence that you have undertaken 360 hours of work relevant to your nominated occupation, in an established commercial operation in Australia, using current industry standard equipment and industry endorsed processes. The evidence you supply will need to show that you have demonstrated skills in a range of tasks and duties required for your occupation.

Vocational placements completed as part of your Australian qualification may be counted towards the PSA work requirements where it meets the criteria above.

Your work and/or vocational placement should total a minimum of 360 hours.

No. Overseas qualifications cannot be used for the PSA but other TRA Programs may be appropriate. Please use the TRA Pathfinder tool if you are unsure of the program relevant to you and your qualifications.

PSA applicants must provide evidence of identity (e.g. passport), qualifications (e.g. certificate and record of results) and employment or vocational placement experience. Please refer to sections 2.1.3 of the Job Ready Program Applicant Guidelines for full details. Please note that all applications must be complete and ‘decision ready' on submission or the application may be unsuccessful.

No, JRP participants should make all payments using the credit card payment facility within the JRP component of the TRA Online Portal. This payment facility links all required payment information directly to your TRA application.

You will be sent a payment receipt to your nominated email address. This is for your records only.

No. From 16 January 2015 an IELTS test result is no longer an eligibility requirement for a PSA.

If you have forgotten your password for the TRA Online Portal, please follow these instructions. Go to the TRA Online Portal, select 'Click here if you have forgotten your password'. By answering the three security questions you selected when first registering for the JRP, you will be able to reset your password and log in using your username.

If you have been locked out of your online account, are unable to reset your password or have forgotten your username, you can send a request to TRAEnquiries@dewr.gov.au. Please include your TRA reference number, username (if known), date of birth and email address.

TRA IT will contact you directly to resolve your issue.

Further, you can call the TRA Enquiry Line on 1300 360 992.

You can withdraw your PSA application at any time by sending TRA a formal request by email to JRPenquiries@dewr.gov.au. Your email should identify the TRA number, your name as registered for the PSA, and your date of birth (for authentication). If you choose to withdraw, you may be eligible for a refund of your PSA application fee. Refunds will only be approved in limited circumstances in accord with the TRA Payment and Refund Policy. Requests for refunds must be made using the TRA Refund Request Form and sent to JRPenquiries@dewr.gov.au.

If you need to reapply for a PSA, you will need to lodge a new application through the TRA Online Portal as a new user. This means you will create a new username and password. Do not tick that you have a previous TRA Application File Number.

A new PSA application will incur a new application fee of $200.

If you have previously applied for a PSA and received an unsuccessful outcome, you may choose to seek a review of your PSA outcome by paying the $200 review fee, and then submitting the Request for a Review form to TRAenquiries@dewr.gov.au. Your PSA review application and payment must be received by TRA within 45 days of the date of your PSA outcome letter.

Payment for the review ($200) can be made using your TRA Online Portal account. An additional link "PSA Review Payment" will be activated within your TRA Online Portal account to make this payment.

When conducting a review, TRA will only consider the documents you provided in your original application and no new evidence will be considered.

If you have new evidence that was not considered during the original assessment, you can submit a new PSA application, with the additional documents, at any time.

A PSA requires applicants to have a qualification relevant to an occupation assessed by TRA, which has been awarded by an Australian CRICOS RTO and based on studies in Australia. Generally, the qualification will be at the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Certificate III or Certificate IV level. Other qualifications may be accepted if they are relevant to your occupation and of the same standard and scope as the listed qualification.

If you have completed another qualification, or a combination of qualifications, you need to ensure you have completed all the units of competency in a relevant qualification at the level listed for your occupation.

The currently accepted AQF qualification for specific occupations can be found here (PDF 414KB). TRA will compare the content of your training (transcripts, syllabus etc.) to the relevant AQF qualification to ensure your training is directly related to your nominated occupation.

No. The JRP is for international student graduates who have completed their qualifications/s through a CRICOS RTO.

TRA may consider a small component of RPL (two to four units) within a qualification only where the student's skills and/or knowledge being assessed were achieved in Australia. Qualifications containing two to four units by RPL must be supported by a letter from the RTO stating that the prior learning assessment covered skills and knowledge achieved by the student in Australia only.

If you have completed another qualification, or a combination of qualifications, you need to ensure you have completed all the units of competency in a relevant qualification at the level listed for your occupation. TRA will consider alternative applications and assess their comparability with the scope and standards of the units studied in the listed qualification, as well as their relevance to your nominated occupation.

No.

To be eligible for the JRE you must have the following:

• a successful PSA outcome
• hold or have lodged an application with the Department of Home Affairs for a visa that has full (unrestricted) work rights and is valid for no less than 12 months
• secured eligible employment in your nominated occupations (see Section 2.2 of the Job Ready Program Applicant Guidelines)
• less than 4 months remaining on your student visa.

Important: Please note: A student visa with more than 4 months remaining, or a training visa, are not accepted visas for this program.

Yes.

You will be required to provide details of your visa when you apply for the JRE step 2 on the TRA Online Portal and a copy of your Visa Grant Notice with your application documents. See Section 2.2 of the Job Ready Program Applicant Guidelines.

No.

Step 2 and Step 3 - Job Ready Workplace Assessment (JRWA) of the JRP are employment based and require regular contact between TRA and the JRE applicant. TRA will only communicate directly with the JRE applicant.

A migration agent or representative can act on behalf of an applicant in Step 1 - PSA or Step 4- Job Ready Final Assessment (JRFA).

From 11 June 2020, applications for all steps of the JRP must be submitted online through the TRA Online Portal and any required supporting documentation must be uploaded at the time of application

An application can only be submitted online once all the mandatory fields are completed, the required documentation is uploaded and the application fee payment is accepted.

If your JRP application was submitted online before 11 June 2020, you can still email your application form and supporting documents to JRPenquiries@dewr.gov.au.

From 11 June 2020, all supporting documents must be uploaded in PDF format though the TRA Online Portal, which can be accessed through the TRA website.

You will need to log in to your TRA Online Portal account and click on the Document Uploads link and follow the instructions in the TRA Online Portal.

Supporting documents include:

• Skills Progress Reports
• Employer Verification Reports
• Pay Evidence
• Visa grant notices
• Passport Identification pages
• Change of supervisor statements
• Change of details forms
• Review forms
• Any other required documentation

Supporting documentation emailed prior to 11 June 2020 will be processed and does not need to be uploaded in the TRA Online Portal.

No.

Employers and nominated supervisors are no longer required sign an Employer Registration Form. Instead, an employer and nominated supervisor will need to sign the Employer Verification Report (EVR), which includes their agreement to supporting your participation in the program.

The EVR must be uploaded in the TRA Online Portal as a part of your online application or if you register a new employer.

Employment Verification Reports for most occupations are available on the TRA website. If the EVR for your occupation is not available, please email jrpenquiries@dewr.gov.au.

The TRA Job Ready Program (JRP) is experiencing a high number of applications. As a result, the average processing times are longer than expected.

You will be contacted once your employment, hours and associated documents have been individually reviewed and your application is processed. To support a fair process, TRA standard practice is to process applications in order of receipt.

TRA will contact you if any further information is found to be required during the review process.

TRA does not expect this to affect how long it will take to complete all stages of the JRP.

Further information is available from the news page on the TRA website.

Yes, you can work with any employer as long as the work you are doing is relevant to your nominated occupation.

You must be working with the employer when you complete and submit the employer registration in the TRA Online Portal.

Your employer must be prepared to agree to the JRP requirements as listed in Job Ready Program Applicant Guidelines and complete an Employer Verification Report.

Yes.

You can claim up to three consecutive months of paid employment that was undertaken immediately prior to applying online for the JRE. Prior employment can only be claimed with the first employer registered by TRA for JRE.

You are not able to claim for prior employment at any other time.

Your JRE Start Date will be amended in the TRA Online Portal if your employment arrangements and prior employment claim are approved.

The JRP requires participants to be supervised by a qualified tradesperson in an Australian workplace.

TRA will consider subcontractor work if the nominated occupation if your online application satisfies eligibility requirements under Section 2.2 of the Job Ready Program Applicant Guidelines.

You must be able to complete at least 863 hours of your work with a single contractor who is willing to sign your Employment Verification Report and Skills Progress Report as if they were your supervisor.

Self-employment arrangements may be considered if you have a qualified tradesperson relevant to your nominated occupation supervising your work. The person must be willing to sign your Employment Verification Report and Skills Progress Report as if they were your supervisor.

Yes, but cannot exceed five employers.

At least 863 paid work hours must be completed with the one employer.

You must submit any new or additional employment details through the TRA Online Portal as soon as possible after you start work with that employer. You do this by selecting Add New Employer under the Job Ready Employment link and completing an online employment registration. Your employment hours will be calculated from the online submission date.

You must also complete an Employment Verification Report (EVR) for each new or additional employer. The completed EVR must be uploaded in the TRA Online Portal at the time you submit the employer’s details.

No. All employment under the JRP must be undertaken within Australia.

TRA cannot assist you with finding employment. You may like to try employment vacancies in newspapers, online job searches or you can approach an employer directly.

No. Your 12 months employment under the JRP must be paid. Voluntary experience will not be counted.

No. You only need to pay the JRE fee for your first employer.

The TRA Job Ready Program (JRP) is experiencing a high number of applications. As a result, the average processing times are longer than expected.

To support a fair process, TRA processes documentation in order of receipt. Your work hours will be added to the TRA Online Portal Total Approved Hours table in your online Home Page if your pay evidence and Skills Progress Report or Employment Verification Report are accepted by TRA.

If you have claimed prior employment, the approved work hours will be added to the Total Approved Hours table if your employment arrangements are approved by TRA.

You will be contacted if any additional information or clarification is required.

Your work hours are calculated based on the hours you have worked, as shown in your pay evidence. Public holidays, annual leave and sick leave are not included in the calculations.

Your JRE Start Date will be amended in the TRA Online Portal if your employment arrangements are approved by TRA and the prior employment claim is accepted. To support a fair process, TRA process documentation in order of receipt.

TRA will notify you if your claim is not accepted. (See section 2.2.11 of the Job Ready Program Applicant Guidelines for employment verification).

TRA is unable to respond to or provide status updates to email enquiries or call back requests relating to your JRE start being updated in the TRA Online Portal. You will be contacted if any additional information or clarification is required.

Your employer would be expected to pay you the appropriate award wage for your trade according to the award for your particular industry and occupation. More information on industry awards under the national workplace relations system is available on the Fair Work Commission website.

It is a legal requirement that all employers in Australia provide their employees with payslips. Please refer to Fair Work Ombudsman website for information about your entitlements in Australia.

No.

You are required to complete at least 1725 hours of approved paid employment over a minimum of 12 months from your JRE Start Date.

Please note that annual leave or sick leave are not counted as work hours.

A Skills Progress Report is a self-assessment record of the skills and activities you have undertaken in your workplace as you develop your skills in your occupation.

An SPR is required at 6 months from your JRE Start Date, or as requested, until you have achieved a successful Job Ready Workplace Assessment (JRWA). TRA will email you when your SPR is due.

The SPR must be confirmed and signed by the supervisor or employer recorded in your online employer registration for that workplace.

Completed SPRs will be provided to the TRA-appointed workplace assessor who conducts your JRWA. Therefore, it is important that SPRs are an accurate record of the work you undertake in your workplace.

SPRs for most occupations can be accessed from the TRA website. If the SPR for your occupation is not available, please email jrpenquiries@dewr.gov.au

If you are no longer working with the employer recorded in your online application, you are still required to submit SPR for that employer up to your last day of employment.

SPRs for all occupations can be accessed from the TRA website. If the SPR for your occupation is not available, please email jrpenquiries@dewr.gov.au

Yes.

You should send an email to JRPenquiries@dewr.gov.au letting TRA know the dates you will be away from work. Please include your TRA number and full name in the subject line of the email.

Your employer will need to:

• provide you with the appropriate tasks and duties so that you can develop the required skills for your occupation in an Australian workplace
• nominate an appropriately qualified supervisor, if your employer will not be supervising your work
• complete and sign an Employment Verification Report
• confirm and sign your Skills Progress Report
• allow a TRA-approved assessor to undertake your JRWA in the workplace.

You can find more information on the roles and responsibilities of an employer in section 3.3.1 of the Job Ready Program Applicant Guidelines.

If you have forgotten your password for the TRA Online Portal, please follow these instructions. Go to the TRA Online Portal, select 'Click here if you have forgotten your password'. By answering the three security questions you selected when first registering for the JRP, you will be able to reset your password and log in using your username.

If you have been locked out of your online account, are unable to reset your password or have forgotten your username, you can send a request to TRAEnquiries@dewr.gov.au. Please include your TRA reference number, username (if known), date of birth and email address.

TRA IT will contact you directly to resolve your issue.

Further, you can call the TRA Enquiry Line on 1300 360 992.

TRA is monitoring the impact of the COVID 19 outbreak and government imposed restrictions on JRP applicants.

If you are planning to apply for the JRE, you can submit an application once you find suitable employment. Once your application is registered, your ongoing participation in the program can continue even if it may take longer than 12 months to complete the required 1725 work hours.

If you are already registered for the JRE, please send an email to JRPenquiries@dewr.gov.au outlining your situation and a TRA officer reply to your email and let you know what you need to do.

If your visa is likely to be impacted, you should contact the Department of Home Affairs for clarification on visa queries. TRA is not able to provide advice in this regard.

TRA will provide updates through the TRA website.

Participants may be eligible to complete the Job Ready Program (JRP) while holding a Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408) (subclass 408) (COVID-19 Pandemic Event visa) if their visa conditions include full (unrestricted) work rights and sufficient time to complete the JRP. This is generally 12 months.

Participants seeking to complete Steps 2-4 of the JRP while holding, or looking to hold, a COVID-19 Pandemic Event visa (subclass 408) are strongly advised to confirm the suitability of this visa subclass for this program as it is unlikely that successful completion of the Job Ready Program with this visa will be supported as a pathway to permanent residency or migration.

You may visit the Department of Home Affairs to explore your visa options or seek advice from a registered migration agent to confirm suitability of this visa subclass for this program. It is your the applicant’s) responsibility to ensure you hold or have applied for a suitable visa that allows you to work and complete your chosen skills assessment program and migration intention. TRA takes no responsibility for decisions resulting from your skills assessment.

Before your JRP application will be accepted and registered, or your participation can continue, you will need to confirm to TRA, in writing, that you understand and accept the risk that, as the holder of a COVID-19 Pandemic Event visa (subclass 408), successful completion of the Job Ready Program may not be supported for permanent residency or migration.

The Employment Verification Reports (EVR) and Skills Progress Reports (SPR) have been updated to reflect changes in industry practice and to align more closely with each step of the program. The previous versions of the forms do not contain the current, essential details about the occupation. Providing up to date supporting evidence, which includes current occupation and industry practice, allows TRA to conduct an accurate assessment of the development of your skills in your nominated occupation.

A JRWA determines whether you are operating at the required skill level for the occupation nominated in your online application.

An assessor from a TRA‐approved RTO will conduct your JRWA and will focus on the activities you have been required to perform during your employment as recorded in your SPR.

A JRWA can take place once you have been in employment (approved by TRA) for a minimum of six months from your JRE Start Date and completed 863 approved work hours.

You are eligible for a JRWA when the following requirements are met:

• your employment arrangements have been approved by TRA
• you provide TRA with pay evidence which totals at least 863 hours employment in your nominated occupation over a minimum of six months from your JRE Start Date.
• you provide an SPR that covers a minimum of six months employment. The report must confirm you are doing the expected tasks and duties and are developing skills in your nominated occupation.

TRA will email you to confirm you are eligible to apply for a JRWA..

Following confirmation that you are eligible for a JRWA, you will need to sign into the TRA Online Portal with your username and password. You should then select the JRWA link, complete the online application and pay the application fee.

If you have a new employer, TRA must validate the employment arrangements before your workplace assessment can take place. If you have not already done so, you must submit the employment details through the TRA Online Portal.

You do this by selecting Add New Employer under the JRE link and completing the online employer registration. There is no application fee payable to register additional employers for JRE.

You must also upload a completed Employment Verification Report in the TRA Online Portal at the time of submitting the new employer details. EVRs can be accessed on the Employment Verification Report page on the TRA website. Please select the form relevant to your occupation.

You must also provide pay slips that confirm you have worked with the new employer for a minimum of one month.

A TRA officer will let you know when you can apply online, or if you have already applied, when your JRWA can proceed.

TRA is aware that the Novel Coronavirus (COVID 19) outbreak and government imposed restrictions are impacting on JRP participants. If you think you may be eligible for a JRWA, please send an email to JRPenquiries@dewr.gov.au and you will be advised on whether a JRWA can be conducted at this time.

If your workplace has closed temporarily, your work hours have been reduced, or your employment has been terminated due to the COVID 19, please email TRA at JRPenquiries@dewr.gov.au.

Please include your full name and TRA reference number in the subject line of your email and provide all the relevant details for your situation.

If you have applied for a JRWA and been advised by us or by the RTO that your assessment is currently on hold you will be contacted by phone or email to discuss how your JRWA could be progressed.

In order to complete the JRP, you must have:

• achieved a successful JRWA.
• completed a minimum of 1725 hours of paid work over a minimum 12 month period from your JRE Start Date

TRA will send you an email when you have been in the program for 12 months requesting pay evidence that will bring your total hours up to 1725 hours. You can check your JRE Start Date and Total Approved Hours in the TRA Online Portal.

Once TRA has received and processed your pay evidence you will be sent an email confirming your eligibility to apply for a Job Ready Final Assessment.

If you have met the above requirements and have not received a confirmation email from TRA, please email JRPenquiries@dewr.gov.au. Please include your TRA reference number and full name in the subject line of the email.

Please read section 2.4 of the Job Ready Program Applicant Guidelines.

A TRA JRP successful outcome letter can be used to apply to the Department of Home Affairs for a permanent independent skilled migration visa.

The TRA JRP outcome letter is not a qualification nor does it represent formal accreditation of your skills and experience.