Electricians are on the MLTSSL List for Australian Immigration. Being on the MLTSSL list means that you are eligible for top tier Australian Visas. These visas allow Permanent Residency status for the main Electrician Applicant and their partners and families (if applicable) in 2023. Permanent residency is designed to lead to Citizenship and Dual Nationality after four years and are the most sought after Australian Visa classes in the Southern Hemisphere.
Immigration to Australia is just like a project, with each stage in the process being dependent on the previous one to progress.
If you’re looking to emigrate to Australia as an electrician the path is rather more complex than for some lesser skilled trades although we view this as a good thing. What often appeals about Australia is the strength of their Immigration Policies. They don’t share the same ‘open door’ mentality that many other Countries seem to have, and the stringent checks they have in place ensures that only those with the correct skills set can Migrate.
The good news is that qualified electricians from the UK, France, Canada, USA, Germany, Netherlands and Scandinavia will likely possess the right skills set and are wanted in Australia. The only exception being the UK, where the new ‘short course’ electrical qualifications carry no weight. Those with NVQ / SVQ Level 3 & their Editions however, will likely be fine.
Steps Immigrate to Australia as an Electrician
The very first step in the electrician australia process is to check your overall eligibility to apply. The Australian Migration Matrix for electricians is the same as for any other occupation in that we must achieve a certain number of points to be able to even start the process. Points are awarded for factors such as age, experience and qualifications. See our points calculator
The next stage is to complete the complex Skills Assessment process. This is a mandatory stage in the project and is made up of three stages. The first stage in an Electricians Skills Assessment is called your TradeSet and gives you an idea as to the broad type of electrical experience you should have.
When your Skills Assessment is marked as Positive you will be awarded an OTSR, your Offshore Technical Skills Record. This has nothing to do with working Offshore, it simply means that you are not a current resident of Australia and hence are ‘offshore’ for Migration purposes. Your OTSR is the first major milestone to working in Australia as an electrician and shows that all your experience and qualifications have been ‘equivalenced’ for working in Australia.
Once your Australian Visas are granted and you land in Australia we recommend that you sit the Australian Context electrical test as soon as possible. This context exam is no different to the regulation exams in Europe or the Editions in the UK, simply in an Australian setting, or ‘Context’.
With your OTSR and Context in place you can start work on what we call a P-License (your provisional electrical license that all new migrants must work on) and it should take only 12 months until your A Grade Australian Electrical License is awarded. After your OTSR is granted it also signifies the time to start applying for Electrical Jobs in Australia.
After your Positive Skills Assessment now is the time to complete and submit an Expression of Interest to the Australian Government. It is important that this stage is not done prior to receiving an OTSR.
Jane Njoma is an Australia Migration Agent who has many years of work experience as an Australian Migration Consultant and runs Lets Go Emigrate Australia as a Free Resource for Information on Immigrating to Australia. Jane believes in broader global access to Australian Immigration information and provides the information free of charge and making it available to the greatest number of people worldwide.
