[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":418},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-2026-08-12-work-experience-points":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"coverImage":395,"dataMonth":396,"description":13,"extension":397,"faqs":398,"meta":404,"navigation":405,"path":406,"publishedAt":407,"seo":408,"stem":409,"summary":410,"tags":411,"__hash__":417},"blog\u002Fblog\u002F2026-08-12-work-experience-points.md","How work experience points are calculated for skilled migration (2026)","Migrant Hub",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":371},"minimark",[10,14,19,38,41,58,61,66,69,121,124,128,131,176,179,183,186,192,198,204,210,218,222,226,229,232,236,239,243,246,254,258,261,268,282,289,295,309,312,320,324,328,331,335,338,342,345,349,352,356,359,363],[11,12,13],"p",{},"Work experience points are one of the most straightforward ways to boost your score in Australia's skilled migration points test — but the rules around overseas versus Australian experience, and the time limits that apply, catch many applicants off guard. This guide explains how the calculation works, what evidence you need, and where the edge cases are.",[15,16,18],"h2",{"id":17},"how-work-experience-points-are-structured","How work experience points are structured",[11,20,21,22,27,28,32,33,37],{},"The points test underpins the three main general skilled migration visas: ",[23,24,26],"a",{"href":25},"\u002Fvisas\u002F189-skilled-independent","Skilled Independent (Subclass 189)",", ",[23,29,31],{"href":30},"\u002Fvisas\u002F190-skilled-nominated","Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190)",", and ",[23,34,36],{"href":35},"\u002Fvisas\u002F491-skilled-regional","Skilled Regional (Subclass 491)",". You need a minimum of 65 points to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI), and work experience is one of the largest discretionary categories available.",[11,39,40],{},"The Department of Home Affairs splits work experience points into two streams:",[42,43,44,52],"ul",{},[45,46,47,51],"li",{},[48,49,50],"strong",{},"Overseas skilled employment"," — work done outside Australia in your nominated occupation or a closely related one",[45,53,54,57],{},[48,55,56],{},"Australian skilled employment"," — work done in Australia in your nominated occupation or a closely related one",[11,59,60],{},"Australian experience attracts significantly higher points than equivalent overseas experience, which reflects the policy intent to reward applicants who have already contributed to the Australian labour market.",[62,63,65],"h3",{"id":64},"overseas-skilled-employment-points","Overseas skilled employment points",[11,67,68],{},"The points available for overseas work experience are:",[70,71,72,85],"table",{},[73,74,75],"thead",{},[76,77,78,82],"tr",{},[79,80,81],"th",{},"Years of experience",[79,83,84],{},"Points awarded",[86,87,88,97,105,113],"tbody",{},[76,89,90,94],{},[91,92,93],"td",{},"Less than 3 years",[91,95,96],{},"0",[76,98,99,102],{},[91,100,101],{},"3 to less than 5 years",[91,103,104],{},"5",[76,106,107,110],{},[91,108,109],{},"5 to less than 8 years",[91,111,112],{},"10",[76,114,115,118],{},[91,116,117],{},"8 years or more",[91,119,120],{},"15",[11,122,123],{},"Experience must be at the skilled level — that is, in your nominated ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) occupation or a closely related one. Work in an unrelated field does not count, even if it was professional-level work.",[62,125,127],{"id":126},"australian-skilled-employment-points","Australian skilled employment points",[11,129,130],{},"Work done in Australia in your nominated occupation earns more points for the same duration:",[70,132,133,141],{},[73,134,135],{},[76,136,137,139],{},[79,138,81],{},[79,140,84],{},[86,142,143,150,157,163,169],{},[76,144,145,148],{},[91,146,147],{},"Less than 1 year",[91,149,96],{},[76,151,152,155],{},[91,153,154],{},"1 to less than 3 years",[91,156,104],{},[76,158,159,161],{},[91,160,101],{},[91,162,112],{},[76,164,165,167],{},[91,166,109],{},[91,168,120],{},[76,170,171,173],{},[91,172,117],{},[91,174,175],{},"20",[11,177,178],{},"A single year of Australian experience earns the same as three to five years of overseas experience. Eight or more years of Australian experience earns 20 points — the maximum in this category.",[15,180,182],{"id":181},"how-the-experience-must-be-earned","How the experience must be earned",[11,184,185],{},"Not all work history qualifies. The Department applies several conditions that applicants frequently overlook.",[11,187,188,191],{},[48,189,190],{},"The ten-year look-back window."," Work experience only counts if it occurred in the ten years immediately before you lodge your EOI. Experience older than ten years is disregarded entirely, regardless of its relevance or how senior the role was.",[11,193,194,197],{},[48,195,196],{},"Hours of work."," Part-time work can count, but only if it meets a minimum hours threshold. The Department generally requires that the work was performed at a sufficient hours level to be considered genuine skilled employment — part-time work below a certain threshold may be pro-rated or excluded. Check the current Home Affairs guidance for the operative hours requirement, as this is one of the details that can change.",[11,199,200,203],{},[48,201,202],{},"Nominated occupation alignment."," The work must be in your nominated ANZSCO occupation or a closely related one as assessed by your relevant skills assessing authority. If your skills assessment covers a specific ANZSCO code, your experience should align to that code. Work in a different occupation, even in the same industry, typically does not attract points.",[11,205,206,209],{},[48,207,208],{},"Self-employment and contracting."," Self-employed workers and contractors can claim experience, but the evidentiary burden is higher. You will generally need tax records, business registration documents, and evidence of clients or contracts — payslips alone will not suffice.",[11,211,212,213,217],{},"For a full picture of how your EOI is ranked once you have your points score, see ",[23,214,216],{"href":215},"\u002Fblog\u002F2026-06-08-skillselect-eoi-explained","How SkillSelect EOI ranking actually works in 2026",".",[15,219,221],{"id":220},"who-this-category-affects-most","Who this category affects most",[62,223,225],{"id":224},"applicants-claiming-both-overseas-and-australian-experience","Applicants claiming both overseas and Australian experience",[11,227,228],{},"Points from overseas and Australian experience are claimed separately and then added together. An applicant with four years of overseas skilled work (5 points) and two years of Australian skilled work (5 points) scores 10 points in total from experience — the same as someone with five or more years of overseas experience alone, but reached via a different path.",[11,230,231],{},"You cannot double-count the same period. If you worked in Australia on a temporary visa and simultaneously had other overseas employment at the time, only the Australian employment counts for that period.",[62,233,235],{"id":234},"mid-career-applicants-approaching-the-age-cutoff","Mid-career applicants approaching the age cutoff",[11,237,238],{},"Points for age drop sharply from age 33 onward, and applicants over 45 are ineligible for the general skilled migration stream entirely. A 36-year-old with 12 years of experience may still only be able to claim the experience earned within the last ten years — meaning some of that early career history is outside the look-back window. Mapping out which years of experience fall inside the window is worth doing before you submit an EOI.",[62,240,242],{"id":241},"applicants-whose-experience-predates-their-formal-skills-assessment","Applicants whose experience predates their formal skills assessment",[11,244,245],{},"Some skills assessing bodies assess competence at a point in time. If your assessment covers work done up to a certain date, you should confirm with your assessing authority whether more recent experience — not covered by the original assessment — can still be claimed in the points test. This varies by assessing body.",[11,247,248,249,253],{},"You can check how different occupations are trending in invitation rounds at the ",[23,250,252],{"href":251},"\u002Fdashboard\u002Foccupation-rankings","Migrant Hub occupation rankings dashboard",", which shows which occupations have seen invitations issued and at what points thresholds.",[15,255,257],{"id":256},"evidence-you-will-need-to-support-your-claim","Evidence you will need to support your claim",[11,259,260],{},"The Department does not award experience points on assertion. When you receive an invitation to apply and lodge your visa application, you will need to provide documentary evidence for every period of employment you claimed.",[11,262,263,264,267],{},"Typical evidence for ",[48,265,266],{},"paid employment"," includes:",[42,269,270,273,276,279],{},[45,271,272],{},"Employer reference letters on company letterhead, specifying your role, start and end dates, and hours per week",[45,274,275],{},"Payslips or payroll records covering the claimed period",[45,277,278],{},"Employment contracts",[45,280,281],{},"Tax records (for Australian employment, your ATO income statements are particularly useful)",[11,283,284,285,288],{},"For ",[48,286,287],{},"overseas employment",", translations of non-English documents must be provided by a certified translator. Gaps between roles — periods where you were not employed — should be addressed in your application rather than left unexplained.",[11,290,284,291,294],{},[48,292,293],{},"self-employment or contracting",", add:",[42,296,297,300,303,306],{},[45,298,299],{},"Business registration or ABN records",[45,301,302],{},"Tax returns showing business income",[45,304,305],{},"Contracts or client engagement letters",[45,307,308],{},"Bank statements showing receipt of payment",[11,310,311],{},"Maintaining organised records of your work history well before you plan to lodge is much easier than reconstructing evidence years later. Former employers may be difficult to contact, companies may have restructured, and payroll records may not be retained beyond a statutory period.",[11,313,314,315,319],{},"For related points categories, see ",[23,316,318],{"href":317},"\u002Fblog\u002F2026-06-12-english-language-points","How English language points work for skilled visas: 2026 guide",", which covers the other major discretionary points category alongside experience.",[15,321,323],{"id":322},"common-questions","Common questions",[62,325,327],{"id":326},"does-work-experience-outside-my-nominated-anzsco-occupation-count-toward-work-experience-points","Does work experience outside my nominated ANZSCO occupation count toward work experience points?",[11,329,330],{},"Generally no. The work must be in your nominated occupation or a closely related one as recognised by your skills assessing authority. Work in a different occupation — even at a professional level or in the same industry — does not attract work experience points, even if it contributed to your skills assessment.",[62,332,334],{"id":333},"can-i-claim-work-experience-points-for-part-time-work","Can I claim work experience points for part-time work?",[11,336,337],{},"Part-time work can qualify, but the Department applies a minimum hours threshold. Work below that threshold may not count or may be treated differently. Refer to the current Department of Home Affairs guidance for the specific hours requirement, as this detail is subject to change.",[62,339,341],{"id":340},"does-study-or-a-graduate-year-in-australia-count-as-australian-work-experience","Does study or a graduate year in Australia count as Australian work experience?",[11,343,344],{},"No. Study, including postgraduate coursework, does not count. Paid employment during or after study in your nominated occupation does count, provided it meets the hours and ANZSCO alignment requirements. Graduate roles at the skilled level are eligible once you are employed in that capacity.",[62,346,348],{"id":347},"how-far-back-does-the-department-look-at-work-experience","How far back does the Department look at work experience?",[11,350,351],{},"The look-back window is ten years immediately before the date you lodge your EOI. Any experience older than ten years is not counted, regardless of how relevant or senior the role was.",[62,353,355],{"id":354},"can-i-add-overseas-and-australian-experience-together-in-the-points-test","Can I add overseas and Australian experience together in the points test?",[11,357,358],{},"Yes. The two streams are separate categories and points from each are added together. However, you cannot count the same period of time in both categories — Australian employment and overseas employment at the same time are not double-counted.",[15,360,362],{"id":361},"where-to-go-next","Where to go next",[11,364,365,366,217],{},"See how your occupation is tracking in current invitation rounds — including points cutoffs by occupation — at the ",[23,367,252],{"href":368,"rel":369},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.migranthub.com.au\u002Fdashboard\u002Foccupation-rankings",[370],"nofollow",{"title":372,"searchDepth":373,"depth":373,"links":374},"",2,[375,380,381,386,387,394],{"id":17,"depth":373,"text":18,"children":376},[377,379],{"id":64,"depth":378,"text":65},3,{"id":126,"depth":378,"text":127},{"id":181,"depth":373,"text":182},{"id":220,"depth":373,"text":221,"children":382},[383,384,385],{"id":224,"depth":378,"text":225},{"id":234,"depth":378,"text":235},{"id":241,"depth":378,"text":242},{"id":256,"depth":373,"text":257},{"id":322,"depth":373,"text":323,"children":388},[389,390,391,392,393],{"id":326,"depth":378,"text":327},{"id":333,"depth":378,"text":334},{"id":340,"depth":378,"text":341},{"id":347,"depth":378,"text":348},{"id":354,"depth":378,"text":355},{"id":361,"depth":373,"text":362},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcovers\u002Fwork-experience-points.svg",null,"md",[399,400,401,402,403],{"question":327,"answer":330},{"question":334,"answer":337},{"question":341,"answer":344},{"question":348,"answer":351},{"question":355,"answer":358},{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002F2026-08-12-work-experience-points","2026-08-12",{"title":5,"description":13},"blog\u002F2026-08-12-work-experience-points","Work experience points in Australia's skilled migration points test depend on where and how long you worked. Here's exactly how the calculation works.",[412,413,414,415,416],"points-test","skilled-migration","189","190","491","ZG43WCgNcvIdXMDmAtKtrSFz2Ria8JJd8YKjoD8sHZA",1790155600784]