If you're an early childhood teacher hoping to migrate to Australia, you'll almost certainly need a migration skills assessment before you can apply for a skilled visa. Since 7 December 2024, this assessment has been handled by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), which replaced the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) as the assessing authority for this occupation. 

If you already hold a valid AITSL assessment issued before that date, it generally remains valid until its expiry, with no reassessment required. This guide explains what the assessment involves, who actually needs it, and how it fits alongside qualification recognition and teacher registration, which are separate processes.

Who Needs this Assessment?

You need an ACECQA migration skills assessment if you're applying for a skilled visa that lists Early Childhood (Pre-Primary School) Teacher (ANZSCO 241111) as the nominated occupation. 

This occupation currently appears on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), which supports the General Skilled Migration visas (subclasses 189, 190 and 491), and on the Core Skills Occupation List for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa. 

Always confirm directly with the Department of Home Affairs, or your migration agent, that your specific visa pathway requires a skills assessment before you apply. ACECQA cannot advise on visa or points-test questions; that's a Home Affairs matter.

You generally don't need this assessment if:

• You only want to work in an Australian childcare or early learning service without migrating. You may instead need a qualification assessment.
• You're applying for the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa. This uses a separate provisional skills assessment.
• You're seeking a Family Day Care Worker or Preschool Aide assessment under a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA). These are different occupations, assessed under a separate DAMA pathway.

How This Differs from Qualification Recognition and Teacher Registration

It's easy to conflate three separate processes:

• Migration skills assessment: Confirms your qualification and English proficiency meet ACECQA's standards for a skilled migration visa. Assessed under Migration Regulations, for visa purposes only.
• Qualification assessment under the National Quality Framework (NQF): Determines whether your qualification is equivalent to an approved Australian qualification so you can work in a regulated childcare service. This is not a migration process.
• State or territory teacher registration: Some jurisdictions require early childhood teachers to hold formal registration or accreditation to work in schools, separately from both of the above. Requirements vary by state. Check with the relevant regulator in the state you intend to work in.  

Eligibility and Assessment Standards

To meet ACECQA's Assessment Standards for this occupation, you'll generally need:

Qualification

An ACECQA nationally-approved early childhood teaching (ECT) qualification, or equivalent. If your qualification isn't on ACECQA's approved list, ACECQA assesses it under the NQF as part of the same application (a "dual assessment"). 

You don't submit a separate application or pay an extra fee for this.

English Language Proficiency

You'll need to provide one of the following:

Note that the one-year study exemption made this pathway meaningfully more accessible for candidates who complete a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education in one of the listed countries.

Unlike the Child Care Centre Manager or Group Leader assessments, the Early Childhood Teacher assessment doesn't require separate employment-experience evidence. It's based on qualification and English proficiency only.

Documents You'll Need

To submit an "Assessment Ready" application, you'll typically need:

• Your official qualification certificate/parchment
• Your official academic transcript (all years of study)
• Your valid passport (identity/biometric pages)
• Evidence of change of name, if applicable
• Evidence of English language proficiency (see above)
• A completed Applicant Declaration and Consent Form
• An Authorised Agent Declaration and Consent Form and Nomination Form, if a migration agent or representative is submitting on your behalf
• Evidence of Australian teacher registration/accreditation, if you hold it

Documents must be high-resolution colour copies, certified as true copies by an authorised person (such as a Justice of the Peace, solicitor, notary public, or Australian embassy/consulate staff if you're overseas). 

Anything not in English must be professionally translated (NAATI-accredited if translated within Australia), with both the original and translated versions submitted.

Fees and Processing Time

The current published fee is AU$1,100 (GST inclusive) for the 2026–27 financial year, with a AU$990 fee if you request a review of an unsuccessful outcome. Always confirm current fees directly on the ACECQA website before applying, as these are indexed annually.

ACECQA's published Skills Assessment Application Guidelines state a target of 80 calendar days from receiving a complete, "Assessment Ready" application. 

Your assessment result, if successful, is valid for three years.

Importantly, a positive skills assessment does not guarantee that your visa will be granted. It's one requirement among several (including points testing, nomination, and Home Affairs' own criteria) for a skilled visa application.

If you're unsure whether your qualifications and experience are likely to meet ACECQA's standards, it's worth having them reviewed before you apply, since assessment fees aren't refunded for unsuccessful outcomes.