482 Visa With an RPL Certificate III and Two Years of Experience
Updated 10 November 2026
It depends on your passport and your total experience. The 482 visa asks for 12 months of relevant work experience. A mandatory skills assessment applies only to holders of certain passports. Where it applies, Trades Recognition Australia asks for at least three years of full-time work in total, and five years if you have no formal training, so two years does not meet it.
Key takeaways
The Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa asks for at least 12 months of relevant work experience. Home Affairs does not list a Certificate III as a separate visa criterion.
ANZSCO skill level 3 is a classification of the occupation. It is not a stand-alone visa test.
For trade occupations such as Cook, a mandatory skills assessment applies only to passports on that occupation's list in IMMI 18/039, and only if you are not exempt.
Where the assessment applies, Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) requires at least three years of full-time work in total, or five years without formal training.
Whether an RPL certificate counts for the qualification exemption is not confirmed in the sources we checked.
Can you apply for a 482 visa with an RPL Certificate III and two years of experience?
The example below uses a cook with two years of experience in total. An RTO grants a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery through RPL based on one year. The client keeps the other year to meet the 482 experience requirement. The answer depends on the passport.
If your passport is not on the occupation's list
The mandatory TRA assessment does not apply.
The 12-month experience requirement can be met by the separate year, if it is relevant and within the last 5 years. The RPL certificate is supporting evidence of your skills.
You still need to prove your skills and experience, and Home Affairs can ask for a skills assessment.
If your passport is on the occupation's list
The mandatory TRA assessment applies unless you are exempt.
Two years in total is below TRA's minimum on both pathways (three years at the lowest, explained below). The only route around it is an exemption, such as the qualification exemption explained below. Whether an RPL certificate counts as a qualification from a "course of study or training" is not confirmed. Without an exemption, this client is unlikely to meet the requirement.
If your total experience is three years or more
You reach TRA's lowest minimum on the guidelines' wording. Whether three or five years applies depends on whether TRA treats your training as formal training or an RPL qualification, which the guidelines do not settle. The RTO still verifies your evidence, and your most recent 12 months must be full-time paid work in the nominated occupation.
Not sure which case applies to you? Book a consultation with our registered migration agents and we will check your passport, your experience and your evidence before you lodge.
What does the 482 visa require for work experience?
You need at least 12 months of relevant work experience in your nominated occupation or a related field.
The rules on the Home Affairs Core Skills stream page are:
The experience must be gained within the last 5 years.
Full-time, part-time and casual work all count.
Part-time and casual work must add up to the equivalent of 12 months full-time.
The work does not need to be continuous.
The tasks must be at the same skill level as the nominated occupation.
You must also show the skills and experience needed to perform the nominated occupation. Home Affairs does not mention RPL on this page.
For the full checklist, see our 482 visa requirements guide.
What does ANZSCO skill level 3 mean?
ANZSCO skill level 3 describes the usual training for an occupation. The Australian Bureau of Statistics lists three ways to reach it:
An AQF Certificate III that includes at least two years of on-the-job training.
An AQF Certificate IV.
At least three years of relevant experience.
Cook (ANZSCO 351411) is a skill level 3 occupation. You can check the skill level and assessing authority of your own occupation in our skilled occupation list, and see whether it is on the Core Skills Occupation List.
This is a description of the occupation. The Home Affairs eligibility page does not turn it into a separate Certificate III test for the 482 visa.
When is a mandatory skills assessment required?
A mandatory skills assessment depends on your occupation and your passport. Our guide to the mandatory skills assessment for the 482 visa explains the full process.
IMMI 18/039 lists the occupations that need one, and TRA assesses most trade occupations. Each occupation has its own list of passports. Use the skilled occupation list to confirm your assessing authority.
For Cook, the mandatory assessment applies to passport holders from these countries and regions:
Bangladesh
Brazil
China
Fiji
Hong Kong
India
Macau
Nepal
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
South Africa
Thailand
Vietnam
Zimbabwe
If your passport is not on the list for your occupation, the mandatory assessment does not apply. Home Affairs can still ask for a skills assessment in writing during processing.
Where an assessment is mandatory, you must start it before you lodge. The application is invalid without it.
You are exempt in some cases. The instrument includes these:
You hold a 457 or 482 visa, met the primary criteria for it, and work in the nominated occupation in Australia.
You work for an overseas company in the same or a similar occupation, and that company or an associated entity nominates you.
You hold a qualification that matches the ANZSCO qualification, obtained through a course of study or training in Australia or in a country not on the occupation's list.
You have met TRA's standards under the Offshore Skills Assessment Program.
Check the instrument for the current version before you rely on these lists.
What does TRA require if an assessment applies?
TRA's Temporary Skills Shortage guidelines (June 2025 version) set the employment standard. The assessment has two stages: a review of your documents and a technical assessment.
Pathway 1 is for applicants without a relevant Australian VET qualification. For a non-licensed trade, you need full-time paid employment of:
Three years if you have formal training.
Five years if you have no formal training.
Pathway 2 is for applicants with a relevant Australian VET qualification. You need at least three years of full-time paid employment in a directly related occupation.
Both pathways must include 12 months of full-time paid employment in the nominated occupation in the three years before you lodge. Part-time work counts pro rata.
What is not confirmed?
These points are not settled in the Home Affairs, instrument or TRA sources we read.
Whether a Certificate III from RPL counts for the qualification exemption.
Whether the same period of experience can count for both the RPL and the 482 requirement.
Whether TRA treats an RPL certificate as formal training (three years) or not (five years).
Whether TRA has issued a newer version of the TSS guidelines. The June 2025 version we read listed a review date of November 2025.
Confirm these with a registered migration agent before you lodge.
What evidence should you prepare?
TRA's evidence factsheet (July 2022) lists the minimum documents for the document review:
Qualification documents and a full transcript, if you have them.
Employer statements on official letterhead with start and end dates, normal hours, job title and a detailed description of tasks.
The name, position, contact details and signature of the person who made the statement.
Pay evidence, with two items for each year you claim, such as tax records, payslips, superannuation documents or bank statements showing salary deposits.
Your RTO will confirm the full list.
Frequently asked questions
Does an RPL Certificate III meet the skill level 3 requirement for a 482 visa?
The Home Affairs eligibility page asks you to show the skills and experience needed for the nominated occupation. It does not state a Certificate III rule as a visa criterion, and it does not mention RPL. ANZSCO skill level 3 describes a Certificate III with two years of on-the-job training, a Certificate IV, or three years of experience. Confirm your case with a registered migration agent.
How much work experience does a 482 visa need?
At least 12 months of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a related field, gained in the last five years. Part-time or casual work counts if it adds up to the equivalent of 12 months full-time. The experience does not have to be continuous.
Do I need a skills assessment for a Cook on a 482 visa?
Only if you hold a passport from one of the countries or regions listed for Cook in IMMI 18/039, and you are not an exempt applicant. Those applicants need a Trades Recognition Australia assessment started before they lodge. Other applicants must still provide evidence of skills, and Home Affairs can request an assessment.
Can one year of experience count for both RPL and the 482 work experience requirement?
Home Affairs does not address this on its eligibility page. In the example on this page, the client uses one year for the RPL and keeps a separate year for the 482 requirement, which avoids the question. If your experience overlaps, get advice before you lodge.
Does an RPL certificate replace a TRA skills assessment?
No. They are separate processes. TRA's guidelines say a successful Pathway 2 assessment does not award a Certificate III, and that you should approach a registered training organisation for RPL if you want the qualification. An RPL certificate is a qualification, while the assessment is a migration outcome letter for Home Affairs.
Talk to a registered migration agent
Your passport, your occupation and how your experience is evidenced all change the answer. A small gap can lead to a refused application.
Our registered migration agents (MARN1572961, MARN1172003) can check your evidence before you lodge. Book a consultation with RACC.
Check your case with our tools
Skilled occupation list: check the ANZSCO code, skill level and assessing authority for your occupation.
Core Skills Occupation List: check whether your occupation can be nominated for the 482 visa.
482 visa skills assessment: see how the assessment works by occupation and passport.
482 visa salary requirements: check the income threshold and the market salary rate.
Visa processing times: see how long recent 482 applications have taken.
Visa fee calculator: estimate the government charges for your application.
The information on this page is general and is not migration advice. Sources: Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Federal Register of Legislation and Trades Recognition Australia, read on 9 November 2026.
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