Skills Assessment Authorities Changes in 2026: What You Need to Know
- 22 hours ago
- 5 min read
Last Updated: 31 March 2026
The assessing authority for Surveyors and certain Information and Organisation Professionals NEC changed under the Migration Legislation Amendment (Assessing Authorities) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/027), registered 27 March 2026.
If you lodged a skilled visa application on or after 8 October 2025 and w, this change applies to you.
If your application involves the occupation of Surveyor, your skills assessment must now come from the Institution of Surveyors New South Wales Ltd (ISNSW) — not the Geospatial Council of Australia (GCA), which went into liquidation. If you work as a Data Scientist under ANZSCO 224999, your assessment must come from ACS, not VETASSESS.
A skills assessment from the wrong authority does not satisfy the visa requirement. Check your occupation and assessing authority before you lodge or before your application is decided.
Quick Reference of Skills Assessment Authorities Changes
Occupation | ANZSCO | Old Authority | New Authority | Effective Date |
Surveyor | 232212 | GCA | ISNSW | 8 Oct 2025 |
Info & Org Professional NEC — Data Scientist | 224999 | VETASSESS | ACS | 14 Dec 2024 |
Info & Org Professional NEC — Other roles | 224999 | VETASSESS | VETASSESS (no change) | — |
What Changed
Surveyors (ANZSCO 232212)
The Geospatial Council of Australia (GCA) no longer assesses Surveyors. ISNSW — the Institution of Surveyors New South Wales Ltd, now holds that role across all three affected instruments: LIN 19/051 (general skilled migration), LIN 19/260 (Subclass 494), and the Subclass 186 instrument.
This change applies to any application lodged but not yet finalised by the department on or after 8 October 2025.
There is one exception. If your application includes a skills assessment for Surveyor dated on or before 21 August 2025, the old GCA assessment remains valid for that application. The new ISNSW requirement does not apply to you in that case.
If your GCA assessment is dated after 21 August 2025, or if you have not yet lodged, you need an ISNSW assessment.
Information and Organisation Professionals NEC (ANZSCO 224999)
This occupation now has two separate assessment pathways depending on your specific role.
If you work as a Data Scientist, ACS (Australian Computer Society) is your assessing authority.
If you work in any other role under this NEC category, VETASSESS remains your assessing authority.
This split applies to applications lodged but not yet finalised by the department on or after 14 December 2024.
Which Visa Subclasses Are Affected
The instrument amends all three of the following:
Migration (LIN 19/051: Specification of Occupations and Relevant Assessing Authorities) Instrument 2019 — this covers most skilled visa subclasses
Migration (LIN 19/260: Assessing Authorities for Subclass 494 Visas) Instrument 2019 — Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional)
If you are applying under any of these pathways, the changes above apply to you.
What You Need to Do
If you are a Surveyor with a GCA assessment dated on or before 21 August 2025, your assessment remains valid for applications you already lodged or that still sit pending from 8 October 2025 onward.
If you are a Surveyor with no assessment yet, or a GCA assessment dated after 21 August 2025, you must obtain a new assessment from ISNSW before lodging.
If you work in the Information and Organisation Professionals NEC category, confirm whether your specific role classifies as a Data Scientist. If it does, your assessment must come from ACS, not VETASSESS. A VETASSESS assessment for a Data Scientist role will not satisfy the requirement for applications pending from 14 December 2024 onward.
Why This Matters for Your PR Pathway
Skills assessments are tied to specific assessing authorities. An assessment from the wrong body does not satisfy the legislative requirement, regardless of how recently it was issued. If your authority has changed and your assessment predates the transition cutoff, confirm with a MARA-registered agent whether your existing assessment still qualifies for your specific application.
These changes affect pending applications, not just new ones. If you lodged before these dates and your application the department has not yet finalised, review your situation now.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this change mean for my visa application?
The government has changed which body assesses your skills for certain occupations. If you apply under the wrong assessing authority, your skills assessment does not satisfy the visa requirement — even if it is recent and valid on its own terms. Check your occupation against the updated list before you lodge.
I am renewing my skills assessment next month. Does this affect me?
Yes, if your occupation is Surveyor or Data Scientist. Surveyors must now renew through ISNSW, not GCA. GCA has been liquidated and no longer operates as an assessing authority. Data Scientists under ANZSCO 224999 must renew through ACS. If your occupation falls under Information and Organisation Professionals NEC but you are not a Data Scientist, VETASSESS remains your assessing authority — no change applies to you.
My GCA assessment is still valid. Do I need a new one from ISNSW?
It depends on your assessment date. If your GCA skills assessment is dated on or before 21 August 2025, it remains valid for applications that were lodged but not finally determined on or after 8 October 2025. If your GCA assessment is dated after 21 August 2025, or if you have not yet lodged, you need a new assessment from ISNSW.
I am a Data Scientist. Which authority should assess me?
ACS — the Australian Computer Society. This applies to applications lodged but not yet finalised by the department on or after 14 December 2024. A VETASSESS assessment for a Data Scientist role does not satisfy the requirement under the updated instrument.
Which visa subclasses does this affect?
The changes apply across general skilled migration visas covered by LIN 19/051, the Subclass 494 (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Provisional) visa, and the Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) visa.
Does this affect applications that are already lodged?
Yes. These changes apply to applications lodged but not yet finalised by the department as of the relevant effective dates. If your application is still pending, the new assessing authority requirements apply to you unless the transitional exception covers your situation.
How RACC Can Help
Understanding changes to skills assessment authorities, and whether they affect your specific application, can be complex, especially when transitional provisions and cutoff dates apply to your situation.
RACC's registered migration agents (MARN 1572962, MARN 1172003) stay informed of current migration legislative updates and can help you understand how these changes apply to your circumstances.
We can assist with:
Confirming which assessing authority applies to your occupation under the updated instrument
Reviewing whether your existing skills assessment remains valid for your pending application
Advising on whether you need a new assessment from ISNSW or ACS before lodging
Explaining the transitional provisions and how the cutoff dates affect your situation
Assessing your overall visa eligibility under Subclass 186, 494, and other skilled migration pathways
Keeping you informed of updates to migration legislation that may affect your application
If you would like to explore your options, you can book a consultation with our migration team.
Registered Migration Agents: MARN 1572962 | MARN 1172003
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