TRA skills assessment: Chef and Cook

Complete Hospitality Training is on Trades Recognition Australia's published RTO Finder as an approved RTO for Chef (ANZSCO 351311) and Cook (ANZSCO 351411), under both the TSS Skills Assessment Program and the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP).

This page sets out how those assessments actually run, what they cost, how long they take, and the eligibility limits that decide whether you can apply at all.

The most important thing to understand

The RTO recommends. TRA decides.

TRA's own program documentation is explicit: the skills assessment is done by an approved RTO who will recommend an assessment outcome, and that outcome then needs to be approved by TRA.

So CHT does not issue, grant or award a skills assessment. It conducts the assessment and recommends a result; TRA approves it. Any provider describing itself as issuing a skills assessment outcome is overstating its role.

Related: a TRA assessment is not a qualification. It produces no AQF award and no Statement of Attainment. It is advice to you and to the Department of Home Affairs, governed by migration law rather than the VET framework.

Which program applies to you

TRA runs six programs. Only two are delivered through approved RTOs — which is why the RTO Finder covers those two and no others.

Program Who it is for Through an RTO?
TSS Skills Assessment Skills in Demand (subclass 482) applicants, nominated country and occupation Yes
Offshore Skills Assessment (OSAP) Skilled migration applicants excluding 485 and 482, nominated country and occupation Yes
Provisional Skills Assessment (PSA) International graduates in Australia seeking subclass 485 No — TRA directly
Job Ready Program (JRP) Post-PSA, employment-based, in Australia No — TRA directly
Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) Permanent skilled migration where no other pathway applies No — TRA directly
Migration Points Advice (MPA) Points determination for existing TRA outcome holders No — TRA directly

CHT is appointed for TSS and OSAP only, and for Chef and Cook only. That is a program-specific and occupation-specific appointment, not a general "TRA-approved" status.

Country eligibility

Both occupations, in both programs, are restricted by passport country. This is the first thing to check, because no amount of experience helps if your country is not on the list.

TSS — 15 countries and SARs: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Fiji, Hong Kong SAR, India, Macau SAR, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.

OSAP — 21 countries and SARs: the TSS list plus Iran, Ireland, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

The two pathways, and what they cost

Which pathway you take depends on whether you hold a relevant Australian VET qualification.

Pathway 1 Pathway 2
For Applicants without a relevant Australian VET qualification Applicants with a relevant Australian VET qualification, or a current unrestricted Australian occupational licence
Documentary Evidence $1,120 $1,120
Technical Interview $2,000 $900
Practical Assessment, if required $2,200 —
Total $5,320 $2,020

The gap is substantial — $3,300 — and it is the strongest practical argument for holding an Australian cookery qualification before applying.

These fees are TRA's, paid by you to TRA through the TRA Online Portal, not to the RTO. They are identical for TSS and OSAP.

Processing times

TRA's published times, as at July 2026:

Program Time from complete documentary evidence
TSS 9 weeks
OSAP 15 weeks

Each step must be completed before the next begins, so these are sequential rather than parallel.

How an assessment runs, step by step

You are TRA's customer, not the RTO's, and the sequence reflects that:

  1. Use TRA's RTO Finder to choose an approved RTO for your nominated occupation
  2. Contact the RTO directly. It checks your eligibility and tells you what evidence to provide
  3. The RTO issues a unique RTO Assessment Payment Identifier Code — one per step
  4. You pay TRA through the TRA Online Portal using that code
  5. The RTO conducts the assessment and recommends an outcome
  6. TRA approves the outcome, and the RTO emails you the result

If you are already studying in Australia

A point worth knowing if you are an international student rather than an offshore applicant.

Provisional Skills Assessment requires the qualification to have been awarded by a CRICOS-registered RTO through study in Australia, and TRA assesses PSA directly rather than through an approved RTO. So a CHT international graduate is a PSA and Job Ready Program population, assessed by TRA itself.

CHT holds CRICOS provider code 04242E with three registered courses. Note that neither dedicated cookery qualification is CRICOS-registered — the CRICOS culinary route is SIT50422 Diploma of Hospitality Management, which is a management diploma with kitchen electives.

Chef and Cook are different occupations

The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines Chef (351311) as planning and organising the preparation and cooking of food in dining and catering establishments, and expressly excludes Cooks, Fast Food Cooks and Kitchenhands from that unit group.

Which applies to you depends on the duties you actually performed, not on the job title an employer used. An application assessed against the wrong occupation is a wasted application at Pathway 1 prices.

Related pages

Skills assessment and RPL explains how a migration assessment differs from recognition of prior learning — different regulators, different purposes, different outcomes. The relevant qualifications are SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and SIT40521 Certificate IV in Kitchen Management.

Common questions about TRA skills assessment

Is CHT approved by TRA?

Yes, for Chef (351311) and Cook (351411), under both the TSS and Offshore Skills Assessment Programs. This is verifiable on TRA's published RTO Finder.

Does CHT issue my skills assessment?

No. The RTO conducts the assessment and recommends an outcome; TRA approves it. That distinction is TRA's own.

What does it cost?

$2,020 on Pathway 2 if you hold a relevant Australian VET qualification or unrestricted Australian occupational licence, and $5,320 on Pathway 1 if you do not. Fees are paid to TRA, not the RTO.

How long does it take?

Nine weeks for TSS and fifteen weeks for OSAP, from submission of complete documentary evidence, with each step sequential.

Am I eligible?

Both occupations are restricted by passport country — 15 countries and SARs for TSS, 21 for OSAP. Check that list before anything else.

Is a skills assessment a qualification?

No. It produces no AQF qualification and no Statement of Attainment. It is advice to you and to Home Affairs under migration law.

What is the difference between Chef and Cook?

They are separate ANZSCO occupations, and the ABS definition of Chef expressly excludes Cooks. Which applies turns on the duties actually performed.

I am studying in Australia on a student visa. Does this apply to me?

Probably not. Subclass 485 graduates go through Provisional Skills Assessment and the Job Ready Program, which TRA runs itself rather than through approved RTOs.

Do I pay the RTO or TRA?

TRA, through the TRA Online Portal, using the payment identifier code the RTO issues for each step.

About the provider

Complete Hospitality Training, RTO 3722, CRICOS provider code 04242E, Level 3, 28 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000. Contact melbourne@cht.edu.au or +61 3 9654 1554.

CHT is appointed by Trades Recognition Australia to conduct skills assessments for Chef and Cook under the TSS and Offshore Skills Assessment Programs. TRA's authority derives from regulation 2.26B of the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth).

This page reflects TRA's published position as at September 2026, including fees and processing times current at July 2026. Migration requirements change frequently. Verify current fees, timeframes and eligibility with Trades Recognition Australia, and visa requirements with the Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration agent.

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