TRA skills assessment for Cook and Chef: eligibility, process, fees and the parts people get wrong

One service, two addresses. This page and skills assessment cover the same service. If you landed here from a search result or an old link, you are in the right place — this address carries the full detail, including the TRA program structure, pathway fees and passport-country restrictions that the shorter page does not.

Complete Hospitality Training is an authorised Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) assessment body for trade occupations in the hospitality industry.

Our current processing times

Those are our turnarounds, for the work we do. TRA's own decision time runs after we lodge, and it is longer — see the processing times section below. We would rather you planned against both numbers than be surprised by the second one.

Recognised, qualified, ready to assess

Complete Hospitality Training is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), appointed and authorised by Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) to assess and conduct Skills Assessments for both the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Skills Assessment Program and the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP).

The Skills Assessment determines whether you have the skills and experience necessary to work in Australia at the trade level for your nominated occupation.

Our team of qualified assessors brings extensive industry training and assessment experience, and we offer a no-fee, no-obligation Pre-Assessment and eligibility check before you formally apply.

Why apply with CHT?

• Fast turnaround — a Pathway 2 candidate completed and lodged with TRA within 4 weeks from initial payment
• Free, no-obligation pre-assessment and eligibility check before you apply
• Qualified assessors with extensive industry training and assessment experience
• A dedicated assessment team providing clear guidance throughout the process

How to verify our appointment

TRA publishes an RTO Finder listing approved RTOs by occupation. We appear under both Chef [351311] and Cook [351411]. TRA's finder does not publish RTO codes, so match us on trading name plus contact details: Complete Hospitality Training, info@cht.edu.au, +61 3 9654 1554. TRA also notes that the available approved RTOs for each occupation may change from time to time depending on point-in-time capacity to assess certain occupations, so check the finder for the position on the day you apply.

What TRA is, and what it is not

This matters because it decides who makes the decision about your application.

TRA sits inside the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. It is not a standalone agency and it is not a VET regulator. It is one of 39 approved skilled migration assessing authorities authorised under the Migration Regulations 1994, responsible for assessing applicants for 133 of the 674 occupations designated on the Skilled Occupation List maintained by the Department of Home Affairs. Its authority to set the skills standards you are assessed against comes from regulation 2.26B of the Migration Regulations.

So there are two separate regimes in play. The Australian Skills Quality Authority regulates our delivery of training products. TRA does not. TRA contracts us to perform migration skills assessments — an activity that is not VET delivery, does not result in an AQF qualification, and is governed by migration law rather than the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011. A TRA assessment outcome is advice to you and to Home Affairs. It is not a statement of attainment and it is not a qualification.

And one more distinction, which we would rather state plainly than let you discover at the end:

The RTO recommends; TRA decides. Both TRA program pages are explicit that the Skills Assessment is done by an approved RTO who will recommend an assessment outcome, and that this outcome then needs to be approved by TRA. We do not issue, grant or guarantee a skills assessment outcome in our own right. Any provider who tells you otherwise is overstating their role.

Which program is right for you?

We administer two Skills Assessment streams on behalf of TRA, each designed for a different visa type and circumstance.

TSS Skills Assessment Program

The TSS Skills Assessment Program pathway is for candidates applying for a Temporary Skill Shortage visa who work in a nominated occupation and who hold a passport from a nominated country or Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP)

The OSAP pathway is for candidates applying for a Skilled Migration visa (excluding 485 and TSS visas) to work in a nominated occupation. Applicants who are not required by the Department of Home Affairs to attain a Skills Assessment, but wish to do so, may also apply under this pathway. Applicants do not need to be offshore to apply.

The wider TRA family, and why we only do two of them

Only TSS and OSAP are delivered through approved RTOs. TRA runs the rest itself. That is why our appointment is program-specific rather than a general "TRA-approved" status.

If you studied commercial cookery or kitchen management in Australia with a CRICOS-registered provider and you are applying for a subclass 485 visa, PSA and then JRP is your pathway, and TRA assesses you directly. We are on the training side of that pipeline, not the assessing side. Our CRICOS provider code is 04242E.

Occupations we assess

We are authorised by TRA to perform Skills Assessments for the following trade occupations.

Both occupations are available under both programs. TRA's RTO Finder annotates occupations restricted to one program with an "OSAP only" suffix; Chef and Cook carry no such annotation, and both appear on the TSS Program Occupation List and the OSAP Nominated Occupations list.

Passport country restrictions

This is the eligibility question that most often ends an application before it starts, and the origin of a lot of wasted fees. Both occupations, under both programs, are restricted by passport country.

OSAP has one concession TSS does not: an applicant whose occupation is listed but whose country is not may still choose to be assessed through OSAP. TSS carries no equivalent concession.

These lists are TRA's and they change. Check the current nominated countries for your program before you pay anything, and raise your passport country with us in the free pre-assessment.

Am I eligible?

To apply for a Skills Assessment with us, you must meet the following requirements.

Cook (351411)

1. Have current culinary experience, skills and knowledge in Western cuisine.
2. Be employed in your nominated occupation in a full-time paid capacity for a minimum of 12 months within the past 3 years prior to lodging your application.
3. Have original and verifiable documentary evidence for current and all previous education, training and employment completed — employment letters, employment contracts, payslips, income statements, tax returns, award certificates and transcripts, and similar.
4. With formal culinary training: a minimum of 3 years of relevant full-time paid work experience. Without formal culinary training: a minimum of 5 years.

Chef (351311)

1. Have current culinary experience, skills and knowledge in Western cuisine.
2. Be employed in your nominated occupation in a full-time paid capacity for a minimum of 12 months within the past 3 years prior to lodging your application.
3. Have original and verifiable documentary evidence for current and all previous education, training and employment — employment letters, contracts, payslips, income statements, tax returns, award certificates and transcripts, and similar.
4. With formal culinary training: a minimum of 3 years of relevant full-time paid work experience. Without formal culinary training: a minimum of 5 years.
5. Ideally be currently operating as a Senior Chef with kitchen management responsibilities for a minimum of 12 months in a paid full-time capacity, with evidence of cumulative progression from Cook or Commis Chef, to Chef de Partie, to Senior Chef de Partie, Sous Chef or Head Chef.
6. Demonstrate competency in kitchen management duties including: planning and monitoring cooking operations, managing finances within a budget, designing and costing menus, catering for special dietary requirements, and writing staff rosters.

The practical difference between the two is requirement 5 and 6. Cook is assessed on cooking; Chef is assessed on running a kitchen. If your experience is strong on the stove but you have never built a roster or costed a menu, Chef is the harder application, and the pre-assessment is where to find that out.

How to apply

The Skills Assessment process is completed in four stages. Before you formally apply, we offer a free Pre-Assessment to confirm your eligibility.

1. Pre-assessment

Email a complete and up-to-date CV or resume to skillsassessment@cht.edu.au to commence your free Pre-Assessment and Eligibility Check.

2. Invitation to apply and evidence assessment

If eligible, submit the CHT Online Application form and all decision-ready documents. Pay your Evidence Assessment fee directly to TRA via the TRA Online Portal.

We issue a unique RTO Assessment Payment Identifier Code for each step, and you use that code to pay TRA through the portal. The code is per step, not per application.

3. Technical interview

If you pass the Evidence Assessment, you will be invited to a Technical Interview — an in-depth assessment of your skills, knowledge and experience. Interview fees are paid directly to TRA.

4. Skills assessment outcome

We submit the assessment report to TRA for their final decision. Successful applicants receive a TRA Skills Assessment Outcome Letter.

Each step must be completed before the next begins. You cannot pay for the interview in advance of passing the evidence stage.

Assessment fees

All fees are paid directly to Trades Recognition Australia via the TRA Online Portal, not to us. The stream that applies to you depends on whether you hold an Australian VET qualification — or, in TRA's framing of Pathway 2, a current unrestricted Australian occupational licence for the occupation.

All fees are in Australian Dollars and are subject to change by TRA. The Practical Assessment is the line most applicants do not budget for: it does not always apply, but on Pathway 1 it can nearly double the cost. Ask us in the pre-assessment whether your evidence profile makes it likely. Refer to the TRA Fees Structure for the most current and comprehensive fee guide, and treat the figures above as indicative of the structure rather than as a quote.

Processing times

There are two clocks, and conflating them is the commonest planning mistake.

Those TRA figures were published by TRA as at July 2026 and change. Each step must be completed before the next begins, so the total elapsed time for a full application is the sum of the stages, not the longest one.

Questions and answers

Is CHT really a TRA-approved assessing body?

Yes, and you can check it. We appear on TRA's published RTO Finder as an approved RTO authorised to conduct skills assessments for both Chef [351311] and Cook [351411], under both the TSS Skills Assessment Program and the Offshore Skills Assessment Program. TRA's finder does not publish RTO codes, so identify us by trading name, Complete Hospitality Training, with email info@cht.edu.au and phone +61 3 9654 1554. For our RTO registration itself, see training.gov.au under RTO 3722.

Does a TRA skills assessment give me a qualification?

No. A TRA assessment outcome is advice to you and to the Department of Home Affairs about whether you have the skills and experience to work in Australia at trade level in your nominated occupation. It is not an AQF qualification and not a statement of attainment, and it is governed by migration law rather than by VET regulation.

Who actually decides my outcome?

TRA. We conduct the assessment and recommend an outcome; TRA approves it and the result is then sent to you. We cannot and do not guarantee an outcome.

Which occupations can CHT assess?

Two: Cook (ANZSCO 351411) and Chef (ANZSCO 351311). Our appointment is limited to those occupations. If your nominated occupation is anything else, use TRA's RTO Finder to locate an RTO appointed for it.

Do I have to be outside Australia to apply for OSAP?

No. Despite the name, applicants do not need to be offshore to apply under OSAP. OSAP is for skilled migration visa applicants other than 485 and TSS applicants.

My passport country is not on the list. Can I still apply?

Under OSAP, possibly — TRA allows an applicant whose occupation is listed but whose country is not to still choose to be assessed through that program. Under TSS, no; there is no equivalent concession. Raise this in the free pre-assessment before you pay anything, and check TRA's current nominated countries and SARs for your program.

What is the difference between Pathway 1 and Pathway 2?

Whether you hold a relevant Australian VET qualification — or, in TRA's wording, a current unrestricted Australian occupational licence for the occupation. Pathway 2 applicants do; Pathway 1 applicants do not. The Documentary Evidence fee is the same for both, but the Technical Interview is $900 on Pathway 2 against $2,000 on Pathway 1, and only Pathway 1 can attract a Practical Assessment fee.

What is the Practical Assessment, and will I need one?

It is an additional assessment stage that can apply on Pathway 1, at $2,200, where TRA requires practical demonstration in addition to documentary evidence and interview. It does not always apply. Ask us during the pre-assessment, because on Pathway 1 it is the difference between roughly $3,120 and roughly $5,320.

Do I pay CHT or TRA?

TRA, through the TRA Online Portal, using the unique RTO Assessment Payment Identifier Code we issue for each step. The Pre-Assessment and Eligibility Check we provide is free and carries no obligation.

How long will the whole thing take?

Plan for our 4 weeks of preparation and lodgement plus TRA's own decision time, which TRA published as 9 weeks for TSS and 15 weeks for OSAP from submission of complete documentary evidence, as at July 2026. Stages run in sequence, not in parallel.

What evidence do I need?

Original and verifiable documentary evidence covering current and all previous education, training and employment: employment letters, employment contracts, payslips, income statements, tax returns, award certificates and transcripts. "Verifiable" is the operative word — TRA assesses against its own standards, and evidence that cannot be independently checked is weak evidence regardless of how accurate it is.

How much experience do I need?

You must have been employed in your nominated occupation in a full-time paid capacity for a minimum of 12 months within the past 3 years before lodging. On top of that: with formal culinary training, a minimum of 3 years of relevant full-time paid work experience; without formal culinary training, a minimum of 5 years.

Why is "Western cuisine" specified?

Both the Cook and the Chef requirements are framed around current culinary experience, skills and knowledge in Western cuisine, because the Australian qualifications the occupations are benchmarked against — SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and SIT40521 Certificate IV in Kitchen Management — are written against that practice. If your experience is entirely in another cuisine tradition, that is exactly what the pre-assessment is for.

I am applying for Chef. What extra do I have to show?

Ideally that you are currently operating as a Senior Chef with kitchen management responsibilities, for a minimum of 12 months full-time paid, with evidence of cumulative progression from Cook or Commis Chef through Chef de Partie to Senior Chef de Partie, Sous Chef or Head Chef. You also need to demonstrate competency in kitchen management duties: planning and monitoring cooking operations, managing finances within a budget, designing and costing menus, catering for special dietary requirements, and writing staff rosters.

I studied cookery in Australia. Is this my pathway?

Possibly not. If you are an international graduate in Australia applying for a subclass 485 visa, your pathway is Provisional Skills Assessment and then the Job Ready Program, and TRA assesses those directly rather than through an RTO. PSA requires your qualification to have been awarded by a CRICOS-registered RTO through study in Australia. Ask us and we will tell you which door you are standing at.

Can CHT also train me for the qualification?

Yes, separately. SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and SIT40521 Certificate IV in Kitchen Management are both on our scope of registration. Holding a relevant Australian VET qualification is what moves an applicant from Pathway 1 to Pathway 2, which changes the fee structure — though it is a course of study, not a shortcut, and we would not suggest enrolling purely as a fee strategy. See all our courses.

Ready to start your pre-assessment?

Email your current CV or resume to skillsassessment@cht.edu.au to begin your free, no-obligation Pre-Assessment and Eligibility Check. We will respond within 1 business day.

Related pages: skills assessment · TRA assessment · all courses · about us · policies · contact

Complete Hospitality Training (Vic) Pty Ltd, RTO 3722, CRICOS provider code 04242E, ABN 27 006 947 262. Level 3, 28 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000. Contact melbourne@cht.edu.au or +61 3 9654 1554.

Program structure, pathway fees, processing times and nominated country lists on this page are drawn from Trades Recognition Australia's published program pages, RTO Finder and Assessment Standards Policy, and from the Migration Regulations 1994. TRA's fees, processing times, nominated occupations and nominated countries change, and the available approved RTOs for an occupation may change with point-in-time assessing capacity. Verify the current position with TRA before paying any fee, and confirm your own eligibility with us in the free pre-assessment.