Refusals & appeals · Trades
Trade visa refused: appeal options for carpenters, plumbers, electricians and chefs
A refused trade visa is usually one of three decisions: the skills assessment, the employer's nomination, or the visa itself. Each has a different review path and a different deadline, and the wrong one wastes the time you have. First find which decision failed — the letter says — then use the table below.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed November 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Visa refusal — ART (most cases)
- 28 days
- TRA assessment review
- 90 days
- Assessing authority (trades)
- TRA
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Refused? Get a refusal assessment — before your deadline.
A focused review by a registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) of your refusal decision and your options — why it failed, your realistic prospects at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), your deadline, and whether to appeal, re-apply, or stop. Time limits are short and rarely extended, so don't wait. The $330 inc. GST consultation fee is credited toward your engagement fee if you proceed.
What it costs. Refusal assessment $330 inc. GST, credited to your engagement if you proceed. Tribunal (ART) review is from A$6,000 + GST. Your exact fixed fee is set in writing after the assessment, under a service agreement. No outcome can be guaranteed.
Refusal and review deadlines are statutory — don't leave it to the deadline.
Deadlines are short and rarely extended. Your decision letter states whether there is a review, who can apply and by when. No outcome can be guaranteed (s 15, Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021).
Which decision failed — and the review path for each
| The decision | Who reviews it | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Skills assessment unsuccessful (TRA) | The assessing program, not the ART: a review on the original evidence, or a reassessment with new evidence | TRA: 90 days from the outcome. VETASSESS trade pathways: review within 28 calendar days; reassessment within 12 months |
| Nomination refused (482, 186, 494) | The sponsoring employer applies to the ART, not the worker — see the nomination refusal guide | As stated on the employer's decision letter |
| Visa refused (482, 186, 494, 189, 190, 491) | The Administrative Review Tribunal, where the letter gives review rights | 28 days from notification for most migration decisions; some are shorter |
Skills assessment rules: TRA, "Review" and VETASSESS, reassessments and reviews for trade occupations, both checked 4 November 2026. TRA's review fee is set out in the outcome letter, and TRA refunds it only where the review changes the outcome on the original evidence. If a review does not succeed, the remaining option is a new assessment with all the evidence again.
Your trade on the occupation lists
The standard Skills in Demand visa (482) needs the occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List. From the Home Affairs skilled occupation list, fetched 6 November 2026:
| Occupation (ANZSCO) | Core Skills list (482) | Lists | Assessed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenter (331212) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Carpenter and Joiner (331211) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Plumber (General) (334116) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Airconditioning and Mechanical Services Plumber (334112) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Electrician (General) (341111) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Electrician (Special Class) (341112) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Chef (351311) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Cook (351411) | Yes | STSOL, CSOL | TRA |
| Bricklayer (331111) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Wall and Floor Tiler (333411) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Welder (First Class) (322313) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Metal Fabricator (322311) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
| Motor Mechanic (General) (321211) | Yes | MLTSSL, CSOL | TRA |
Some trades, such as painters and solid plasterers, appear under a newer title on the Core Skills list and an older title on the list used for skilled visas. The nomination, assessment and visa need to use the matching occupation.
Common reasons trade visas fail
- The skills assessment — unsuccessful, expired, or for a different occupation from the one nominated.
- Experience not shown — the employment evidence does not prove the duties and the period the visa needs.
- The occupation and the visa do not match — for example a trade that is not on the Core Skills list nominated under the standard 482.
- The nomination — the employer's position, salary or business was not accepted (see genuine position refusals).
- Points not proven on a 189, 190 or 491 — see points not proven.
- English, health or character criteria not met at the time of decision.
The decision record names the criterion that failed. That, not the general reason, decides the path.
What to do this week
- Find the letter and the decision record. Note which decision it is (assessment, nomination or visa) and the date you were notified.
- Work out the deadline from the notification date, not the day you read it.
- Check your status in Australia. A bridging visa granted with the refused application may end once the review period passes, and onshore the section 48 bar may limit a new application.
- Gather the evidence the refusal turned on — references, payslips, licence, assessment documents — before choosing review or a fresh application.
- Get the decision read by a registered agent before you pay any review fee. A refusal consultation with Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) confirms the deadline against the letter and the path with the best realistic prospects.
Book the first available time
Trade visa refusal: book the first available time
Review deadlines are statutory and cannot be extended. Bring the decision letter: Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536), reads it with you, tells you whether a review or a fresh application is open and what it costs, before the deadline passes.
What you get
- 30 minutes (A$330) or 60 minutes (A$550) by video with a registered migration agent, Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.
- A written summary of your options and next steps after the session.
- What to bring: The decision letter with its date, the application as lodged, and anything the Department sent before deciding.
- Prefer no call? The written pathway check is done in writing, A$550.
Video consultation, paid when you book, credited in full if you go ahead. WIDEN does not guarantee any outcome. Deadline within 7 days? Book the first time shown and say so in the booking notes.
Refusal and review guides: s56 request for more information · s57 natural justice letter · visa refused: what next · ART review of a refusal · character refusal and cancellation (s501) · ministerial intervention · second opinion
General information only. Refusal, cancellation, and review processes are governed by the Migration Act 1958 and associated regulations; specific procedures and time limits depend on the visa subclass and the decision involved. Verify your individual deadlines and pathway on the original decision notice and on the Department of Home Affairs and Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) websites.
This page does not constitute migration advice (s 23, Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021). Outcomes in refusal and review matters cannot be guaranteed by any registered migration agent (s 15). Each case turns on its specific facts and evidence. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) only after a paid initial consultation under section 43 of the Code, with a written service agreement issued before further work commences (section 42). The OMARA Consumer Guide is provided to all clients before the consultation begins. PI insurance held under the Migration Agents Regulations 2026. Complaints via our Complaints Policy or directly to OMARA.
Not sure which visa fits you?
Answer three questions. An automated guide points you to the route that usually applies. General information only.
Questions we get asked first
Can I appeal a trade visa refusal?
It depends on which decision went against you. A refused visa can go to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) where the decision letter gives review rights; for most migration decisions the deadline is 28 days from notification. An unsuccessful skills assessment is reviewed under the assessing program's own rules, not by the ART. A refused nomination is reviewed by the sponsoring employer, not the worker.
My skills assessment was unsuccessful. Is that a visa refusal?
No. It is the assessing body's decision, made before or alongside the visa. For trades the assessing authority is Trades Recognition Australia (TRA). TRA says you have 90 days from the outcome to apply for a review of a TRA assessment. On VETASSESS trade pathways, a review must be requested within 28 calendar days and uses the original evidence, while a reassessment with new training or employment evidence can be requested within 12 months. The outcome letter sets out the fee.
Why does my trade appear under two different titles?
Some trades are listed under a newer occupation title on the Core Skills Occupation List and an older title on the list used for some skilled visas. In the Home Affairs list we hold (fetched 6 November 2026), Painter and Renderer (Solid Plaster) are on the Core Skills list, while the older titles Painting Trades Worker and Solid Plasterer, with the same codes, are on the list used for skilled visas such as the 189 and 190. The nomination, the skills assessment and the visa need to line up on the right occupation; a mismatch is worth checking in your decision record.
Should I appeal or lodge a new visa application?
Sometimes a fresh application, with the failed criterion fixed, is faster than review. Onshore, a refusal can limit which visas you can apply for (the section 48 bar), and the review deadline keeps running while you decide. The right path turns on the reason in the decision record, your visa status and the deadline on your letter.
Can WIDEN guarantee my appeal will succeed?
No. No registered migration agent can guarantee any outcome (s 15, Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021). The Tribunal and the assessing bodies decide on the evidence. What we do is find the decision that actually failed, the strongest available path and the evidence it needs, in time.
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