Can the Institute please return the documents I submitted for skills assessment?
The Institute has an obligation to keep all documents submitted for the purpose of pre-application skills assessment. This is because DIAC may at a later date during the migration process, ask to refer to documents we have on file.
As we do not return documents, please ensure that you are aware of the documents that are required to be submitted with your application to DIAC following your skills assessment by us.
However, if you have given us original academic documents, we can return them to you. Please note that: Original letters of good standing from Professional Accounting Bodies cannot be returned to you.
Can the Institute provide me with a list of recognised universities and degree qualifications?
Do I need a migration agent when applying for a skills assessment?
No, applications can be made by individuals as well as migration agents.
Do I need to certify my documents?
Yes. To ensure your skills assessment is processed by the Institute you need to submit all the documents relevant to your qualifications.
All documents submitted must be officially certified as true copies of the original document. Please do not have your tertiary institution(s) or accounting body send your documents directly to us unless otherwise requested by us.
As we do not return documents, please ensure that you are aware of what documents need to be submitted with your application to DIAC once you receive your skills assessment.
I do not have a university handbook/course outline, what can I do?
Most universities keep information about their courses. This information can be in the form of lecture notes, detailed course outlines or brief descriptions in the university calendars or handbooks. If you have not retained your course outlines, you must contact your university and ask them to provide you with the description of the subjects.
If you studied in recent years, the information may also be available on the university website and you may print out the relevant sections of the handbook.
Without course outlines we cannot fully assess your qualifications, as we cannot determine what you studied. We cannot accept a statutory declaration in lieu of course descriptions certified by the university.
Don't have any formal qualifications?
You must have formal tertiary qualifications to be considered as a skilled Accountant for the purpose of migration to Australia.
If you do not have qualifications, which are assessed as at least comparable to the level of an Australian Bachelor degree, your qualifications will be assessed as unsuitable for the purpose of migration under your skilled migration occupation. For example, if you have completed an Australian TAFE diploma only, you should not apply for skills assessment with the Institute.
How do I determine my eligibility to enrol in the Chartered Accountants Program?
Enrolling in the Chartered Accountants Program is an entry route for membership to the Institute of Chartered Accountants (the Institute).
For detailed information on the program, visit the Chartered Accountants Program.
How long is my skills assessment valid for?
A skills assessment is valid for a period of 2 years from the date of the assessment letter. After this time you will need to reapply for a skills assessment submitting all of the required documents and paying the required assessment fee.
I don’t have all the required documents yet – can you start my assessment while you are waiting for them?
The Institute is unable to start assessing an application without all the relevant documents.
If you are missing documents, we will advise you which ones we need so we can finalise your assessment. The processing time is calculated from the date the application is received, provided all required documents have been submitted.
If you are required to provide further documentation the processing times will commence once those documents have been received.
I am an overseas student and currently completing an Australian Masters degree. Will my Masters course be recognised by the Institute for migration purposes?
The first requirement to be recognised as a skilled migrant in all occupations assessed by the Institute is that a person holds qualifications, which are assessed as at least comparable to the level of an Australian Bachelor degree. This may be in any discipline.
Next, the person’s level of core knowledge areas are assessed. Generally, if you have a non-accounting Bachelor degree recognised by the Institute, you can qualify by completing an accredited conversion course or Masters Course through an Australian university to satisfy the minimum core knowledge areas.
If your Bachelor degree is assessed by the Institute and/or AEI-NOOSR as not being comparable to an Australian Bachelor degree, you can only qualify by completing an Institute accredited Masters degree through an Australian university. In this case, the degree must consist of at least 12 semester subjects which includes all the subjects listed by the Institute.
Please note that you should only apply for migration when you have finished the 12 subjects, and the Masters degree has been awarded to you.
What if my qualifications are from China?
Before applying for Skills Assessment with the Institute, applicants holding Chinese degree awards and academic transcripts must be verified through the Vocational Educational Training and Assessment Services (VETASSESS).
The original VETASSESS verification report should be sent directly to the Institute to continue your assessment.
Applicants will be required to have their Bachelor degree certificate, graduation certificate and academic transcript verified through VETASSESS.
Documents in languages other than English must be accompanied by an English translation completed by a certified translator. You must include a certified copy of the original language documents as well as a certified copy of the translated document with your application.
For more information about the Chinese verification service, please visit the VETASSESS website.
I am a member of a fully or partially recognised overseas accounting body – do I need to supply my tertiary documents?
If you would like your degree noted on your skills assessment letter, you must provide evidence of your degree completion (a degree certificate or a note on your academic transcript noting that you have completed all the requirements of the degree).
Do my documents need to be translated into English?
Yes. Documents in languages other than English must be accompanied by an English translation completed by a certified translator. You must include a certified copy of the original language documents as well as a certified copy of the translated document with your application.
Applicants residing in Australia must enclose an English translation completed by a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). Please refer to the Yellow Pages or NAATI website for a list of available translation services in your state/territory.
Applicants residing outside Australia must enclose an English translation completed by a translator who is certified by the appropriate authorities of the applicant’s country of residence. The translation must include the full name of the translator, his/her contact details, the name of the company/department the translator works for (if applicable) and certification number (and/or stamp) of the translator (if available).
Who can certify my documents?
The person/agent certifying your documents must confirm that they have seen and compared the original to the copy that they are certifying and it is a true copy. The full name, address, signature and title of the person/agent certifying the documents must be included as part of the certification.
Acceptable authorities for certifying documents:
- Australian Chartered Accountant/Australian CPA (must include membership number)
- Australian embassy/consulate/high commission staff
- University official (must include university stamp in addition to signature)
- Notary public
- Solicitor, Legal practitioner, Magistrate
- Justice of the peace
- Commissioner for declarations
- Commissioner for affidavits
- Commissioner of oaths
- Migration agent, registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (must include registration number)
- Police officer (in Australia only)
- Pharmacist (in Australian only)
- Postal Manager (in Australia only)
Please note that the Institute reserves the right to request original documentation, if required or deemed necessary.
Photocopies of certified documents will not be accepted.
Why does the skills assessment take so long? Is there anything I can do to expedite the assessment?
Applications are processed in the order of date received of all required documents.
The Institute is continuously receiving a large number of applications. It would be unfair to the other applicants to complete your application before the others.
There is no “urgency fee”. However, we will do our best to attend to applicants with special circumstances quicker than the usual assessment time (for example if the applicant is nearing 45 years of age).
Will I get points for my skills from the Institute? How many points will I get for my work experience?
The Institute does not award any points for skills or work experience. The points are administered by DIAC. You should consult the General Skilled Migration booklet available from DIAC about the current number of points attributed to a particular occupation.