HOW DOES ONE APPLY FOR AN AUSTRALIAN COMPUTER SOCIETY (ACS) SKILLS ASSESSMENT?

Are you an I.T. professional wanting to settle in Australia on a skilled migration PR Visa? Well, first of all you would need to have your I.T. AC skills assessment. This is done by ACS which is the authority designated by the government to assess prospective migrants working in the I.T. field, in order to ensure that they meet the standards laid down for employment in Australia.

If your occupation appears in the list below, an ACS skills assessment would be mandatory:

Eligibility:

The criteria to clear your Skills Assessment process with ACS depends on your educational background and your work experience (check what applies to you below)

a) If you are looking for a Skilled PR Visa (and you have a Bachelor degree):

b) If you are looking for a Skilled PR Visa (and you have a Diploma, Advanced Diploma or Associate Degree):

ICT Major / ICT Minor

• If you have a Bachelor Degree or higher qualification, at least 33% of your studies should have been completed in computing, to be considered as an ICT Major.
• If you have a Diploma, Advanced Diploma or Associated Degree, at least 50% of your studies should have been completed in computing, to be considered as an ICT Major.

c) If you are looking for a Skilled PR Visa (and you have a non-ICT Diploma or higher):

d) If you are looking for a Skilled PR Visa (and you do not have any tertiary qualification):

e) If you are looking for a Temporary Graduate 485 Visa (and you have an Australian Bachelor Degree or higher):

f) If you are looking for a Post-Australian Study Skills Assessment Visa (and you have an Australian Bachelor

Degree or higher):

Work Experience:

• In all the above cases, the Work Experience required to meet the suitability criteria is NOT included as “Skilled Employment”, and is NOT eligible for points under the Skilled Migration Points Test
• The 10 years requirement period for Work Experience above is based on the past 10 years, from the submission date of your online Skills Application
• All Work Experience must be professional ICT employment, and should be at least 20 hours per week
• All Work Experience must have proof of remuneration
• All Work Experience will be considered post-qualification (research work based on thesis or volunteer work will not be considered)

Documents:

You will be required to provide documents as proof for your Identity, Educational Qualifications and Work Experience.

Your entire Skills Assessment could depend on the authencity of the details mentioned in your Tasks & Duties / Work Reference letter(s). All letters must include the following:

• Start and end dates of employment
• Designation / Position
• Description of duties
• Description of earlier roles duties
• Hours worked per week
• On Company letterhead
• Signed by an authorised person in the organisation

Payment evidence is also mandatory to substantiate your Work Experience claims. The following evidence is accepted (at least 1 internal and 1 external documentary proof):

Internal (from):

• Payslip with your and your employer’s name printed
• Bank statement showing your employer’s name in the salary credit details
• Tax Form 16 from the company

External (from):

• Form 26AS from the official Government Income Tax records
• Provident Fund or Superannuation records

At times an Applicant may be unable to provide a Work Reference letter from an employer, due to refusal of the employer to provide the letter, or the company ceasing operations, etc.

In such cases, ACS accepts a Statutory Declaration or an Affidavit. However, the Applicant would have to explain why an Employment Reference letter cannot be provided by him/her.

Our expert team at DMS Migration can assist you with the samples and templates.

Fees and Processing time:

ACS fees for different Visas are given below:

The normal processing time is usually between 8-10 weeks for the Skills Assessment to be completed, assuming there are no queries from their end – in which case it may take longer.

Amitava Deb

• Amitava is a gold medallist from India’s premier technical institute, IIT Kharagpur.
• He has worked with some of the world’s top companies such as Sony Australia Pty. Ltd., Siemens AG Germany, Clarity International Ltd., Reliance Communications and Optus Sydney.
• Amitava is a Chartered Professional Engineer accredited by Engineers Australia. He is a full member of this esteemed association.
• He is a member of the Australian Computer Society, Tele Management Forum and Worldwide Institute of Software Architects.
• Amitava is a well-recognised name in the ICT Professional Community in Australia.