Our assessment team receives thousands of assessment applications each year. Follow the guidelines below to make sure that your application can be processed without any unnecessary delays.
Certified true copies
Documents will not be returned to you after assessment so please only submit certified true copies of original academic awards (certificates, diplomas), academic transcripts (examination results) and IELTS test report forms.
Your documents may be certified by any of the following:
- CPA / FCPA or member of an equivalent professional body
- commissioner for oaths
- Justice of the Peace
- notary public
- police officer, sheriff, sheriff's officer
- bank manager, dentist, legal practitioner, medical practitioner, pharmacist, veterinary surgeon
- Australian consular officer, or Australian diplomatic officer
- any other official who, in your home country, is authorised to endorse documents and legal declarations or witness sworn affidavits
- MARA registered migration agents (commenced 1 October 2007)
The endorsement must clearly indicate the date sighted, name, contact details and which of the above categories the signatory represents and state that the copies are true and unaltered reproductions of the original documents.
The documents you submit for assessment must bear the original endorsement. Plain photocopies of certified documents will not be accepted.
Gathering information for your application
Academic awards (certificates, diplomas, testamurs)
Information regarding these is available from the assessment application form.
Academic transcripts (exam results)
These must be official transcripts. Results downloaded from websites or printouts issued on plain paper will not be accepted.
If your academic transcript indicates that you were given credit towards a degree based on previous studies (either at a lower level or at another institution), you must include relevant documentation for that prior study.
If your university / educational institution issued separate transcripts for each individual year of study, please include transcripts for all years of study.
Syllabus details (subject outlines)
Members of any of the professional bodies listed in the section Our international affiliations are generally not required to submit any syllabus information. There are some exceptions. For example, if you completed a degree which included auditing and subsequently completed the CIMA professional program you should submit an outline for the auditing unit/s in the degree.
You do not need to supply syllabus detail for Australian or CPA Australia accredited courses / units.
To obtain a successful assessment for migration purposes, your recognised qualification/s must fulfil at least nine of the 12 core curriculum subject areas. Each nominated occupation has four mandatory core knowledge areas. Please refer to education requirements for a detailed list.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you provide adequate syllabus detail to demonstrate that your studies covered the required core curriculum subject areas.
You must provide detail for all relevant accounting, finance and business subjects. Failure to provide sufficient detail may adversely affect the result of your assessment. You will be advised to complete further studies in any subject areas in which we are unable to assess the depth of your knowledge.
For more information about syllabus details see frequently asked questions about migration assessment.
English proficiency (IELTS academic test report form)
You must provide a certified true copy of your IELTS academic test report form showing a band score of at least seven (7) on each of the four (4) components – speaking, reading, listening and writing.
Please note graduates of an Australian accounting degree, who have completed the Skilled Migration Internship Program: Accounting (SMIPA) may provide their SMIPA transcripts and completion certificate in place of IELTS.
Please note graduates of an Australian accounting degree who would like to have their qualifications assessed for 485 visa purposes can include a certified true copy of your IELTS general test report form showing a band score of at least six (6) on each of the four (4) components – Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing.
Other tertiary qualifications
If you have an undergraduate degree in arts (for example) followed by a postgraduate degree in accounting, please submit relevant documents for both. Syllabus detail is only required for relevant core subjects as described in above.
Skilled Employment
In order for CPA Australia to conduct an assessment of your skilled employment, you must supply official certified true copies of your references/testimonials. Your skilled employment references/testimonials must:
- be written on the official letterhead of the employing company. The letterhead should indicate clearly the full address of the company and any telephone, fax numbers, email and website addresses
- include the name and position of the person authorised to sign the employment reference/testimonial and should include the authorised person's signature - references from colleagues of the applicant at the same level or below will not be considered
- include the direct contact number of the person writing the reference. This must not be a private or home phone number
- indicate the exact period of employment, including:
- position/s held – positions should not be described by generic titles but according to the nature of the duties undertaken
- whether permanent or temporary
- full or part-time
- required working hours per week
- duties/responsibilities undertaken
- the salary earned, including payslips from current employer (unpaid or volunteer work will not be assessed)
Please note we will only assess employment claims if you have received a suitable skills assessment under your nominated occupation. Skilled employment must have been undertaken after completion of a relevant academic qualification/s and be relevant to your nominated occupation. Internships taken as part of SMIPA will not be assessed.
Assessment fee
The assessment fee is payable in Australian dollars. If paying from outside Australia, you can pay by:
- Bank draft — the draft should be made payable to CPA Australia and must nominate a corresponding Australian bank through which we can process the payment. Drafts which nominate non-Australian banks will be returned to you for replacement and this may delay your assessment.
- Credit card payments will be accepted, but please ensure that:
- you have sufficient credit and the payment will not exceed your credit limit
- there are no restrictions on transferring funds overseas
- your credit card expiry date is not imminent
Personal cheques will only be accepted if drawn on an Australian bank account.
Please note that applications for a Migration assessment can be withdrawn at any stage before the assessment commences. An administrative fee of $75.00 will be charged in all cases. However, if any preliminary work or formal assessment has been completed, a refund will not be applicable.
Presenting your application
It's important that you submit only material that is pertinent to the assessment of your accounting qualifications, English language proficiency and skilled employment (if applicable). The following points will help us to reduce processing time and store your files in the limited space available.
- Include all items requested on the assessment application form. Documentation relevant to changes in your name, particularly where your current name varies from that shown on your documents (such as. marriage certificates, deed-poll) should be included.
- Do not send your application in any kind of cover, folder or spiral bound format. All unnecessary material received with applications is removed and discarded.
- Do not secure your entire application with heavy-duty staples. These are extremely difficult to remove. We like to spread out your documents while we assess your qualifications, especially when you have completed more than one qualification or have studied at several different institutions.