- General Skilled Migration Assessment Criteria
- Applying for an assessment
- During the assessment
- Document Preparation
- Graduate (Temporary) Visa (subclass 485)
- My assessment result
- After the assessment
- IELTS & English Language Proficiency
- SMIPA
- Changes to GSM Assessment Criteria
- Points test
General Skilled Migration Assessment Criteria
Q. Will I receive a positive result for migration skill assessment?
A. To meet the requirements for a nominated Australian and New Zealand standard classification of occupations (ANZSCO) code, prospective migrants must have:
- a formal qualification (or combination of qualifications) that is assessed as comparable to an Australian bachelor degree
- an IELTS academic test report form showing a score of at least seven (7) on each of the four (4) components - speaking, reading, listening and writing
The comparable qualification/s must cover at least nine of the following 12 core curriculum areas. Each nominated occupation has four mandatory core knowledge areas.
|
Core Knowledge Areas |
Accountant (general) 221111 |
Management accountant
|
Taxation accountant
|
External auditor
|
Finance manager 132211 |
Corporate treasurer 221212 |
|
Accounting Systems and Processes |
mandatory |
mandatory
|
mandatory
|
mandatory
|
mandatory
|
mandatory
|
|
Financial Accounting |
mandatory |
mandatory |
mandatory |
mandatory |
mandatory |
mandatory
|
|
Management Accounting |
mandatory |
mandatory |
mandatory |
mandatory |
mandatory |
mandatory |
|
Accounting Theory |
mandatory |
mandatory |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
|
Finance |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
mandatory |
mandatory |
|
Auditing |
optional |
optional |
optional |
mandatory |
optional |
optional |
|
Commercial Law |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
|
Economics |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
|
Quantitative Methods |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
|
Information Systems Design and Development |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
|
Taxation Law |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
|
Company Law |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
optional |
|
Australian Taxation Law |
N/A |
N/A |
mandatory |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Work experience will not be accepted in lieu of formal qualifications.
All advice relating to qualifications is subject to confirmation by formal, individual assessment of qualifications through CPA Australia. In determining the status of your degree, we mainly use the guidelines published in the relevant AEI-NOOSR country education profile.
Q. Can I complete any nine out of the 12 core knowledge areas?
A. You will be required to complete mandatory core knowledge areas depending on the Australian and New Zealand standard classification of occupations (ANZSC0) code you have nominated. In addition, you must also complete at least a further five optional core knowledge areas. Please see the table above.
Applying for an assessment
Q. How do I apply for a migration skill assessment?
A. To apply for an assessment you can complete the online application form and mail the requested documentation to CPA Australia. The application form takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Once you apply online, you will receive your reference number immediately.
To apply online go to How to apply for migration assessment page.
Q. I do not know what ANZSCO occupation to nominate. Will you provide assessment results with more than one ANZSCO code?
A. No. DIAC will only allow you to nominate one occupation. CPA Australia only issues one assessment result, except where an assessment result has been reviewed or updated.
You must decide which occupation you intend to nominate before you submit your application for assessment. You can ask us to change your ANZSCO occupation at any time before your assessment is completed.
If you have already received your assessment result and subsequently decide to change your nominated occupation, you may return the original assessment to CPA Australia with a written request for amendment.
Definitions of ANZSCO occupations can be viewed on the Australian Bureau of Statistics' website
Q. I have completed 9 out of 12 core areas but I haven’t finished my degree yet. Can I still apply for assessment?
A. No. In addition to fulfilling the nine core knowledge areas, you will need to complete your (master or bachelor) degree before you can apply for the assessment.
Q. I am a member of CPA Australia. How can I get a migration assessment?
A. If you are already a member of CPA Australia and you wish to have your qualifications assessed for migration purposes, you can download and fill out this application form.
You will be required to supply your:
-
academic awards
-
academic transcripts
-
IELTS test report form or SMIPA transcripts and completion certificate
Members of CPA Australia who have paid a full annual membership fee receive a complimentary assessment
Q. I am a member of a recognised professional body. Can I apply for migration? Q. I have a deadline for my visa application. Is there a ‘fast track’ option I can pay for? Q. How do I check on the progress of my assessment? You can also check the status of your individual application by logging into your online profile and going to View the progress of the assessment online page. Q. I sent you additional documents. Have you received them? We then check to make sure the documents meet our requirements. If the documents do not meet our requirements, you will be contacted and advised within approximately ten working days of us receiving them. If everything is in order, we will not contact you. Back to top
Q. What documents do I need to send for the assessment? Generally speaking, we require the following: Q. Who can certify my documents? A. All documents must be certified by an authorised notary. We will accept documents endorsed by any of the following: Q. What information does a certification need to include? A. Each page of the document must contain the original endorsement clearly stating the name, contact details, capacity and registration number of the certifier, their signature and date sighted. This endorsement must be on all pages. CPA Australia must be able to contact the certifying officer or notary directly if necessary. Q. Do I need to provide syllabus? A. If you have completed an accredited degree or have completed the examinations of a recognised professional accounting body then you do not need to provide syllabus. All non-accredited degrees or professional examinations that are not formally recognised by CPA Australia will need to be accompanied by syllabus. Q. How much information should the syllabus contain? A. Syllabus details or subject outlines should be provided for all accounting, finance and business subjects and should demonstrate what content was covered in each unit studied by you. The syllabus must refer to the period during which the course was undertaken and relevant subjects should be highlighted. If the syllabus is not in English, a translation must be provided. If an official syllabus cannot be obtained, we will accept a statutory declaration stating the reason for its non availability and a personally detailed, typewritten summary of all the subjects studied. Detailed syllabus material plays an important part of the assessment process. Failure to provide adequate syllabus may adversely affect the outcome of your assessment. Q. I do not have a copy of my syllabus, what can I do? A. Most reputable institutions keep some information about courses conducted in past years. This may be as comprehensive course notes, or the brief outlines found in the handbook or calendar. Contact the university or institution where you studied and ask if they can provide you with this information. If you graduated recently, you may find the information on the university's website. If the university cannot provide the syllabus or outlines for the exact period during which you studied, try to get as close as possible. In this case, the subject names or codes may not exactly match your academic transcript. Ensure you clearly indicate those changes. You can do this by writing directly onto the syllabus document and / or academic transcript so that we can easily cross-reference the relevant subjects. You will need to include a statutory declaration that the changes made by you are a true representation of the studies you completed. If you have a complete booklet of all subject outlines offered by your university or faculty, photocopy and submit only the relevant outlines. If you submit the complete booklet, please clearly mark the relevant outlines. Q. I have contacted my university but they cannot give me any syllabus detail for my studies. What can I do? A. You must prepare your own summary of topics covered and submit it with a statutory declaration that the information given in the summary is true. Syllabus or subject outlines copied from other sources will not be accepted (including material copied from websites of other universities). Q. I graduated years ago and cannot recall what I studied. What can I do? A. The purpose of the qualifications assessment is to determine that you have the knowledge relevant to your qualifications and the occupation for which you are being assessed. The assumption is that your knowledge is current and therefore useable in your nominated occupation if, and when, you arrive in Australia. Failure to provide sufficient syllabus 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. Q. I have a Chinese Bachelor degree. Do I need to have this degree verified? A. CPA Australia requires all applicants who hold a non-accredited degree from a university in China to arrange to have their degree award and transcripts verified through an authorised Chinese qualification verification service. If you have a diploma qualification that leads to your bachelor degree, you will further be required to have your transcripts relating to your diploma qualifications verified. All verification reports must be sent directly to CPA Australia from the verification body and must include a copy of the documents that have been verified. For more information on authorised verification services please visit VETASSESS or Aohua. Candidates are recommended to take into consideration the verification processing times and ensure they allocate sufficient time for their verifications to be completed. Q. I live in Australia and have a relative / friend overseas who is applying for migration who has sent me his / her documents to apply for assessment. Can I send the application on his / her behalf? A. Yes. But the application form must indicate the address to which we should send correspondence (the applicant or the Australian relative / friend). We will issue only one acknowledgment and assessment result, so the intermediary must undertake to pass on or otherwise deal with all relevant correspondence. Australian privacy legislation prohibits CPA Australia from discussing details of the assessment with third parties unless the applicant provides a signed authority for us to do so. Q. What are my payment options? A. The assessment fee is $475.00 and is payable in Australian dollars only. If paying from outside Australia, you can pay by: Credit card payments will be accepted, but please ensure that: * Our assessment fee is GST-free
Q. Can I use my CPA Australia skills assessment to apply for a Graduate (Temporary) Visa (Subclass 485)? A. From 1 July 2010, graduates of Australian accounting degree programs will be able to use their assessments to apply for a Temporary Visa Subclass 485 if they receive an assessment showing that they have: Q. I am completing an Australian accounting degree and will apply for my qualifications assessment at the end of July. I have achieved an IETLS Academic Test Score of 7.0 in all areas. Will I be able to get an interim assessment? A. You will not need an interim assessment. Individuals who have IELTS 7.0 in all four areas and meet all other requirements may receive a suitable assessment for skills migration.
Q. I have received my qualifications assessment, but I am unsure if I meet the requirements for migration. How do I know if I meet the requirements? Q. My assessment result tells me that I must complete further studies. What are my options? A. You have two options: complete your additional studies via our CPA Program foundation level or via accredited courses offered by other higher education providers. If you would like to complete your outstanding core knowledge areas through CPA Program’s foundation level, you will need to first apply for a Membership Entry Pathway Assessment. Even though your qualifications have been assessed for migration purposes, our membership requirements are different. Therefore, if you would like to enrol into CPA Program the Membership Entry Pathway Assessment is a compulsory requirement. Once your Membership Entry Pathway Assessment has been completed, you will be provided with a link to Activate your foundation student account. You will then be able to enrol into the foundation level exams. The Membership Entry Pathway Assessment is $138AUD. The following table displays the 12 core knowledge areas against CPA Australia's foundation level exams:
A. Professional accounting qualifications which have been assessed as comparable to an Australian bachelor degree in accordance with AEI-NOOSR guidelines may be considered in the assessment of your qualifications for the purposes of migration. This would be subject to a formal assessment of your qualifications.
During the assessment
A. An estimated processing time is provided on your acknowledgement letter. Please note that during the year these times can change depending on how busy we are. Our processing times are kept up to date. To see the current processing times for applications go to How to apply for migration assessment page.
A. CPA Australia receives a lot of mail and it can take us some time to open it all, match it to individual files and log it into our system. When we update our system, your online profile is also updated so that you can be comfortable in the knowledge that we have received your documents. View the progress of the assessment online Document Preparation
A. The documents you need to submit for your assessment application will depend on your qualifications.
a) you have sufficient credit and the payment will not exceed your credit limit
b) there are no restrictions on transferring funds overseas
c) your credit card expiry date is not imminent
Graduate
My assessment result
A. In order to determine if you have met the requirements for migration purposes, please refer to the bolded paragraph in your assessment letter. This will confirm whether your qualifications are assessed as suitable or not suitable for your nominated ANZSCO occupation.
Core knowledge requirements |
Foundation level exams |
| Information Systems Design and Development |
IT and Business Process |
| Economics, Quantitative Methods | Economics and Markets |
| Accounting Systems and Processes | Foundations of Accounting |
| Commercial Law, Company Law | Fundamentals of Business Law |
| Finance | Business Finance |
| Financial Accounting | Financial Accounting and Reporting |
| Management Accounting | Management Accounting |
| Accounting Theory | Accounting Concepts and Principles |
| Auditing* | N/A* |
| Taxation Law* | N/A* |
*Can be completed through a Higher Education provider, otherwise Advanced Audit & Assurance and/or Advanced Taxation will become a compulsory unit in the professional level
Q. I have a successful migration assessment from CPA Australia. Is this still valid without an IELTS test report?
A. In your case, your assessment remains valid for two years from the date of your assessment outcome. You do not need to apply for a reassessment. For further information about applying for immigration visit the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website.
Q. If I receive a result as suitable for migration, how long is this assessment valid for?
Q. Do I have to study through CPA Australia or through one of the accredited university courses? Can I study at a university in my home country? A. We strongly recomment that you complete additional studies as per the above advice. If, for any reason, you cannot complete the studies through an accredited study program or the CPA Program, then studies completed in your home country may be accepted. CPA Australia cannot guarantee non-accredited studies will be recognised. Q. I have completed additional studies through a CPA Australia accredited program as requested in my assessment letter. I want to update my assesssment for migration purposes, what do I do? A. Your assessment remains valid for two years. During this period, updates for migration purposes are provided at no extra cost. Send certified copies of documentation (academic transcripts) relating to the additional studies undertaken. Include your CPA Australia file reference number and notify us of any changes to your address details. Q. I have received my assessment results and I have been asked to complete further studies in an area I believe I have studied already. What do I do? A. You are entitled to appeal your assessment result in writing to the review officer within six months of receiving the results by submitting a more detailed syllabus for relevant subjects. If you have documentation that you did not supply with your applications, send the additional documentation along with AUD$$125.00 to the CPA Australia Member Advisory and Information Services – Assessment Unit. A review of your qualifications will take approximately 10 business days. Appealing your assessment result does not guarantee further exemptions. The additional more detailed syllabus must fulfil our core knowledge criteria for any exemptions to be approved. Back to top
Q. What is IELTS? A. International English Language Testing System (IELTS), is a test designed to assess an applicant’s English language ability. Q. Why does CPA Australia ask me to demonstrate my English language skills through an IELTS test score? A. Australian employers are looking to employ individuals with a well developed English language competency, effective communication and problem solving skills and the ability to work as part of a team. Accountants are expected to be able to communicate advice and ideas in diverse collaborative contents with accountants and non-accountants. If you can achieve an IELTS 7.0 band score you should be able to handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning. Reading, writing, listening and speaking are all important aspects of effective communication. Q. What if I have misplaced my test report form?
Q. I am interested in the Skilled Migration Internship Program (SMIPA). Does CPA Australia provide this? A. No. The SMIPA is overseen by the three professional accounting bodies. The program is delivered by registered providers who have been jointly approved by the three bodies. For further information read Skilled Migration Internship Program. Q. If I have received a result as suitable for migration under the pre 1 July 2010 guidelines, how long is this assessment valid for? Q. I had an assessment completed under the older rules and have received a negative result. I have completed more subjects. Will a reassessment be under the current rules? A. Yes. All requests for updates and/or reviews of an assessment result will now be assessed under the current criteria, regardless of when you submitted your first application for assessment. Q. What is skilled employment? A. Skilled employment is experience that is undertaken after completion of a relevant academic qualification/s and is relevant to your nominated occupation. Therefore, CPA Australia will consider relevant employment that is completed after you have completed a formal qualification (or qualifications) that is assessed as comparable to at least an Australian Bachelor Degree according to AEI-NOOSR and CPA Australia and sufficiently covered at least nine of the 12 core curriculum areas, including the four mandatory core knowledge areas. Q. Will you assess my employment claims prior to graduation? A. The minimum entry level for your nominated occupation is a comparable relevant Bachelor Degree or higher. Employment gained prior to graduation of your relevant academic qualification is not considered skilled employment and will not be taken into consideration. Q. Will you consider employment claims and academic qualifications that are not related to my nominated occupations? A. No. Your employment claims and academic qualification/s must be related to your nominated occupation. Q. Will you assess my volunteer experience? A. No. Skilled employment must be paid experience. Q. How many hours do I need to work for my experience to be considered? A. Skilled employment must include a minimum of 20 paid hours per week. You must have been in each role/position for at least 6 months for your claims to be considered. Q. Do you consider Part-Time employment? A. Part-time employment will be considered as long as it is a minimum of 20 paid hours per week. This cannot be calculated on a pro-rata basis, you must work the minimum requirement each week. Q. What is a relevant academic qualification? A. A relevant academic qualification is a formal qualification (or qualifications) that is assessed as comparable to at least an Australian Bachelor Degree according to AEI-NOOSR and CPA Australia and covers at least nine of the 12 core curriculum areas, including the four mandatory core knowledge areas. Q. How do I apply to have my skilled employment and qualifications assessed for the new points test? A. You will be required to complete an application and provided the following details: Q. What do I need to include in my skilled employment references / testimonials? A. In order for CPA Australia to conduct an assessment of your skilled employment, your references/testimonials must: Please note we will only assess skilled 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. Internships taken as part of SMIPA will not be assessed. Q. Will I be granted points based on CPA Australia’s assessment result? A. CPA Australia does not grant points for the purposes of migration. Advice given on factors concerning points is the opinion of CPA Australia and does not guarantee the awarding of any points under the skilled migration points test.Determination of points under the skilled migration points test remains at the discretion of delegated officers of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Q. If I receive an unsuitable assessment, will you consider my employment claims? A. No. Employment claims will only be considered if your educational qualifications are assessed as suitable for your nominated occupation. Q. If I receive an unsuitable assessment, will CPA Australia comment on my academic qualification for the purposes of DIAC awarding points? A. CPA Australia will provide information with regards to the educational level of your academic qualifications. DIAC will only consider awarding points if you receive a suitable assessment result. Q. If I have already received a suitable assessment from CPA Australia, will you consider my skilled employment and/or my academic qualifications for the purposes of DIAC awarding points? A. If you have already obtained a suitable skills assessment for your nominated occupation before 1 July 2011 and apply for a visa on or after 1 July 2011, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship will advise if you need to obtain further advice on your qualifications and/ or skilled employment from CPA Australia. This information will be requested if required to support your claims when the application is assessed Q. Why is there an increase in fees? A. CPA Australia’s migration assessment costs are regularly reviewed to take into account the costs and scope of services provided.
A. Successful assessments issued before 1 July 2010 are valid with DIAC for 24 months from the assessment outcome date. All assessments issued before 1 July 2010 are valid with CPA Australia (as a basis for the Membership Entry Pathway Assessment) for 5 years from the assessment outcome date. This will be stated on your assessment letter.
After the assessment
IELTS & English Language Proficiency
Q. What IELTS test format do I require?
A. You are required to sit the academic training. General training will not be accepted by CPA Australia.
Q. What is the minimum English language level CPA Australia requires for migration purposes?
A. CPA Australia require applicants to provide IELTS documentation which shows they have successfully achieved a minimum IELTS academic score of Band 7 on each of the four components – speaking, reading, listening and writing.
Q. How do I provide my IELTS documentation?
A. You are required to sit the academic training. General training will not be accepted by CPA Australia for General Skilled Migration purposes.
Q. How do I enrol in IELTS?
A. For information about their enrolment process visit the IELTS website.
A. Please contact IELTS about your options. CPA Australia is a receiving organisation.
Q. How long are the IELTS results (known as test report form) valid for?
A. Test report forms are valid for two years.
Q. I am a citizen of the United Kingdom . Do I have to provide IELTS documentation?
A. There are no exemptions for any of the criteria. All applicants will be assessed against the same criteria, including the English language requirement.
Q. I am already a CPA Australia member. Do I need to provide an IELTS test result to have a migration assessment?
A. All applications from CPA Australia members requesting an assessment for the purposes of migration must be supported by a valid IELTS test result.
SMIPA
Changes to GSM Assessment Criteria
A. Successful assessments issued before 1 July 2010 are valid for five years from the assessment outcome date. This will be stated on your assessment letter. Points test