CPA Australia's qualifications assessment unit assesses qualifications on a fee-for-service basis for overseas-qualified accountants seeking membership of CPA Australia. The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship has identified CPA Australia as one of the assessing authorities for professional level, accountancy-related occupations. This following information includes details on assessment for immigration purposes. However, all assessments are based on the criteria for eligibility for admission to Associate membership.
Therefore, even if your assessment is not required for immigration, the same fundamental philosophies and policies apply.
There is no legislated requirement for registration of accountants in Australia (except for financial advisers, tax agents, external auditors and liquidators). The profession tends to regulate itself by preferring to recruit or employ the services of accountants who are members of an Australian professional accounting body.
CPA Australia is one of three identified assessing authorities for the following ASCO occupations:
- accountant (2211 - 11)
- external auditor (2212 - 11)
- corporate treasurer (2213 - 11)
- finance manager (1211 - 11)
The other assessing authorities are the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA) and the National Institute of Accountants (NIA). All three assessing authorities use similar criteria for assessment based on the degree-entry qualifications required for admission to Associate membership of CPA Australia or entry into the professional study program of the ICAA.
You can select any accountants' assessing authority to provide the assessment required for your permanent resident visa application. Professional qualified accountants who do not also have an undergraduate degree are offered several options for meeting the requirements for admission to Associate (entry level) membership of CPA Australia. As of the 1 May 2008, professional qualifications (e.g. ACCA, CIMA, ICAI) recognised by AEI-NOOSR as degree comparable may be assessed successfully for the purpose of skilled migration applications.
To meet the educational standard for any of the above ASCO occupations, you must have formal qualifications assessed by as at least comparable to an Australian bachelor degree. These qualifications must include adequate coverage of at least nine of the 12 core curriculum areas required for Associate membership. Work experience will not be accepted in lieu of formal qualifications. To be academically eligible for Associate membership with CPA Australia you must hold a comparable degree and all 12 core knowledge areas need to be covered.
The core curriculum areas are:
- accounting systems and processes
- financial accounting
- management accounting
- accounting theory
- commercial law
- economics
- quantitative methods
- finance
- information systems design and development
- auditing*
- taxation law*
- company law
Important notice: in June 2008 CPA Australian introduced three new bridging units.
*All applicants who are advised to complete further study in the subject areas of taxation law and / or auditing have the option of fulfilling this requirement as part of the CPA Program. This means that if you successfully complete study in all core knowledge areas except taxation law and auditing, you will still meet the Associate membership requirements. However, if you do choose to complete taxation law and auditing as part of the CPA Program, it is a compulsory requirement that you complete them as two of your three elective segments. Alternatively, if you complete taxation law and auditing prior to being admitted as a member, you will have the flexibility of selecting all three electives of your choice in the CPA Program.
CPA Australia will now consider international variants of Taxation and Company Law for core knowledge requirements. Previously, candidates seeking an assessment of qualifications were advised to successfully study local Australian-based variants of taxation law and company law in order to meet our membership admission criteria.
On 1 July 2007, the qualifications assessment unit of CPA Australia began applying this change in policy by recognising overseas tax and company law subjects in our assessments (for both membership and migration purposes). If you have received an assessment from January 2003 to July 2007, have been advised to complete Australian Taxation and / or Australian Company Law and believe you have completed an overseas variant of either, you are welcome to contact CPA Australia to request for a free review of your assessment result. Please make your request for a review of your overseas taxation and / or company law subject(s) in writing (e-mail is accepted).
As the result of the review will be sent to you by post, please ensure that we have your current postal address. CPA Australia advises that employers may prefer or require taxation law and / or company law knowledge specific to the country of your employment and you may wish to take this into consideration when planning your studies.
Further information and instructions are provided with our assessment application form. Current members of CPA Australia should note that, as your qualifications were assessed before being admitted to membership, you are not required to apply for re-assessment. You can obtain an assessment result for your visa application by using the member assessment application form. Follow the simple instructions provided on the form.
As of 1 January 2006, CPA Australia require all applicants who hold a bachelor degree from a university in China to arrange to have their degree award and transcripts verified through the Chinese qualification verification services, Vetassess. All verifications must be sent directly to CPA Australia from Vetassess. Certified true copies of Verifications will not be accepted. A Vetassess application form will be sent to you once you have lodged your qualifications assessment application. Do not send your qualifications to Vetassess without a CPA Australia reference number.
On receipt of your application we will conduct a brief, preliminary examination of your documents. A written acknowledgment will be sent to you immediately to confirm receipt. Any missing material will be requested in the acknowledgment letter but we may still ask for further information once your assessment commences.
The acknowledgement will also give you a file reference number. Quote this file reference number every time you contact us regarding your assessment, either before or after you receive the result. This will eliminate time wasted whilst you spell your names or try to recall what names you actually wrote on the application form.
CPA Australia will issue a written assessment result indicating that your qualifications either meet or do not meet the requirement for the nominated ASCO occupation. If your assessment advises that you meet the requirement, you can submit it with your visa application without completing any further study.
Assessments are valid for five years and will include details of accredited study programs available by distance learning. If your assessment is not successful in the first instance, you will be able to complete additional studies required to meet the standard required for migration.
If you wish to apply for membership of CPA Australia, you must complete the remaining entry level studies prescribed in your assessment before admission. Members admitted at Associate level must complete our postgraduate level CPA Program and satisfy requisite work experience before advancing to CPA status. Please note the Qualifications Assessment Rebate offer has been discontinued as of the 1 October 2008.
For further information contact qualification assessment staff at MAIS.Assessment@cpaaustralia.com.au
