Updated on 7 Nov 2019
Before you submit your ICT skills assessment
Applicants must have a clear understanding of their personal visa requirements as set by the department of home affairs or will need professional assistance from a registered migration agent (mara) before applying for an ACS skills assessment.
Is ACS the correct assessing body for my application?
The ANZSCO occupation you nominate will determine which assessing authority you will need to contact. each ANZSCO on the list of eligible skilled occupations will refer to a corresponding assessing authority. For information regarding skilled occupations, visit australian bureau of statistics.
Can you tell me if I will be suitable before I submit my application?
Due to the extensive and complex nature of an ICT skills assessment, it is not possible to offer pre-assessment advice. A formal assessment needs to be completed before any advice is provided.
Which ICT qualifications or subjects should I study?
ACS is unable to provide career or employment advice to applicants. Qualifications regarding specific education and career outcomes are at the discretion of the student.
Is my course accredited?
Skills assessment is for migration purposes and accreditation has no impact on the outcome of a skills assessment application or the assessment of a qualification. Although ACS does provide accreditation for certain ICT courses, it does not guarantee a suitable migration skills assessment outcome. The qualification is only one aspect of the overall assessment criteria required for a suitable assessment.
Does ACS require an English language test for a skills assessment such as IELTS?
ACS does not require any English language tests for skills assessments.
If my partner is the primary applicant, do I need my skills assessed? Can I claim points for my partner’s skills assessment?
Each applicant is assessed on an individual basis and must meet the ACS assessment criteria.
Do you have a minimum age requirement?
Only professional ICT work experience undertaken from 18 years and over is applicable.
Can I have my ACS skills application assessed as a priority?
A priority request is only available for visa deadlines less than 12 weeks from the date of application. Applicants must allow at least 2 weeks’ notice of the deadline. Evidence of the visa deadline must be uploaded as a pdf document to have the request considered. This can include:
passport visa stamp showing the deadline date visa entitlement verification online (vevo) web page showing visa expiry date department of home affairs visa grant notification.
Is there a fee for priority processing?
No. This is a courtesy service to help applicants with visa deadlines for priority processing.
Which ANZSCO code should I nominate?
ACS is unable to give advice on ANZSCO codes. This must be determined solely by the applicant. For information on particular ICT occupations, please refer to ANZSCO code information.
What if I choose the wrong ANZSCO code?
It is highly recommended to research and evaluate the relevance of your qualifications and employment in relation to the ANZSCO code requirements before choosing a nominated occupation ANZSCO code. If the assessor finds that your application is unsuitable under the nominated occupation, a suitable ANZSCO may be suggested if there is a clear alternative.If the recommendation is accepted it does incur an additional fee of $200.
Can you tell me if my degree will be accepted?
Due to the extensive and complex nature of an ICT skills assessment, it is not possible to determine the outcome until an in-depth assessment of qualifications and work experience is completed.
Which application type should I submit - general skills or RPL?
General skills – for applicants with ICT qualifications and professional ICT work experience. RPL – for applicants with professional ICT work experience and either no tertiary qualifications or qualifications with insufficient ICT course content. Please note that if you apply under general skills and your qualification is assessed as having insufficient ICT content, but you meet the work experience requirement for an RPL application, a recommendation will be emailed with instructions on how to proceed with this application. An additional fee of $200 would apply.
Do you accept vendor certifications?
Currently, only certain Microsoft and Cisco certifications are accepted for ACS skills assessments.
I have a masters degree, should i provide my undergraduate qualifications?
If you have a master's degree, please provide all documentation for the underpinning qualifications, such as a bachelor's degree, including non-ICT qualifications.
Can I apply for the skills assessment before my qualification has been completed?
ACS can only assess completed and awarded qualifications. The completion date of the qualification is an assessment requirement.
How much work experience do I need to demonstrate to meet ACS requirements?
Your qualification level, ICT course content and relevance of your qualification to the nominated occupation will determine how many years work experience you will require. This can only be determined at the time of formal assessment.
I cannot provide an employer reference
If you are unable to obtain an employment reference on company letterhead from your employer, a third party official statutory declaration or affidavit written by a work colleague may be considered along with one of the following as supporting evidence:
- Payslip – preferably first & last payslip
- Human resource statement or service certificate
- Termination letter with corresponding dates
A statutory declaration or affidavit written by a work colleague must describe the working relationship with you and details of your duties performed with relevant dates of employment. It must clearly state that the document was 'sworn before' or 'signed before' or 'witnessed before' the authorised witness by the referee and signed by the authorised witness, along with the date and place in which the declaration was witnessed.
Can I have part-time work assessed?
Full-time work is considered to be 20 hours or more per week and must be stated in the employment reference letter. Any experience less than 20 hours per week will be assessed as unsuitable.
I was working part-time whilst I was studying. Will this experience be assessed?
If your work experience was a requirement of your qualification, this will not be counted towards your assessment.
I was working in more than one job at the same time. Can I claim for both periods of employment?
Only one work experience episode within the same time period can be considered toward your assessment outcome. The more favourable of the two work experience episodes will be used in the assessment result and the other episode will be listed as unsuitable 'concurrent employment'.
How do I check Status of my Application?
The progress of your application can be tracked via your applicant dashboard using your email address and password.
How do i change my address and contact details?
You can update your address or contact details via your applicant dashboard.
How long does the Assessment take?
For applications that do not require any requests for additional documentation or information, please allow between 8 - 10 weeks for the skills assessment to be completed.
Can i change my ANZSCO nomination if my application is in the process?
Once the assessment process has commenced, it will NOT be possible to change the ANZSCO code.
My Application is in Process, but i want to include additional documentation, can i provide these?
It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide all the documentation that they want to be considered in the application at the time of submission. Once your application has been submitted and is in process, additional documentation cannot be included.
Can i change my Migration Agent or remove them and then continue the application as an Individual?
You can change your migration agent or remove them at any point in time.
Please complete the Agent Authorisation Form and email this with a certified copy of your passport to: assessment@acs.org.au.
WILL I RECEIVE A RESULT LETTER?
How Long is my result valid?
Result letters are valid for 24 months from the date of issue.
How many points will i be awarded?
While ACS is authorised to assess ICT skills assessments, the final decision in awarding points remains with the Department of Home Affairs.
What can i do if i think there is a Typographical error in my result letter?
Please email your case officer by responding to the email which contained your result letter. Alternatively, you may email assessment@acs.org.au.
I now have more than one valid result letter. Will the new one received affect my previous result letter?
Holding more than one suitable assessment outcome will not invalidate any of the previous result letters provided they are still within the 24-month validity period.
What is a Review and an Appeal?
A Review Application is available if you wish to change your nominated occupation (ANZSCO), include additional work experience or qualifications to update your results. An Appeal Application is available if you disagree with your assessment outcome result and believe an error has been made. Only one appeal can be made per case and the outcome is final. For more information, refer to the ACS Review and Appeal Guide.
What is the difference between a review and an appeal application?
You cannot submit additional documentation with an Appeal Application; only with a Review Application. If the outcome of an Appeal Application is in your favour, the fee will be refunded; Review Application fees are non-refundable.
When can i lodge a review or Appeal?
A Review or Appeal can only be submitted within 60 days from the date on your skills assessment result letter. After the 60-day period, a new application is required.
How long does a review or appeal application take to process?
Please allow approximately four to six weeks for processing.
Can i review and application that has already been reviewed?
A Review Application can be submitted as many times as required within the 60-day period of any finalised application. Please note that only one application can be in process at any one time.
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