ICAA-FAQ

Updated on 4 Nov 2019

Q: I do not have a university handbook/course outline, what can I do?
A: Most universities keep information about their courses. If you have not retained your course outlines you must contact your university and ask them to provide you with the description of the subjects.
If you studied in recent years, the information may also be available on the university website and you may print out the relevant sections, providing you include the website address on all the pages of the downloaded handbook. If the years and subject names on your statement of academic record do not correspond to those of the handbook information, documentation from the university must be supplied to state that the information applies to the years in which you completed your
study. Without course outlines we cannot fully assess your qualifications, as we cannot determine what you studied. We cannot accept a statutory declaration in lieu of course descriptions certified by the university.

Q: How much information should my syllabus contain?
A: The syllabus/course description should contain enough detail to demonstrate that you have covered the competency areas mandatory for your nominated occupation. We do not provide a list of topics we use to assess the syllabus.

Q: I am a member of a recognised overseas accounting body – do I need to supply my tertiary documents?
A: If you would like your degree noted on your skills assessment letter, you must provide evidence of your degree completion (a degree
certificate or a note on your academic transcript noting that you have completed all the requirements of the degree). If you have exemptions awarded by the overseas accounting body as a result of study from another institution you will also need to supply proof of those exemptions for example the original colour scanned copy of the transcript from your previous institution.

Q: What if my qualifications are from China?
A: If you hold a Chinese degree you will need to apply to have your Bachelor degree certificate, graduation certificate and academic transcript verified through the Vocational Education Training and Assessment Services (VETASSESS). 

Q: Do my documents need to be translated into English?
A: Yes. Documents in languages other than English must be accompanied by an English translation completed by a certified translator. You must include an original colour scanned copy of the original language documents as well as an original colour scanned copy of the translated document with your application. If you reside in Australia you must enclose an English translation completed by a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). If you reside outside Australia you must enclose an English translation completed by a translator who is certified by the appropriate authorities of the applicant’s country of residence. The translation must include the full name of the translator, his/her contact details, the name of the company/department the translator works for (if applicable) and certificate number (and/or stamp) of the translator (if applicable).

How long is my skills assessment valid for?
skills assessment is valid for a period of 3 years from the date of the assessment. Note: Prior to 1 July 2014 skills assessment was valid for a period of 2 years from the date of the assessment.

Do I need a migration agent when applying for a skills assessment?
No, applications can be made by individuals as well as migration agents.

Can I apply for more than one skills assessment for different occupations?
Please refer to Department of Home Affairs website page: http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Work/Work/Skills-assessment-and-assessing-authorities

My assessment result tells me that I must complete further studies. What are my options?
You have two options:
• Complete your additional studies via the CA Foundations exams
https://www.charteredaccountantsanz.com/become-a-member/entry-requirements/chartered-accountant/recognised-qualifications
• Complete your additional studies via accredited courses offered by other higher education providers

When can I apply for a review of application?
You can only apply for a review if you have an original assessment with us. You can submit the “Australian Immigration – Application for Skills Assessment form” and “Australian Immigration - Review of skills assessment/skilled employment form” at the same time if you wish to have an additional code assessed.

Do I need my skilled employment assessed?
We recommend you to contact the Department of Home Affairs to clarify if you need a skilled employment assessment for your visa application.

Will I get points for my skills from Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand? How many points will I get for my work experience?
We do not award points for skills or work experience. The points are administered by the Department of Home Affairs.

I have worked several years as an accountant, but I do not have any formal qualifications, how will my skills be assessed?
You must have formal tertiary qualifications to be considered for the purpose of migration to Australia. If you do not have tertiary qualifications, which are assessed as comparable to at least the level of an Australian Bachelor degree, your qualifications will be assessed as not suitable for the purpose of migration under your nominated occupation. For example, if you have completed an Australian TAFE diploma only, you should not apply for a skills assessment with us.

I hold an overseas degree and are currently completing an Australian masters degree. Will my masters course be recognised for migration purposes?
We will assess your overseas undergraduate degree first to determine whether it is comparable to an Australian bachelor degree. We will then assess the individual subjects you have completed to determine coverage of our competency areas for your nominated occupation. If your overseas undergraduate degree is assessed as not being comparable to an Australian Bachelor degree you can only continue with your assessment if you complete an accredited Australian masters degree through an Australian university. In this case, the degree must consist of at least 12 semester subjects, including all the competency areas required by us.
Please note that you should only apply for an assessment when you have finished the 12 subjects, and the masters degree has been awarded to you.

Can you provide me with a list of recognised universities and degree qualifications?
We can provide you with a list of Australian universities that have accredited course/subjects only.
https://www.charteredaccountantsanz.com/about-us/what-we-do/migration-assessment/qualification-assessmentcriteria/competency-areas
In assessing the comparability of qualifications from overseas we use the guidelines published in the Country Education profiles – Department of Education and Training (formerly AEI-NOOSR). https://internationaleducation.gov.au/ServicesAnd-Resources/services-for-organisations/Pages/Services-for-organisations.aspx

I am a citizen from a country where English is the spoken language. Do I have to provide evidence of English language proficiency?
Yes. There are no exemptions for any criteria required for migration purposes. All applicants will be assessed against the same assessing criteria, including the English language requirement. This includes members of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Who can assess my skilled employment?
Your skilled employment assessment must be completed by the same assessing body who completed the assessment of your qualifications.

If I receive a not suitable skills assessment will you consider my skilled employment?
No. Your qualifications must have been assessed as suitable before we can assess any relevant skilled employment.

Will you consider experience gained pre-qualification?
No. Skilled employment is assessable only when a comparable Australian Bachelor degree (memberships of relevant organisations are taken into account) and English language proficiency for permanent residency are achieved.

How many hours do I need to work for my employment to be considered?
You must have worked a minimum of 20 paid hours per week in a role related to your nominated occupation. The 20 hours must be continuous over a period of time, not averaged out over weeks or months.

I cannot provide a reference from my employer as the business/company is no longer operating will you accept anything else?
If you are unable to provide a reference from an employer we may not be able to take that period of employment into consideration when assessing your work experience. You can provide the below information in an affidavit/ statutory declaration:
The reason/s why you cannot provide a reference and explain in detail the nature of your employment with the ceased business/company.
Also include the dates of employment/length of business
Attach supporting third party documentation such as taxation certificates, employment contracts, payslips and any other relevant information that verifies employment.
If only the statutory declaration/affidavit is received we may not be able to assess that component of experience.

I am a current member of a recognised accounting body but I also hold a Bachelor degree which is not accounting related. Do I need to submit my undergraduate degree documents?
Yes. You can submit your undergraduate degree documents if you are a current member of a recognised accounting body.
If your undergraduate degree is assessed as comparable to at least the level of an Australian Bachelor degree we can assess your skilled employment from the date you completed your degree. You will however still be required to achieve a suitable skills assessment under the ANZSCO code you have nominated.
If your degree is assessed as not comparable skilled employment will be assessed from the date of admission into the relevant membership of the
accounting body

Will you consider skilled employment that is not relevant to my nominated occupation?
No. Your employment must be closely related to your nominated occupation. To determine if an occupation is closely related to your nominated occupation and for information about occupations in the same unit group as your nominated occupation, please refer to the Australian Bureau of
Statics website.

What documents do you require if I am self-employed?
If you are self-employed please provide a statutory declaration/affidavit providing the following information:
Details of the nature of your business/company, your position, the type of work you do and how many hours a week you were employed by the business.
We will also require the following original colour scanned documents:
• Registration of business nae
• Practicing certificate
• Tax returns of first, middle and final year (if relevant) of business operation
Reference from two or more clients on letterhead, stating the work done by your business and the time period your business was employed by the referee.

Will you contact my employer?
We reserve the right to contact your employer in the course of the assessment.

Can my company send the reference directly to you?
Yes. Provide them with your reference number and our email address, and ask them to include a cover letter explaining who you are and the purpose of the reference.

Is a CV/Resume sufficient?
No. You must provide supporting evidence.

Q1: Why should I undertake the Accounting PYP Professional Year?
A: Successfully completing the Accounting PYP Professional Year will help you:
• Learn about the Australian business culture and environment
• Understand how to seek and obtain employment in the Australian job market
• Provide valuable workplace experience
• Introduce you to the benefits and advantages of networking
• Improve your confidence, communication and writing skills
• Apply what you have learnt in a real and relevant workplace environment
• Gain a competitive edge over other international graduates because of the additional skills and experience gained from the Program
• Potentially gain an extra five points towards obtaining permanent residency

Q2: Will Accounting PYP help me get a job in the Accounting profession?
A: Completing Accounting PYP will put you ahead of students who graduated from university with you by developing the employability skills Australian employers are seeking. You will gain these skills through face to face classwork and also an internship. The aim of the Program is to develop skills to make
you more employable, and there have been situations where participants have been hired by their host company after completing their internship.

Q3: Am I eligible to enrol in Accounting PYP?
A: Accounting PYP is an option for overseas students who have obtained an Australian accounting degree qualification as a result of at least two years study in Australia and hold a 485 graduate or post study stream visa. Graduates of Australian accounting degree programs have the opportunity to complete
Accounting PYP and obtain a skills assessment that can be used to apply for GSM. The Program also provides an opportunity to independently increase your English language proficiency.

Q4: What documents are required to start the enrolment process?
A: There are a number of documents you must present to the Provider:
I. A positive skills assessment from one of the Accounting Bodies (CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, IPA)
II. Your university completion letter
III. Your university academic transcript
IV. IELTS test result score of a 6.0 in each band, or the equivalent score from Pearsons, TOEFL iBIT or Cambridge Advanced English
V. Appropriate and valid visa
VI. Your passport

Q5: Do I have to have an Australian Accounting degree?
A: Yes. To be eligible to enrol in Accounting PYP, you must have an accounting degree that you have obtained as a result of at least two years study in Australia. The primary aim of the Program is to develop employability skills of international graduates from Australian universities.

Q6: Can I complete the Program in less than 44 weeks?
A: No. The duration of the Program has been determined by the Dept Home Affairs (formerly DIBP). Professional Year programs that run less than this do not meet the guidelines.

Q7: Can I take leave from the Program?
A: It depends on how long the leave is. Any breaks taken may result in delaying your graduation. Please check with your Provider during the enrolment process when your graduation will be so that you can ensure you’re able to complete the Program.

Q8: What is the attendance requirement for the Program?
A: Participants are required to attend 100% of classes. Failure to attend classes may result in you being required to complete the subject again and your graduation being delayed.

Q9: Which Accounting PYP Provider should I choose?
A: It is up to you to decide which Provider will be a good fit for you. Some things to consider when choosing a Provider are:
I. The range of host employers offered for your internship
II. Reputation of the Provider
III. Additional Programs on offer e.g. English language; Accounting packages
IV. Recommendations from students and recent graduates
V. Employment outcomes of recent graduates
VI. What support can they offer you
VII.Cost of the Program

Q10: Can I complete my classwork from home?
A: No. There may be some research, essays etc that you will be asked to complete outside of the classroom, but the majority of work must be completed within the classroom as the purpose of the Program is for participants to learn and interact in a face to face situation.

Q11: Do you recognise prior learning?
A: No. There is no allowance for recognition of prior learning

Q12: Can I enrol in a PY Program while completing my Bachelors/Master degree?
A: No. Concurrent study is not allowed. If you are on a student visa it is a breach of the conditions of this visa to undertake a Professional Year Program while completing the initial course of study that the visa was granted for. The Accounting PYP Program is considered a full time course and completing two
courses of study simultaneously can devalue one or both courses.

Q13: Does my agent receive any money from the PYP Provider for helping me enrol in the Program?
A: Yes. Under the terms of the agreement that every Accounting PYP Provider has agreed to, the Provider must not pay more than 15% of the course fee to an agent for referring a student. Commission payments to agents which exceed the 15% cap is a breach of agreed terms, and places the Provider at risk of
having their right to deliver the Program revoked.

Q14: I have concerns/complaints about my Accounting PYP Provider – who can I contact?
I. If you have concerns or a complaint about your trainer or the content of the course you should speak with a senior person within the organisation.
II. If you have concerns or a complaint about the quality of your internship you should speak to the internship officer or a senior staff member
at your Provider.
III. If you have concerns or a complaint about the overall quality of the Program or your treatment during the course by your Provider you may email:
info@Accounting PYP.org.au.
IV. If you have concerns or a complaint about the behaviour of your migration agent please contact the Office of the Migration Agents Registration

Q15: Do I need to disclose reasons why I may not be able to complete the course in the time allocated?
A: Yes. If for any reason you think you may not be able to graduate with your cohort, or you become aware of circumstances that may prevent you from graduating while studying the course you must inform your Provider as soon as possible and make alternative arrangements with them.

Q16: Can I complete my internship either before the classwork or whilst I’m attending classes?
A: No. You must complete the classwork prior to doing the internship. The Program is designed to provide participants with the skills and understanding of how to behave in the Australian workplace, and what is expected of them by an employer so that they may get the most out of the internship and have the best chance of securing full time work once graduated.

Q17: Do I have to source my own internship?
A: No. Your Provider will arrange an internship for you with a suitable host employer. However if you are already employed in a relevant accounting role your Provider and the host employer may agree for you to continue your internship with them. The appropriate checks and site visits must be conducted by your Provider before approval can be granted. In some cases participants may source their own internship, but the Provider must approve the company and tasks that you’ll be completing.