Australian Computer Society (ACS) Process & Charges

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) will only assess your application if your educational qualifications and work experience are closely related to the nominated occupation for registration.

The process begins with your education being assessed and determines its AQF comparability according to Australian educational standards.

After the AQF comparability, your courses are divided into parts, which are individually assessed to determine their relevance to the ACT ICT professional units.

This assessment will determine if your profile falls under the Major, Minor or non-relevant category.

The third part of the process involves assessing the ICT units to determine the relevance of your profiles against the AZNSCO immigration code.

Once the assessments of your qualifications are done, you will get a clear picture of how much work experience you need to meet the suitability criteria.

The Applicant Process for ACS

Before beginning the application process, you should understand the visa requirements set by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. If you are not applying for the Visa on your own but hiring a MARA agent, you need to get familiar with the services they provide for successful application processing.

You need to verify that your educational qualifications and work experience are closely aligned with the ZSCO code. You can use the ANZSCO code information document to check your verification. The ANZSCO code information document includes course unit descriptions and employment duties that ACS uses to assess against the nominated occupation.

Once you are done with the verifications above, you can go forward to submitting your documents online in PDF format. There are certain things you need to keep in mind before submitting the documents.

• You need to consolidate all pages of your documents into a single PDF file. The PDF file should contain proofs of your educational qualifications and work experience.
• The documents you scan should be scanned at low resolution and not exceeding the 200 DPI mark.
• The maximum file size for a single PDF upload is 3 MB.
• Lastly, your PDF file should not be password protected, nor should it be assigned the Read-Only property.

After a successful evaluation, the ACS will issue a result letter to you via email in PDF format. You can go forward to submit your file to DIBP as evidence of your ICT skills assessment.

Choosing Migration Agents for ACS

When you are not aware of the process of immigration and skills assessment, you might want to consider hiring a migration agent. A migration agent can ease your trouble and will take the responsibility of filing your ACT assessment.

You can hire a migration agent, who can submit your ICT skills assessment on your behalf. Now it comes down to you if you want to hire an agent or submit the documents on your own.

Meet your Suitability Criteria for ACS

You need to be aware of how genuine your documents are before submitting them online to initiate the assessment by ACS.

Mentioned below is a table that describes the suitability requirements for ACS.

Criteria	Requirement	Required Year of Experience	Deductions
Temporary Graduate – 485 Skills Assessment	Post-Australian Study Skills Assessment	0	Australian Bachelor’s degree or higher with a major in ICT
2 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)	Bachelor’s Degree or Higher with an ICT Major	1 year of relevant work experience OR Completion of an ACS Professional Year Program	0
2 years of relevant work experience within the past 10 years	If you hold less than 6 years of relevant work experience in your recent 10 years of employment, then you need to have a total of 4 years of relevant work experience in major ICT in your total employment	2 Years	Bachelor’s Degree or Higher with an ICT Major
4 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the relevant experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)	5 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)	4 Years	Bachelor’s Degree or Higher with an ICT Minor
5 years of relevant work experience within the past 10 years	6 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the relevant experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)	5 Years	Bachelor’s Degree or Higher with an ICT Minor
5 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)	5 years of relevant work experience within the past 10 years	6 Years	8 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the relevant experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)
Diploma and Vendor Certification	If you hold less than 6 years of relevant work experience in your recent 10 years of employment, then you need to have a total of 4 years of relevant work experience in major ICT in your total employment	5 Years	6 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the relevant experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)
Diploma and Vendor Certification	6 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the relevant experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)	6 Years	Non-ICT Diploma or Higher
8 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the relevant experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)	6 Years of relevant work experience and a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) application	6 Years	8 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the the relevant experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)
No Tertiary Educational Qualifications	8 Years of relevant work experience and a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) application	8 Years	8 Years of deduction and you can claim points for the rest of the relevant experience (closely related to your nominated occupation)

Skill Level Requirement Met Date

ACS calculates the skill level requirement met date after assessing the candidate’s qualification and work experience. Once the ACS assigns the date when the skill level requirement is met for a candidate, any experience gathered after that date would be considered skilled employment.

The skill level meeting date depends on both relevant work qualifications and qualifications.

Applications Assessed by ACS

There are four types of applications that ACS assesses, as given below:

1. Temporary Graduate – 485 Skills Assessment
2. Post-Australian Study Skills Assessment
3. Skills Assessment
4. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Temporary Graduate – 485 Skills Assessment

This assessment is for graduates who have completed an Australian Bachelor’s degree and are looking to apply for the 485 Visa.

Post-Australian Study Skills Assessment

The Post-Australian study skills assessment is a program for graduates who hold an Australian bachelor’s degree and are now migrating. The candidate will require relevant ICT employment experience or completion of an ACS Professional Year program.

Skills Assessment for ACS

This program assesses applications from tertiary qualifications and work experience relevant to the ICT sector.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The RPL application is for candidates who do not possess sufficient ICT skills or those with no tertiary qualifications.

The candidate will need to provide 6 years of work experience closely related to ICT standards. If the candidate does not possess work experience related to ICT standards or has no qualifications at all, they will need to have 8 years of work experience.

Along with the submission of the RPL report, the candidate is also required to submit two project report proofs.

The Recognition of Prior Learning should be written and submitted by you and not by any other person, paid writing business or editing agency.

If the RPL does not prove to be yours, it will be considered an unsuitable assessment and noted as fraudulent activity by DIBP.

Uploading Documents Online

A candidate’s ICT skills assessment will be based on the documents they submit with their online application form.

Before applying to the online application, you should make sure that all your qualifications and employment documents are ready. This means that all your documents must meet ACS requirements to enable a comprehensive assessment by ACS.

Misleading or false information submitted to the online application will be considered fake and will be reported to DIBP.

How to prepare your documents before uploading them into the online application form

1. You should use the proper format and size of your paper documents that you need to submit in the online application.
2. Create scan copies of your original documents.
3. Get your copied documents notarised by an authorized person.
4. Scan your documents and convert them into a PDF file, and resize less than 3 MB before submitting your application form.
5. Upload your PDF converted files into the application form.

Documents Required

1. Birth certificate or Passport.
2. Degree or award transcript.
3. Employment references.
4. If you apply for the RPL report, you will need to submit an ACS RPL form.

You will need to provide a Bachelor’s and a master’s degree & Certificate

Check Your Application Status

After submitting your application in the online application form, you will receive an email at your registered email address consisting of your application reference number and password instructions. This can be used to check the status of your application.

Getting Documents Notarised by an Authorized Officer

The documents to be submitted in the ACS online application are authorized by a certifying notary authority that cross-checks the records and, if actual, signs a copy of the document. This indicates that your documents are genuine and authentic.

The certified copy of the document should consist of:

• The copy of the papers should include the words Certified True Copy of the Original.
• The signature of the certified person is required on the document.
• The date and name should be included with the document.
• The registered number and the title of the certified person should be mentioned.
• The certified details should be clear and legible.

How to certify documents within Australia

• A registered migration agent can certify your documents. A registered migration agent can be a justice of the peace or a bail justice.
• An Australian lawyer who is a member of the police force is recognised as a notary authorised.
• A sheriff or a deputy sheriff can certify recognized persons.
• A senior officer of a council who is a medical practitioner can certify your documents.
• A dentist, a veterinary practitioner or a pharmacist can certify your documents.
• A principal in a teaching service or a minister authorized to perform marriages can certify your documents.
• A member or former authorized representative of the House of Parliament or the Commonwealth can certify your documents.

How to get your documents certified outside of an authorized

An authorized authority in the country to certify documents. Legal consultants and authorized individuals can provide you with information regarding the certification of your documents outside Australia.

Translation of Documents

All documents that are not in English must be translated. Both the original copy and the translated copy should be signed and certified by an authorized authority.

Conducting Translation of Documents within Australia

The authorizedccreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) can translate documents in Australia.

Conducting Translation of Documents outside of Australia

Translation of documents outside Australia can be done by:

• A Ministry of Justice or equivalent from where the qualification was obtained
• The Australian Education International Section (AEIS) is at an Australian Diplomatic Mission.
• An Australian High Commission, consulate or embassy
• Any private or commercial translator
• The documents of the awarding institution

Translation conducted overseas must be on the organization’s letterhead and include the translator’s name, signature, and telephone number, which should be printed on the document.

It should be easier for ACS to contact the respective translator in case of any query.

Qualifications

The qualifications acquired both in Australia and overseas are assessed through general and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)- type skills assessments. Temporary Graduate – 485 and the Post Australian Study type skills assessments require an Australian qualification to meet the suitability criteria.

Assessment of ICT Content in Tertiary Qualifications

Qualifications are assessed in terms of either having an ICT major or a minor. Any ICT content that is less than an ICT minor is considered a non-relevant ICT qualification.

ICT Major Criteria

Any diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree must meet at least 50% ICT content.

A diploma, advanced diploma, or an associate degree that does not meet 50% ICT content is assessed as a non-ICT qualification.

Abachelor’ss degree must have the following relevance to be considered eligible for ICT content:

• 33% ICT content for a 3-year course.
• 25% ICT content for a 4-year course.
• 20% ICT content for a 5-year course.

The ICT content should be presented in a progressive order, with the final year at an advanced professional level.

ICT Minor Criteria

Qualifications with ICT content that are at two-thirds of the requirement for the major are considered an ICT Minor.

Non-Relevant ICT Content

All qualifications that do not meet the ICT minor are considered ICT non-relevant content.

ANZSCO ICT Content

All educational content should meet 65% of the ICT content to meet the ANZSCO ICT Content suitability criteria.

Statement of Marks

Statements of marks for all qualifications pursued should be hierarchical, and legends should be mentioned along with the statements of marks for better clarification and understanding. Qualification

ComQualificationication but did not receive a degree

In case a candidate has completed their education but has not yet received their degree, they can still apply. The candidate will need to provide an official document that confirms completion of all requirements and eligibility for the degree.

Vendor Certifications

The following vendor certificates are accepted by ACS, which is comparable to the graduate outcome of an ICT Major.

Microsoft Certification

Certifications should be valid at the time of submission in the ACS application. If the certification is no longer listed in Microsoft’s legacy, ACS cannot assess it.

The list of acceptable certifications is as follows:

• Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert – All certifications.
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer – All certifications.

Cisco Certification

ACS accepts Cisco certifications, but all eligible Cisco certificates should be valid at the time of submission.

The lists of acceptable Cisco certifications are as follows:

• Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) – All tracks
• Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP)
• Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP)
• Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP)
• Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional (CCIP)

Cisco Expert:

• Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) – All tracks
• Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE)

Cisco Architect

• Cisco Certified Architect

Employment Requirements for ACA candidates

Acandidate’ss work experience should be at a professional ICT level and should align with the nominated occupation list to be assessed by the ACS.

Employment completed after the skill assessment date will only be counted as Skilled Employment. Work experience before the skill assessment meeting date will not be considered.

When applying for the AAN CS assessment, 65% of the job duties performed should closely match the nominated occupation list (ANZSCO).

Employment References

Each Employment reference must contain:

• The start and finish dates of the employment. This should be mentioned in a DD/MM/YY format.
• The reference should contain the roles and duties performed during the employment. This will be used to evaluate the relevance of work experience to the nominated occupation.
• Number of hours worked, which can be full-time or part-time. A minimum of 20 hours of work per week is required.
• The reference should mention the country where the employment was undertaken.
• The reference should be written on the company’s letterhead and should be signed by the author.
• The reference should be certified as a valid authorized person.

Full-time work will only be considered if the candidate completes 20 hours of working time per week. Any working time less than 20 hours per week will not be assessed by ACS.

The references submitted to ACS must contain specific information from the employer about the roles and duties performed by the candidate during their employment with the employer. References that fail to provide a clear picture of the details will be assessed as not suitable.

The reference letter should state the country in which the candidate was employed. The candidate has held multiple series of employment;; e reference letter should include all series, along with the start and end dates of their employment.

A generic job description mentioned in the reference letter will not be assessed. Clear and detailed information about the jobs and duties performed should be stated in the reference letter.

The candidate’s employer should sign the reference letter or be authorised to do so on their behalf. The name, signature, and contact number of the person authorized to sign the reference letter for the candidate should be included.

Mentioned below are the reference letter formats that are not acceptable:

• If the referee shows an unclear relationship with the applicant.
• Reference letter written on plain paper with a business card attached.
• Reference letter written on plain paper by an authorized notary authority, but does not contain the signature of the referee.

A much clearer picture of the same can be had from the image below:

 

TO WHOM SO EVER IT MAY CONCERN

 

This is to certify that Mr./Mrs. XXXXXX is currently an employee of HCL Infosystems Ltd. and is employed with us since 17^th Sep, 2013.

Mr./Mrs. XXXXXX has been employed with us on a full time basis as a Senior Project Manager at the NOIDA (E-4,5,6 Sector-11) location.

Project Manager	Sep 2013 – Sep 2016	Noida
Senior Project Manager	Oct-2016 – Till today	Noida

He has been performing the below duties:

• Acts as Delivery Manager for the entire PORTAL and BUSINESS TRACK in the project to interact proactively with client’s representatives and vendors alliance personnel associated with the project.
• Display exceptional understanding and effective use of project management disciplines.
• Conduct and participate in project scoping discussions.
• Create Statement of Work, Project Plan and Resource work plan
• Create Weekly Status reports including updates to milestones, budgets, action items and resource schedule
• Develop and maintain Revenue Forecasts. Ensure enablement of complete client invoicing.
• Present budget forecasting analysis to client management.
• Provide day to day support for technology related matters related to infrastructure requirements and infra dependent client applications to ensure end product integrates smoothly into client’s environment.
• Prioritize clients requirements and align development resources according the technology and business drivers
• Coordinate the efforts of support teams during escalations to ensure applications bugs and issues are resolved quickly
• Facilitate conversations between Client and Development/Performance teams in recommending upgrades, enhancements and system tweaks
• Partner with Technical teams to recommend and convince client leadership to adopt technological changes in order to support business objectives better
• Follow the Change management process as agreed between client and company
• Promptly escalate any risks and issues, to internal and external stakeholders, so that appropriate corrective/preventive actions can be taken

Note: With a relevant stamp and signature by a verified notarization officer.

Notarization Declarations and Affidavit for ACS

If the employee fails to arrange a reference letter from their employer, they can ask a manager or work colleague to write a third-party reference letter.

A statutory declaration or affidavit is a legally written document signed by an authorized notary officer.

Selected Authorized Applicants Applying for ACS

Self-employment occurs when an applicant operates their own business, either individually or in partnership.

Self-employed applicants can submit their formal statutory documents or affidavits that contain:

• Beginning and ending dates of the self-employment.
• The occupation of the employment and the capacity of the same.
• Nature of the work.
• Number of staff employed and their occupations, if applicable.

Documents to be included:

• Business registration certificates covering all periods of self-employment.
• A letterhead from the candidate’s accountant or legal representative mentioning the name of the company and the nature of the work.
• Client statements mentioning the details of work performed.

Application Information

Priority Request

The priority request is for the Visa declaration deadline, which is less than 12 weeks from the date of application.

The proof of visa deadline must be uploaded in a PDF format to have the request approved.

Examples of PDF scanned documents that can be used as proof of evidence:

• Passport Visa stamp showing the deadline date.
• Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) webpage shows the visa expiry date.
• DIBP email notification showing the grant of a Visa.

Application Status

After completing the Online Assessment, the candidate will receive an email at their registered email address with instructions on how to access the ACS website. The progress of the application can be tracked by using the online application status of ACS.

Application Processing Time

It takes approximately 6-8 weeks to complete the ACS Skills Assessment.

All documents are processed much quickly. Generally, it takes about 6-8 weeks to process the applications.

Payment Methods

The accepted payment modes are as follows:

• Visa
• MasterCard
• American Express

Additional Fees

There are eight episodes per application to be assessed. The first eight episodes incur no extra charges, but any assessment after the eight episodes will be 50 AUD.

Refundsand Withdrawals

Payments cannot be refunded after preliminary work or assessment has commenced.

Review Application

A candidate can request a review of his application if he is not satisfied with the outcome of the skilled assessment result. During this process, the candidate can change their nominated occupation or include additional work experience or qualifications to update the results.

The review process of the documents involves reassessment of the entire document, including any additional work experience or qualifications. The reassessment is conducted by a senior Skills assessor with a focus on the unsatisfactory comments or reasons made by the candidate.

A review application can only be submitted within 60 days of receiving the skills assessment result letter. After the 60 days, a new application is to be submitted.

Reasons to Review the Application

• To be assessed under a different ANZSCO code.
• If the applicant wishes to submit additional documents to update the results.
• To re-evaluate your ACS Skills assessment results, please.

Review Details

• A review fee of 395$ AUD is charged upon reviewing the documents.
• The candidate is requested to upload additional documents for review of the application.
• A review cannot be completed if the result has already been migrated.

Appeal Application

A candidate can appeal against ACS if they believe that the review is incorrect and ACS has made a mistake. The candidate will need to pay the review fee, and if the review results positively, the candidate’s appeal money will be refunded.