Engineers Australia Assessment Criteria for Skilled Migration

Engineers Australia is the designated immigration assessing body for immigration occupations as listed by DIBP. Here in this article, you should be able to understand how Engineers Australia assesses different engineering occupations and applications.

Occupational Categories in Engineering for Engineers Australia

The Engineers Australia recognizes three engineering occupations in Australia. They are as follows:

• Professional Engineer
• Engineering Technologist
• Engineering Associate
• Engineering Manager

Professional Engineer

For professional engineers, the required qualification is an Australian 4-year bachelor degree in engineering at a University and 12 years of schooling or equivalent.

The roles and responsibilities of a Professional Engineer

• A professional engineer focuses on overall systems
• He takes environmental, community and social issues into account while pursuing engineering opportunities
• He applies systematic approaches to management processes
• A professional engineer is able to apply engineering synthesis and design process.
• Applies best engineering methods against complex engineering problems
• A professional engineer takes up leadership and applies management skills

Engineer Technologist

To be an Engineer Technologist, a 3-year Australian bachelor’s degree in engineering plus 12 years of schooling or equivalent is required.

The roles and responsibility of an Engineer Technologist include:

• Focusing on interactions within the system
• Applying engineering methods, techniques, tools and resources within the technology domain
• Advancing the engineering technology

Engineering Associate

An Engineering Associate needs to possess 2 years of advanced diploma or associate degree in engineering following 12 years of schooling or equivalent.

The roles and responsibility of an Engineering Associate include:

• Focusing on specific elements of the system
• Providing established practices and procedures
• Providing technical support to construction managers and engineering professionals in design, research, manufacture, assembly, construction, maintenance and operation of machines and equipment, facilities, distribution systems and installation
• Provides assistance in resource estimation and site inspection
• Preparing, interpreting, inspecting and revising drawings, planning, drawing diagrams, designing, creating maps and charts

Engineering Manager

The required academic qualification for being an Engineer Manager requires a candidate to have a bachelor’s degree in Engineering or higher following 12 years of schooling or equivalent.

The roles and responsibilities of an Engineering Manager include:

• Formulating engineering strategies, policies, plans and direction
• Administration and reviewing engineering operations for an organization

Engineering Manager is not an engineering occupation but belongs to managing occupation under ANZSCO group.

English Proficiency Requirement for Engineers Australia

Applicants applying wishing to get their skills assessed by Engineers Australia should meet the English skills level requirement. Applicants can prove their English language proficiency by facing any of the English competency tests:

• IELTS: Engineers Australia accepts both General and Academic versions of IELTS test.
• TOEFL: the Engineers Australia also accepts the TOEFL iBT test.
• PTE Academic: the Pearson’s Test of English test will be accepted by Engineer’s Australia from 1^st of November 2017.

Apply Online in Engineers Australia

In order to apply your application online, an EA ID is compulsory. Your EA ID is the same as your CID number of your membership number. If you already have an EA ID number, CID or membership number, you are to register yourself for a new password in myPortal.

Before making any payments, you should ensure that billing address in myPortal is current so that you are charged the right amount.

You can now log on to Engineers Australia’s online services and select Migration Skills Assessment. You are now able to start, save, resume and submit your application.

After submitting your application, an email will be sent to your registered email address confirming your EA ID and application number. Once the payment is processed, your application will be placed in a processing queue. If a credit card is used for payment, payment will be processed instantly.

The documents that you submit for processing should be scanned color copies with minimum 300 dpi.

If documents are not in English, you must get your non-English documents translated in English by an authorized translator. You are to submit both your original scan copies and the translated copies of your documents.

Using a Migration Agent

If you take help from a migration agent, you will need to provide your EA ID/CID/membership number to him. If you do not have any of the numbers, your migration agent will help in creating one for you. Your migration agent will then initiate the process on your behalf.

Fees and Payment

Following are the acceptable methods of payments:

• Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express)
• BPAY – if you made a BPAY, you will have to provide the invoice for the BPAY details (Biller code and reference number).

Candidate can request for alternate payment methods also.

The assessment fee cannot be refunded.

Good and Services Tax (GST):

• Applicants living in Australia will have to pay a GST of 10% on the application fee.
• Applicants living outside Australia are not required to pay any GST.

The Process of Assessment

After submitting your application in Engineers Australia, you can check the status of your application by logging in any time.

In case, your application assessor requires further information about your application, you will receive a notification on your registered email address. You will then have to login into myPortal of Engineers Australia and submit additional documentation.

The turnaround time of your application will depend upon the number of applications that Engineers Australia receives for assessment. If you contact Engineers Australia, asking for an update of your application, it may delay your application processing time.

The outcome of your Assessment

Once the assessment is deemed successful, an assessment outcome letter that is suitable for migration purposes will be sent to your email address.

If an assessment outcome letter cannot be sent through email, it will be sent by ordinary post. Extra fee may be charged for this service.

Also remember, the assessment outcome comes with no expiry date. In case, DIBP requires an update of the assessment report, it is advised that you consult Engineers Australia for instructions.

Appealing for an Assessment Outcome

There are two options where you can appeal for an assessment review:

1. You can apply for an Informal Review. The appeal for informal review must be made within 3 months of the date of the original assessment outcome date. To appeal using the Informal Review, you must submit an application form named Application for Informal Review of Assessment Outcome and then pay the review fee. You cannot provide any additional information during the Informal Review. If not satisfactory, you can go ahead to apply for Formal Review.
2. You can apply for a Formal Review. The Formal Review must be made within 6 months of date of the original assessment outcome date. You will need to pay an additional fee for Formal Review. The outcome of the Formal Review is FINAL and no more reviews for the same will be done.

The Informal Review takes up to 8 weeks and the Formal Review can take up to 3 months.

The review fee can be refunded if the review favors the applicant and the applicant provided no additional information.

Ethical Standards

Information provided to Engineers Australia by you can be cross-verified by Australian Government. If any information is found misleading or false, it will be reported to DIBP.

Applicants found guilty of breaching Engineers Australia ethical standard will be banned from applying for a skills assessment with Engineers Australia for 12 months.