ACS Skills Assessment

[elkitos]

I wonder if anyone can offer advice or help regarding my situation. I'm about to send off a PASA to the ACS and am slightly concerned as to the level of detail required.

So here it goes: I have a Bachelor's degree with a Computing major as well as an MBA with a Business Intelligence specialisation. In total I have more than 12 years IT experience with roles ranging from Analyst Developer to currently a Development Manager. In my assessment application I will be attaching six years worth of official employer's references plus the latest performance assessment from my current emloyment (I don't want to risk compromising my position just yet).

Now here's my dilema - from March 1998 till December 2000 I worked for Safeway as a contractor through an Irish mangement company which ceased to exist. In the meantime Safeway was acquired by Morrisons and I have lost contact with all former colleagues except for two who are both currently contracting in Belgium, one of which is willing to help me out with a so called 'colleague recommendation'. I will also be attaching what the ACS call a 'Statutory Declaration'. Do you think that a two page declaration plus my former colleagues recommendation will be considered sufficient? The ACS website mentions pay slips and other relevant information that demonstrates employment - do they really expect people to keep holding on to 10 year old pay slips?

Do you think the following submissions would be sufficient to 'guarantee' me success:

- Bachelors degree with a major in Computing
- MBA with a Business Intelligence specialisation
- Six years of official employer's references
- A statutory declaration plus colleague recommendation covering another 3 years of employment history
- My latest (outstanding) official performance review

I have to get it right the 1st time as I can't afford any delays if the ACS request further information - this is due to having an 8th July submission deadline as I turn 35 and thus am risking loosing 5 points for being too old :-). Otherwise that means that I have to prove that one of my (previous programming) skills is on the MODL.

Thanks for all your replies.

[cantwait]

Hi
My OH had his assessment back last week and it was positive so we were really relieved. We only sent a colleague reference because like you, we dont want his employers to know yet. It sounds like you are sending all you need to. We never sent any pay slips in with OH's assessment. So long as your assessment goes into the relevant details you should be ok. They did ask us to re-do the reference letter though. We had put the start month and year, but they wanted the exact date. Other than that, they never asked for anything else. OH had to do the RPL as he has no degree. He spent about 50 hours on it in total. We got results back in about 8 weeks. Maybe he waffled so much they didnt read it all and thats why it was so quick!! Perhaps he bored his assessor to death!! LOL!! Good luck

[gpo1971]

Your ACS skills assessment has some parallels with mine, which was successful.
I don't have a degree (I applied on a RPL - Recognition of Prior Learning i.e. experience) but have 10+ years of IT experience including 7 in my current role as a Business Analyst. A company that I worked for late 90's no longer exists (went into receivership) so I covered this period with statutory declarations from former colleagues. This was deemed satisfactory.
Your qualifications and experience sound more than enough, they're certainly more wide-ranging and impressive than mine. My skills assessment was OKd in less than 3 weeks at the start of this year.
Don't worry, you'll walk it.

All the best.

Garry

[elkitos]

Thanks for the insights! I already feel much more confident!

[deedee]

Im in IT Currently with my own business. I dont tun over enough to qualify for the self employed business visa. ( I don't really want that any ways as its for 4 years and not permanant) I'm self taught and self employed and have a succesful business of 10 years.
I can get client tetimonials of course.

Anyone who has an advice on how to do this would be a godsend. If you've passed a skills assesment with the Australian Computer Society please feel free to give some advice :)

It's all a bit scary if you haven't been through it.
Once you have this and pass- are you able to get in and live anywhere- or do you also need state sponsorship too?

I've just cancelled with the agent I tried as it turned out they knew less info than I could find myself on-line and were in fact telling me to go for the self emploed 163 visa- which I found out myself- my business doesn't turn over enough to use that route.:)

So I think that this will be the correct route instead.

So any info from a person who has passed the assesment would be a godsend right now.


Thanks

[jogrant3232]

Hi Eliktos, Just do a statutory Declaration, even if you have all the relevant info it wont hurt to include one, my solicitor did not charge me any more money for doing it either.. Good luck

[elkitos]

Deedee from what I have read if you don't have an IT based degree than your best guarantee to a successful ACS assessment is to provide as much detail about the projects, roles fulfilled and technolgies you worked on. I read somewhere, someone submitted an 80 page declaration for a 20 year career ... and was successful.

Goodluck

[elkitos]

Sorry deedee just to avoid confusion - when I said declaration I meant an RPL submisson.

[robertsmith123]

Hello Guys! Pls help! I just need a draft of Statutory Declaration for my Skills
Assessment at ACS.I already provide all the documents and employment certification but they need my Self Statutory Declaration.i tried finding a google a template but mostly
they are paid websites.That you must pay before you can have a a draft.
I only need a Skills Statutory Declaration for ACS IT assessment.Im a Techical Support in the field of Server Administration.Pls help because my result will might release soon I only need this template i am not good in letter writing.thanks!

Pls help!If you have any links or e-mail me some draft files of pdf files.

Thanks guys!!

[Scamp1976]

for statutory declaration sample look for Form 888 on google immi site