Lizzywills

Thanks all for the update and info, as far as I know an EOI can be updated whilst it's still in the 'pool' waiting to be selected. So let's see what happens....!!

Interested to know also, although our EOI only went in late last week so prob missed the cut off for this one!

An update from our agent....seems underclaiming in case of doubt is preferable... Seeing as we meet 60 points anyway...if no invite on this basis then it will be amended to 65!

Hi all So I heard from our agent last night our EOI had gone in...Hurrah...then an email this morning saying they've claimed the required 60 points but if we can prove hubby's ACCA 'educational procedure' then we can claim 5 more, sending me a PDF showing that ACCA is equivalent AQF Bachelors Degree?? They already have a full ACCA transcript, ACCA and FCCA membership certificates, positive skills assessment letter from CPA....IELTS certificates...what else is there?!! Now I'm not a migration agent but I'd already calculated our points at 65. It appears they've claimed only 60 points, as they've decided ACCA is only worth 10 points! I don't understand why - our skills assessment letter from CPA states in writing it is comparable to an Australian Bachelors Degree. Every ACCA I've ever found on these forums claimed 15 points with no issue. I don't want this to delay a visa invite...!! Aaaargh!! They said it's 'up to us' if we want to claim the extra 5 points but overclaiming points is never a good idea (DOH of course not). I appreciate their cautiousness if they're not sure as I know it's case officers who decide on points allocation but still....so frustrated! I'm sure ACCA is worth 15 points!!!

We originally were going with TEG (UK-based, good reputation?) until they advised us to use George Lombard instead because of medical issues re our visas.....they held their hands up and said they had no experience with our particular issue and that George was the best of the best for this reason...so we went with him instead. And I'm very very happy that we did! George is excellent, we have complete faith that we have the best support for our particular needs. Worth every penny.

Here's a link with free practice tests (these are the ones we practised on for the Academic test, but General tests are here too) If you just want to claim points, then the General test will be ok for you to do for emigration purposes unless you're undergoing a skills assessment with a specific professional body, in many cases they require you to have reached a certain level in the Academic test in order to assess you. The two are very different, Academic is harder than General. http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/free-practice-tests

This may help you - see page 46 I think - guidelines for specific conditions. Diabetes is A Grade unless evidence of end organ damage.... http://www.immi.gov.au/gateways/panel_doctors/conducting_medicals/instructions/panel-doctors-instructions.pdf

I can recommend George Lombard, he's Sydney based and is handling our application for a 189. Fees vary but I can tell you he was cheaper than what MARA agents wanted here in the UK!

I am certain my hubby and I have done this by ourselves but we decided to use an agent for 2 reasons: 1) We concluded that when you're already spending ££££ anyway to get to Oz, a few more ££ on an agent to make sure your application is as water-tight as it can be is worth it in our eyes 2) My hubby has an eye condition which means that his medical may not be as 'straightforward' as others...and so we wanted the 'best of the best' to ensure we had as much advice as possible on what to present to DIAC....hence we went to George Lombard in Sydney, who incidentally is not only a MARA registered agent but also an immigration lawyer highly skilled in appeals and visas when there's medical issues and knows immigration rules and laws inside out. We originally were going to use The Emigration Group in Chester, but even they had heard of George and advised us to go to him because of the medical issue. Knowing we have real, Oz-based expert help when there is so much at stake (there's not just us but our 3 children) is a huge relief and we now don't anticipate there being any issue, even though there may be a few bumps in our road. We know we have the best help. George is ethical, if he feels you can go it alone, and your application is straightforward, I am certain he would tell you you don't need him.

It's such a shame the CPA don't do an 'express' option like the ICAA!!! I wish they did...

Hi everyone My hubby is ACCA too (no degree either!! ) we'll be applying soon for a 189...our agent is submitting our docs to the CPA for assessment next week, can anyone give me an indication how long they take? I am thinking about 4 weeks. So it'll be end Feb til we get a positive result from them....then maybe an invite if we're lucky in either of the two March rounds if we can submit our EOI ASAP. Thanks guys

We will be going to the Bridgewater too when the time is right, glad to hear it's nice and relaxed considering we have a 2, 5 (soon to be 6) and 8 year old!!!

Oh and our Dyson Hoover - I guess we'd have to make sure that was spotless inside!!!

Hi all Not ready to pack up yet (not even had our visa yet!) but casting an eye around our home, there are some things which have caught my eye, namely: a large stripped pine wooden dining table with matching chairs (they have straw-type seats); reindeer hide (commercially bought from Nordic Outdoor) and sheepskin rugs, again all commercially bought Would any of these cause an issue?? Just curious....!! TIA

We are going to be applying for a 189 without a job. Everyone we spoke to who specialises in recruiting in my hubby's industry basically said 'get the visa and then call us before you leave the UK' - in a nutshell it seems many employers (tho not all) will only consider you for a role when you've actually got the right to live/work in Oz for obvious reasons. So we will secure our visas, and then do some calling around before we actually leave to set up interviews/etc.

You may find this page on the IELTS page useful, it explains how they score etc : http://www.ielts.org/researchers/score_processing_and_reporting.aspx

Hi, my hubby just did IELTS in Dec (Academic) and he scored above an 8 (see signature) From what I can gather, general IELTS is the same as Academic when it comes to listening and speaking, it's only the writing and reading parts which differ. The texts in the general test as I understand it are easier to digest when it comes to Reading. All he did to practice was download the free practice papers off the IELTS website, and then sit and actually do them. Half a point literally means you probably got maybe one question too many wrong - so you were actually really close to the 8. I wouldn't worry about the General reading part when you re do, you will find it easier than Academic. Good luck.

Well the IELTS results out just now have answered our dilemma - we are going for a 189 now instead of 190 NSW SS as we've achieved the additional points for superior english by scoring min 8 in all 4 components. He scored 8.5 for listening; 8.5 for writing; 9 for speaking and 9 for reading. So we don't need the 5 points from NSW SS as we have 65 now. What a relief! Let's hope everything is processed before any further SOL changes in July....CPA skills assessment next!! Small steps at a time....

Thanks Alan!! It's just typical really....we decide where we'd like to be and then it closes early!! Hopefully we will get 8s and above and can just go for a 189. If we can we will be applying asap way before 1 July 2014 just in case there's any further changes to the SOL 2014/2015 re. Accountant General...it is still a flagged occupation and it being removed altogether doesn't bear thinking about....Happy New Year to you!

Oh no We have just completed IELTS (waiting for results) and we were planning to apply for NSW SS in the next couple of months as that is where we want to live. Guess we may now apply for a 189 instead...but given processing times will have to see which is worth going for. We are waiting for the IELTS results to come out on 2 Jan as this will dictate what we do based on whether we get 7s or 8s. (and whether SS is needed for the extra points)..hugely frustrating!!! Thanks for posting this info, wouldn't have spotted this otherwise. Have notified our agent too...

Thanks Alan, useful to know!

Hi all George has replied with more than enough reassuring info: in a nutshell it's all good! As hubby has followed a defined career path and advanced as you would expect from someone with 16 years plus post qualification work, (from accountant to group FC) DIAC take this into account, points should be awarded etc as planned. It doesn't look like we need employment assessment either from CPA - just skills. Phew. What a relief. Thanks to everyone who took the time to get in touch!

Thanks Diana for your reply! I'm waiting to see what George says but both you and Rupert have been very helpful. It appears from what I've been told that DIAC will not need a skilled employment assessment from CPA to award us the max 15 points for this category; work testimonials etc will suffice..my hubby has 16 years PQE following ACCA (he's also an FCCA) so more than enough relevant employment although DIAC/CPA only want 8 years skilled employment confirmed..I'll update once I hear more from our agent...thanks again

Thought as much, thanks Adam for your input.

I am doing just that Alan, I posted to see if anyone on here had had any experience of this. But thanks for your reply.