Ltrain

A couple of people on another forum emailed DIBP and got replies saying the round will happen tonight at midnight instead, due to "technical issues."

There was an invitation round on August 3rd. As you say, they haven't yet announced the August round dates, so when the second one will be is anybody's guess

Thanks for the advice. What sort of research do you suggest? I haven't been able to find any information online at all, which is why I called DIBP. Her answer was more detailed, but I abbreviated it (she listed things i could provide as evidence, such as what I plan to do while in Australia, letters from friends whom I will be staying with and so forth. Unfortunately I don't own property or have a job offer back in the UK, so it's harder to come up with evidence that shows I have links to my home country and will be going back...). I'm not sure what else I can do other than provide as much evidence as possible and hope for the best. I have asked my university for a letter stating that I am graduating and giving the dates of the ceremony, so I hope that will help. It seems common for universities to advise international students who want to stay for graduation to get a tourist visa, so it seems like that should be a legitimate reason for them to grant it. I would welcome any advice though.

In case it helps anyone in the future, DIBP said it shouldn't be a problem, but could take longer to decide my application (up to ten days) and I should provide plenty of evidence of what I plan to do in Australia and proof of funds etc.

I'm currently in Australia on a student visa which is expiring soon, and would like to stay a bit longer to see more of the country and visit friends. Potentially I might also go to my graduation ceremony, which doesn't take place until well after my student visa expires, but I am not too fussed about that. I've heard that it's not uncommon to stay on a bit longer as a tourist after a student visa, but I am slightly paranoid about my application being rejected. My intention was to leave my things here and go to New Zealand for a couple of days to apply for the evisitor offshore, but if the visa is not granted and I can't return I will have a problem as all my worldly possessions will be in Australia. Has anyone here had any problems with getting a tourist visa following a student visa in the past? Is there anything I can/should do to help my chances of getting the evisitor? I am currently on the phone to DIBP (29th in the queue!) but hoped maybe someone has some experience with this. I obviously don't plan to work, I have plenty of funds to keep me going for several months, and have a flight back to the UK booked already. Thanks in advance for any advice

Did you ever find out the answers to your questions? I have just submitted my EOI, but I was unsure about whether it would be Bachelors degree (Other) or Bachelors degree (Business, etc). I was also confused about what to put as the 'course name' as there isn't really a course name, so I said 'Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA)'. Any thoughts on whether this is correct? Any other ACCA members out there who might be able to shed some light please?

Thanks for confirming! I have heard the word 'associate' thrown around, but I've never seen it on any official ACCA things, so I wasn't sure...

Yes, I am fully qualified, with a membership certificate and everything :smile:

I have gotten lots of useful advice from reading the forums here, so I'm hoping someone can help me with a rather silly question. I will be applying for a skills assessment with the ICAA in a few weeks & the application form asks for 'membership type' as I am a member of an accounting body. I have only recently qualified with the ACCA and everything I have from them just says 'member.' Are there any other ACCA folks out there who know if 'member' is the right answer? I don't know how strict they are and I don't want to be rejected for frivolous reasons. Many thanks!

It's what I was told by a migration agent, and by the professional body that does the skills assessment, so I'm assuming it's reliable

Pretty well thanks! It was quick and easy and the driver was very professional. So the experience so far is not bad. Just hope it gets there in one piece

I feel like I'm missing something, but yes, it sounds like that would work if you didn't want to become a member. As long as you've checked that the Oxford Brookes degree is sufficient for the skills assessment

You need to finish the exams and the PER (and ethics module) to become a member. Only once you are a member will you get a positive skills assessment. You can't get a positive skills assessment as an affiliate because you're not yet a member.

When you finish the ACCA qualification you become a member, which is equivalent to an Australian bachelor's degree for migration purposes. As affiliates are not full members, I thought you were asking whether you could get a positive skills assessment before finishing ACCA. Sorry if I misunderstood.

Wouldn't it be quicker/easier just to finish your ACCA qualification? Depending on how far you are into ACCA exams, you may be eligible for the Oxford Brookes degree also.

I asked a migration agent and the Institute of Public Accountants in Australia a few months ago, and I was told I would not get a positive skills assessment until I became a full member of the ACCA. From IPA: "For migration purpose, you must have a completed ACCA qualification. It means that you must complete all the required exams + 3 years practical training + admission to ACCA membership." And from a reputable migration agent: "If you nominate any of the accountant occupations which are assessed by CPA/ICAA/IPA, they will only recognise you if you have a degree in Accounting/Finance, or if you are a current member (associate or fellow) of a recognised accounting organisation (ICAEW, CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA)." They also said you need your ACCA membership certificate for the skills assessment (unless you have a separate degree in accounting). I had the same problem trying to find reliable information online.

Excellent news! I am heading over on a student visa soon, but hoping to "upgrade" to PR once I get my final accounting exam results in August and become fully qualified. Very glad to hear that accountants won't be removed (though I'll feel better once the official list comes out).

Yikes! I am using a small move cube also. I have the site visit this Friday, and the move cube itself is coming next Friday. My experience of booking it did not inspire confidence. It took almost an hour on the phone with a guy who seemed to have absolutely no idea what he was doing and was painfully slow. I was hoping the experience would get better from there. Fingers crossed! It is pretty amazing how much you can fit into the move cube. I'm a little worried I may not be able to fill all the space. Glad your stuff made it safely, despite the time and stress!

That's reassuring. I've got shoes (all cleaned) in a separate box which I will put at the front (I'm using a move cube), and I've got all wooden items and Christmas decorations in a box together. I'm not taking furniture, a vacuum cleaner, or any outdoorsy things, so hopefully I won't run into any problems.

Thanks, rammygirl! I have emailed them anyway. Can't hurt to see what they have to say, I guess. I have read that feather pillows & duvets are fine but do need to be declared. There's so much contradictory information out there! But it's good to know yours were fine. I hope that means my feather pillows will be allowed in!

Thanks Cal, that does help a lot! That was kind of what I thought at first, but then I read some things that suggested otherwise and got confused. I think I might ask the shipping company and/or AQIS just to be safe.

I've been reading a lot on the forums about shipping stuff from the UK to Australia, but I still have a lot of questions. I was hoping some kind person who's done this before might be able to help. I hope I'm not repeating things that have already been asked! 1. I know I need to declare things made of wood. I presume this includes anything that has any wood as a component, so framed pictures, and so on would need to be declared? 2. I have just learned that "articles made of plant material" includes fabric, yarn, and other craft supplies made of cotton, bamboo, etc. I have a lot of these items, so I will declare them. But what about clothing made from these materials? Do I need to declare cotton clothing I've purchased? What about cotton clothing I've made? 3. Similar to the previous question, does "animal products" include handbags and shoes made of leather? Do I need to declare wool and silk clothing? 4. For goods owned less than 12 months, I will need to attach a separate list as there isn't room to list everything on the form. Is it worth adding notes to the list to explain if things were given to me as gifts, and so on, or should I just provide the information they've asked for (Description, price, date of purchase)? 5. Is it alright to write "see attached list" for all of the above on the AQIS form and then attach a typed list for each category separately? It seems like this is what they must have had in mind when they made the boxes on the form so tiny! Thank you so much to anyone who can help me figure this out! PS Do I need to declare cotton tablecloths, tea towels, sheets, bath towels?

I realise this thread is pretty old now, but I came across a website today that's a lot like the MSE forums: http://www.saverscene.com.au/forum.php Just posting it here in case it's useful to anyone!

Thanks for reporting back with this answer. It's helpful for me too!

My understanding is that ACCA is normally assessed as equivalent to a bachelors degree for immigration purposes (even though ACCA says it is equivalent to a masters degree). So it seems logical to me that you would say your highest qualification is a bachelors degree, regardless of whether you're talking about ACCA or your BSc. That's only my guess though! Hopefully someone who knows more will be able to give you a proper answer...