Pre-graduate experience for skilled visa

[Eleanor]

Hi, 

Does anyone know if OTA or in my case Community Care Officer OT experience (basically unqualified OT doing same grade job) counts towards your experience for skilled work visa? I've heard it's only post-grad experience, but this limits me to a sponsored visa as don't have 3 years experience yet and I'm almost 40. Can anyone advise? 

Thanks, 

Eleanor (UK OT) 

 

[Marisawright]

Usually it is only post-grad experience that Immigration will count for visa purposes.

[paulhand]

The basic requirement is that “the employment must be skilled”. How this is calculated depends, inter alia,  on the specific occupation and how the skills assessing authority view fits within the ANZSCO framework. 

[Searchingforsun]

On 02/11/2021 at 14:41, Eleanor said:

Hi, 

Does anyone know if OTA or in my case Community Care Officer OT experience (basically unqualified OT doing same grade job) counts towards your experience for skilled work visa? I've heard it's only post-grad experience, but this limits me to a sponsored visa as don't have 3 years experience yet and I'm almost 40. Can anyone advise? 

Thanks, 

Eleanor (UK OT) 

 

Hello im a qualified OT in the UK and for my skills assessment they checked my degree certificates and I had to have 3 years post graduate experience.

It sounds like you have now completed your OT degree is that correct but don't have the 3 years post grad?  OTA's are not the same as OTs , although similar, they do not hold pins i don't think or hold the same level of responsibility (or at least shouldn't do!). 

 To have a positive skills assessment with the Australian OT Council, I believe you have to have completed the degree And 3 years post graduate experience (at least i did) and also needed this for my eoi I think as it was part of the requirement for any of the states I looked in to. 

I have just lodged my PR 190 visa for Tas. 

I would check direct with the OTC in Australia for advice. 

 

[Eleanor]

Hmmm.. You see I did have pins for equipment as I wasn't an OTA (a CCO is same grade as newly qualified OT), but completed my own OT assessments and interventions, including rehousing, minor and major adapts, etc. It's same pay grade as I'm on now I'm qualified. Now I can do manual handling, speciast seating, wheelchair assessment (before I'd do but had to get authorisation), and I generally just do more complex conditions and more multi-faceted cases. I mean I am an OT now and wasn't before, and I think about my work very differently, but I wouldn't be anywhere near as experienced in my role if I hadn't worked in the team doing a very similar role since 2011. However, like you say, it does seem to be post grad only, and I've been part-time and on maternity, so despite qualifying in 2018, it only counts as 2 years. Gutting! I'll update post when I find out for definate though. Thanks for all your responses. 

[Searchingforsun]

21 hours ago, Eleanor said:

Hmmm.. You see I did have pins for equipment as I wasn't an OTA (a CCO is same grade as newly qualified OT), but completed my own OT assessments and interventions, including rehousing, minor and major adapts, etc. It's same pay grade as I'm on now I'm qualified. Now I can do manual handling, speciast seating, wheelchair assessment (before I'd do but had to get authorisation), and I generally just do more complex conditions and more multi-faceted cases. I mean I am an OT now and wasn't before, and I think about my work very differently, but I wouldn't be anywhere near as experienced in my role if I hadn't worked in the team doing a very similar role since 2011. However, like you say, it does seem to be post grad only, and I've been part-time and on maternity, so despite qualifying in 2018, it only counts as 2 years. Gutting! I'll update post when I find out for definate though. Thanks for all your responses. 

 You never know, your experience may count so always worth a check . Best of luck and keep us updated .