Accountant - negative skills assessment

[KTG1000]

Hi everyone.

 

I have today received a negative PASA (Pre-Application-Skills-Assessment) from the ICAA (Institute of Chartered Accoutants of Australia). I'm an Accountancy & Finance graduate 2:1 (BA Hons).

 

The ICAA comfirm that my degree is assessed as comparable to the level of an Australian Bachelor degree based on AEI-NOOSR guidelines but I am not suitable for my nominated occupation as Accountant 2211-11.

 

They say that this is because not all of the core knowledge areas have been studied in my degree or have not been covered in sufficient depth.

 

I have been working in practice as an Accountant since graduation for the past nine years.

 

I was hoping you might be able to advise if there is any point in me contesting this or if there would be any point in having my skills assessed by another recognised accountancy body?

 

The news has left me totally devestated. I was confident this would be only a formality.

 

I am part-qualified ACCA with my final three exams left to do. However, I have a little boy aged two and I didn't really want to wait for the 12 months post qualified once I have completed ACCA before going.

 

 

Would it be an option for me to acquire an employer sponsored Visa now and make entry that way. Would I be automatically accepted for PR after two years?

 

I would be sincerely grateful for your thoughts, I really would.

 

Many thanks,

 

Helen

[Guest Waikiki]

Hi Helen

 

Sorry to hear about your skills assessment. Cant help on the sponsorship query but can tell you that I spent a lot of time looking into this 1 year post qualification requirement for accountancy and there seems to be a lot of uncertainty about it. Certainly I attained a positive skills assessment from the ICAA having only been admitted to the ICAEW for 4 months.

 

I was also advised that when assessing your skills they take into account the level at which you have been working at, and being paid at, and if you have been working as an accountant for 9 years you may not need to complete a further 12 months after passing your finals before applying again.

 

Good luck xx

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hello Helen

 

Welcome to Poms in Oz.

 

I recommend urgent contact with Alan Collett of Go Matilda because in addition to being a Registered Migration Agent, Alan is a Chartered Accountant in E&W and in Oz. Therefore nobody knows more than he does about skills assessments for all types of accountants.

 

Go Matilda - Your Gateway to Australia - Contact and Feedback

 

Go Matilda - Your Gateway to Australia - Contact and Feedback

 

I don't begin to understand the discussions between Alan and his fellow accountants about the skills assessments for the latter. However the main thrust (as far as I can gather) seems to be that as long as the information is presented to ICAA in a particular way, they will be happy with it but they will baulk at anything else. Without being an accountant (which thankfully I am not - I do not get involved in anything numerical if I can possibly avoid it) it is impossible for me to understand it any better than this.

 

However, it can definitely be sorted out and Alan knows how to sort it out.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[KTG1000]

Hello Helen

 

Welcome to Poms in Oz.

 

I recommend urgent contact with Alan Collett of Go Matilda because in addition to being a Registered Migration Agent, Alan is a Chartered Accountant in E&W and in Oz. Therefore nobody knows more than he does about skills assessments for all types of accountants.

 

Go Matilda - Your Gateway to Australia - Contact and Feedback

 

Go Matilda - Your Gateway to Australia - Contact and Feedback

 

I don't begin to understand the discussions between Alan and his fellow accountants about the skills assessments for the latter. However the main thrust (as far as I can gather) seems to be that as long as the information is presented to ICAA in a particular way, they will be happy with it but they will baulk at anything else. Without being an accountant (which thankfully I am not - I do not get involved in anything numerical if I can possibly avoid it) it is impossible for me to understand it any better than this.

 

However, it can definitely be sorted out and Alan knows how to sort it out.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

Many thanks Gill. I did PM Alan before posting this thread but he needs $595 for an opinion. I'm not able to get all that together just now. If anyone else has any suggestions I would be very grateful. Helen.

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Many thanks Gill. I did PM Alan before posting this thread but he needs $595 for an opinion. I'm not able to get all that together just now. If anyone else has any suggestions I would be very grateful. Helen.

 

Hi Helen

 

If Alan Collett does not want your business there are plenty of other agents who do. Some of the others would be willing to consider why the whole thing has gone wrong - and therefore whether the situation is rescuable - before telling you how much they want you to pay before they will breathe on the situation.

 

It is not good PR, especially not on Poms in Oz via which Go Matilda attract so much business. Life is not a one way street. If GM want recommendations from me and by me then GM have to come to the party and recognise that sometimes the odd free assessment has to be chucked into the pot as well. This is one occasion when I would have thought that one accountant helping another would cause it, so I am not pleased about the situation which you describe.

 

I will PM you with a list of Alan's competitors.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Mal]

Hi Helen,

 

Have you advised ICAA of the ACCA papers you have passed? If not, it may be worthwhile e-mailing them asking which papers, if any, would make up the shortfall to get to the nine out of 12 core subjects required for a successful assessment. I know of a successful application to NIA where the applicant is one short and they will accept a pass in one of the CIMA management papers which covers that particular subject.

 

Best Wishes

 

Mal

[Guest jenpaul]

Hi Helen,

 

My understanding is that you have to be a member of an accountancy body for 12 months before you can apply for your visa to get the relevant points, however for your skills assessment the 12 months doesn't matter, you just need to be qualified.

I'm in the process now of gathering all my results from CIMA and my degree for my skills assessment and I only became a member in Jan. If I'm incorrect about this I'm sure someone will put me right!!

I'm using Go Matilda and they have been great however they have advised me that I need to wait till Jan before applying for my visa (not my skilled assessment).

Good luck Helen, get your last exams passed and I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

Jen

[Guest Tracey from Braintree]

Hi Helen

 

If Alan Collett does not want your business there are plenty of other agents who do. Some of the others would be willing to consider why the whole thing has gone wrong - and therefore whether the situation is rescuable - before telling you how much they want you to pay before they will breathe on the situation.

 

It is not good PR, especially not on Poms in Oz via which Go Matilda attract so much business. Life is not a one way street. If GM want recommendations from me and by me then GM have to come to the party and recognise that sometimes the odd free assessment has to be chucked into the pot as well. This is one occasion when I would have thought that one accountant helping another would cause it, so I am not pleased about the situation which you describe.

 

I will PM you with a list of Alan's competitors.

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

 

 

Sorry Gill but I think you are a little out of order! Alan and GM have helped PLENTY of members here FOC and even when they charge they are very competitive on price. Lets face it, Alan is running a business not a charity. There may be costs involved in looking into this case that you are unaware of.

 

Alan I apologise if you think I should have kept quiet but sometimes Gill gets it wrong and needs telling so!!!!!

 

Regards,

 

Tracey.

 

Good luck Helen in sorting this out, I'm sure you will.

[Guest Waikiki]

Hi Helen,

 

My understanding is that you have to be a member of an accountancy body for 12 months before you can apply for your visa to get the relevant points, however for your skills assessment the 12 months doesn't matter, you just need to be qualified.

I'm in the process now of gathering all my results from CIMA and my degree for my skills assessment and I only became a member in Jan. If I'm incorrect about this I'm sure someone will put me right!!

I'm using Go Matilda and they have been great however they have advised me that I need to wait till Jan before applying for my visa (not my skilled assessment).

Good luck Helen, get your last exams passed and I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

Jen

 

Hi Jen - really interested in your post - when you say to 'get the relevant points' do you mean MODL points? Hope you dont mind me asking

[Alan Collett]

Thanks Tracey for your comments - and I acknowledge Gill's as well.

 

Without wanting to stray off topic, I have to be commercial as well as prudent. For me to spend time reviewing a person's circumstances and to enter into an exchange with an opinion as to prospects of success means that there is a likelihood that they technically become a client, even if no monies exchange hands.

 

What if the opinion I then give is (heaven forbid) wrong? Can I be sued? Am I negligent? The regulatory body of which I am a member in the migration sense (the MARA) could have a field day ... as could a litigious solicitor who wanted to make mischief ...

 

To the OP - I hope you understand where I am coming from. I would suggest you try to map the components of your degree against the core competencies required by the ICAA, as set out here:

Recognition of Accounting Qualifications

 

I recall that studies in UK tax law and UK company law are given a tick in lieu of the equivalent Australian competencies.

 

Best regards.

[George Lombard]

Hi Helen,

 

Given that these decisions are based very much on your syllabus at time of university level study there's normally not much an agent can do to reverse the situation, but I'm happy to offer basic triage for you, ie report if the condition is terminal, if you'd like to send your university transcript and the decision record and your CV.

 

At the moment we have access to elite level accounting expertise so I'm sure we can give you the best possible advice.

 

Cheers,

 

George Lombard

[Ells]

Hi. I am a CIMA qualified accountant. I have just had a successful pass from the NIA. I did some research into the institutes before picking one to use for a skills assessment. For ACCA and CIMA the NIA are most likely to pass you based on your ACCA qualifications. They have been really helpful, and I asked many questions before submitting my application via e-mail which helped with getting the right info together. All in all it took 8 weeks from application to the assessment through.

 

I am not sure how you stand as a PQ, but it is worth an ask to see what they can advise.

[Alan Collett]

Hi. I am a CIMA qualified accountant. I have just had a successful pass from the NIA. I did some research into the institutes before picking one to use for a skills assessment. For ACCA and CIMA the NIA are most likely to pass you based on your ACCA qualifications. They have been really helpful, and I asked many questions before submitting my application via e-mail which helped with getting the right info together. All in all it took 8 weeks from application to the assessment through.

 

I am not sure how you stand as a PQ, but it is worth an ask to see what they can advise.

 

We have never had a CIMA or ACCA qualified accountant fail an application to the ICAA - both are considered equivalent to an Australian degree by the Insititute of CA's in Australia.

 

I therefore disagree with the observation that the NIA would be most likely to pass such an applicant.

 

Indeed, we have received an assessment from the ICAA this morning for an application that was lodged on 20/11/2008.

 

Best regards.

[George Lombard]

Hi Ells,

 

I'd second Alan's comments, in fact there are many reasons for choosing ICAA over the others, and some circumstances where you must go to CPAA or the NIA, particularly with respect to individual certifications. Although I think they all strive for quick turnaround times these days.

 

Cheers,

 

George Lombard

[Guest houghtan]

Hi Helen,

 

I'm gutted to hear that for you as I had the same feeling back in April.

 

Slightly different circumstances....but the same result!. I'm CIMA qualified, I did AAT leading to exemption from CIMA Foundation year, which I didn't know at the time would leave me 5 skills short on my skills assessment in years to come!!:arghh:

 

So basically I had to study 3 Foundation level subjects to get my a successful skills assessment from NIA...which cost £1000!! Now stage 2 awaits!!

 

Anyway I know this doesn't help your situation but just wanted you to know, you're not on your own...it's not easy but don't give up if that's your dream!! :spinny:

 

Good luck!!!

 

Andy

[Guest ursulamurray]

Hi Helen,

 

I am a leadership trainer for News Limited and have had numerous issues with immigration and skills assessment - I completed my degree at Middlesex University in 1986 and as I do not have a transcript (have the qualification) they would not give me a positive outcome.

 

In my experience only, I would suggest you also contact CPA and determine their thoughts or alternatively they are crying out for accountants here so get a 457 temporary business visa through being sponsored by an employer - you must work for 2 years continously for that employer and then you can apply for permanent - make your contract of employment clearly stating that they will sponsor you after 2 years as often employer reneg particularly in these difficult times.

 

Good luck

 

 

Ursula

[Guest]

Hi there,

 

I don't know anything about accountacy, I work in IT however to answer the question about an employer sponsored visa I'd say yes that is an option, I couldn't apply for a skilled migrant visa but am now in Oz on a 457. After two years 'probabtion' my employer will sponsor me for PR.

 

Please don't take my word for ity but it is certainly an avenue worth exploring & in my experience 457 is a great way to go - my visa costs, shipping costs, airfare, temporary accomodation costs were all paid for by the sponsoring company. There are some horror stories so choose a sponsor carefully, I'm working for WA Government so although the salary isn't fantastic I feel confident I will be treated well.

 

Jules

[George Lombard]

Hi Jules,

 

Yes a 457 is a great way to go, and for IT people and many engineering professionals or tradesmen, the requisite skills are more or less identical in Australia to the UK or other source countries. What I think makes accountants more rarely sponsored here is the specific regulatory and taxation environment - ultimately every employed accountant here has to be aware of those issues and their finer implications.

 

Ursula: on the other hand it's certainly worth working through your CV with an experienced agent - or you can pester the three accountant assessing agencies personally - in case the degree issue can be sorted for you.

 

Cheers,

 

George Lombard

[Sameer]

Hi All,

 

Is there anyone who has cleared skill assessment for NOC code

2211 (General Accountant) with just B.Com Pass and MBA Finance (both from

India-DU) qualifications?

 

I have seen lots of posts which indicates that

only CAs gets positive skill assessment, and now I am doubtful whether to

proceed with my application with only B.Com and MBA.

 

I would appreciate

if anyone can help me clearing my doubts.

 

Thanks

[wrussell]

The level at which your qualifications are assessed and their content would be assessed. You might be well advised to consult a registered migration agent.

[Ferrets]

Hi Sameer,

 

Repeated posts asking the same question relating to Indian qualifications on a forum that focuses on UK => Australia (and back) are unlikely to yield what you require.

 

Although I am an accountant and have been through the process recently, I wouldn't know where to start.

 

Best advise would be to contact a MARA registered agent for advice.

 

Good luck,

Ferrets

[Guest]

Hi there,

 

I don't know anything about accountacy, I work in IT however to answer the question about an employer sponsored visa I'd say yes that is an option, I couldn't apply for a skilled migrant visa but am now in Oz on a 457. After two years 'probabtion' my employer will sponsor me for PR.

 

Please don't take my word for ity but it is certainly an avenue worth exploring & in my experience 457 is a great way to go - my visa costs, shipping costs, airfare, temporary accomodation costs were all paid for by the sponsoring company. There are some horror stories so choose a sponsor carefully, I'm working for WA Government so although the salary isn't fantastic I feel confident I will be treated well.

 

Jules

 

Wow, I posted this a month after moving to Australia - my advice now would be very different!

 

Not that things didn't work out visa-wise, actually I didn't get sponsorship as my husband's skill were on a long defunct priority skills list (MODL) and we got PR 9 months after arriving.

 

My employer did sponsor people arriving after me though and there is no question I would have been but having been on this forum for 8 years now I would never advise anyone that could possibly get PR to go for a 457 visa if they want to migrate permanently.