ACS Assessment pathways for Skilled Migration

Ellie Tondon
6 min readJul 1, 2022

ACS is the authorized assessing authority in charge of skill assessments for skilled migration. The official governing body for information and communication technology is the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

ACS evaluates potential migrant ICT professionals to ensure they meet the assessing authority requirements for employment in Australia’s nominated occupation. The Australian Computer Society will assess your knowledge, skills, and expertise in information technology (IT). Remember that the Australian Computer Society only considers ICT professionals for Skilled Migration.

Application Requirements for Skills Assessment

The ACS has been defined as a relevant Assessing Authority for ICT skills occupations on the List of Eligible Skilled Occupations. To determine whether a candidate has the necessary skills for a position, organizations typically evaluate an applicant’s education, professional license (if applicable), and past work history. The most frequent documents found in these applications are the following:

  • Transcripts and a certificate of graduation or award
  • Employment References
  • You must submit a project details report if you are applying for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
  • Curriculum Vitae in Depth (CV)
  • Birth certificates, passports, and identification cards.

There may be situations where applicants are required to provide an overview of each component and its content to demonstrate how the degree applies to the field of skill evaluation. It is crucial that all documents given to the Authority be translated, accurately described, and certified copies to ensure that your client does not lose out on valuable experience since there is no experience letter or description of the range of work done in that position.

The following is a step-by-step process you must adhere to if you apply for a skill assessment in ACS for Australia Immigration.

1. Follow the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) established guidelines.

Make sure you meet the Department of Home Affairs’ qualifying requirements before applying for a skills assessment in Australia. If you are a newcomer, you must contact top consultants registered with MARA to use a skills evaluation in ACS for Australia Immigration successfully.

2. Select an ANZSCO code corresponding to your years of experience and education degree.

ANZSCO code is used by the Australian Department of Immigration for all visa, settlement, and citizenship schemes. The objective of the skilled visa programs is to assess a visa applicant’s ability to do a certain occupation in Australia. The Department case officer reviewing your application for a skilled migration visa will want to see proof that you have obtained the necessary credentials and have sufficient work experience.

3. Application form

In the third phase, the application form must be completed, and any supporting paperwork required by the ACS must be obtained. Verify that the certified copies of your documents are in a top-notch PDF format. Ensure all documents are genuine and contain accurate information if you don’t want to deal with issues afterward.

3.1 How can I apply?

ACS accepts applicants who can demonstrate qualifications and experience in a broad definition of ICT — a profession trusted by society for the conception, design, implementation, maintenance, management, and disposal of ICT infrastructure, products, processes, and services within a broad professional context. As part of the application, all applicants must provide proof of their educational qualifications and employment and evidence of their identity.

3.2 Four ACS Assessment Pathways

For migration purposes, the following application options are available:

  • Temporary Graduate (TG)- only available to Australian Bachelor’s degree holders or higher.
  • Post Australian Study (PAS) — only available to holders of an Australian Bachelor’s degree or higher.
  • General Skills Assessments
  • Recognition Prior Learning (RPL)

Pathway 1: Temporary Graduate (TG)

Graduates with an Australian Bachelor’s degree or higher are eligible for the Temporary Graduate pathway. This skills assessment is only for qualifications and can only be used to apply for a subclass 485 visa.

Suitable criteria

  • Only occupations on the subclass 485 Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) are eligible for the Temporary Graduate pathway.
  • If you are an Australian, you must have graduated from an Australian institution with a major in ICT closely related to your occupation (ANZSCO).

Pathway 2: Post Australian Study (PAS)

Graduates who have earned an Australian bachelor’s degree or above and would desire a competence evaluation for general immigration purposes should follow the Post Australian Study pathway. Having relevant ICT experience or having finished an ACS Professional Year program is necessary.

Suitable criteria

  • ICT major with an Australian Bachelor’s degree or higher education level in the designated field.
  • One year of work experience following the conclusion of a professional year program or a relevant Australian degree.

Pathway 3: General skill assessment

General skills testing is appropriate for candidates with tertiary ICT qualifications and ICT employment.

  • Suppose you have a Bachelor’s degree or higher closely related to your occupation, and it is an ICT major. In that case, you must demonstrate 2 years of relevant work experience within the last ten years or four years of relevant work experience within the past 10 years.
  • If you have a Bachelor’s degree or higher in an ICT major and it is not closely related to your occupation, you must demonstrate that you have 4 years of relevant work experience.
  • Suppose you have a Bachelor’s degree or higher closely related to your occupation, and it is an ICT minor. Then you must demonstrate 5 years of relevant work experience within the last 10 years or 6 years of relevant work experience at any time in the past.
  • If you have a Bachelor’s degree or higher that is not closely related to your occupation and is an ICT minor, you must demonstrate 6 years of relevant work experience in the past.
  • Suppose you have a Diploma, Advanced Diploma, or Associate Degree closely related to your occupation and an ICT major. You must have relevant work experience within the past 10 years or 6 years of relevant work experience within the past 6 years.
  • Suppose you have a Diploma, Advanced Diploma, or Associate Degree that is not closely related to your occupation and is an ICT major. In that case, you must have 6 years of relevant work experience in the past.

Pathway 4: RPL

The RPL application method is for candidates holding tertiary degrees with little to no ICT content or those lacking any recognized university degrees.

  • Applicants with non-ICT Diplomas or higher must have six years of relevant work experience plus a successful RPL application.
  • If you lack a tertiary qualification, you must have 8 years of relevant work experience and a successful RPL application.

RPL requires you to show how you learned your ICT skills. The submission of two project reports as needed. The report must include information about your professional experience and demonstrate ICT proficiency in a practical setting.

Cost and processing time for ACS Assessment

The skills assessment takes approximately 8 -10 weeks to complete. However, ACS may extend the processing time if additional documents are required.

  • Temporary Graduate — $475
  • Post Australian Study (PAS) — $500
  • General skill assessment — $500
  • Recognition Prior Learning (RPL) — $550

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