DBPhil

Hi Guys,

I'm new to the site ... so glad I found it ... fantastic source of information and seems extremely popular!!

I'll apologise in advance for this post as some of the detail has been covered elsewhere .... but I was wondering if anyone can tell me my chance of receiving a positive skills assessment from ICAA/CPA based on the following:

- BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance Degree completed 2003 (9 of 12 topics covered)
- 4.5 years accountancy work experience (2003 - today)
- CIMA finalist (3 remaining papers + TOPCIMA)

I really want to apply ASAP but concerned that I should wait until I am CIMA qualified.

The ICAA/CPA websites seem to suggest that I may receive a positive outcome just based on the degree, but from various conversations with agents there only seems to be a 50:50 chance of this happening.

Any thoughts would be greatly appeciated!


thanks in advance,

Phil

RedT

Hi Phil,

My OH (ACCA) is just starting his skills assessment and we're going through ICAA too. From what I've learned this week it certainly seems that you have the necessary qualifications and experience to pass the assessment according to what's listed on their website.

There are a few accountants knocking around on here who have been extremely helpful to me recently so hopefully one of them will confirm what I've said above.

good luck!

Therese

DBPhil

Thanks for the response Therese ... I certainly hope so!!

I'm keeping my fingers tightly crossed!

Veronika

Hi Phil,

There are 3 assessing bodies for accountants: the NIA, the ICAA or the CPAA (yes, how annoying!). They all have more or less the same skills assessment rules but differ in processing times and in some assessing requirements.

In reply to you question:

The NIA says this:

Q.4. I am not a member of a professional body. Can I still apply for assessment?
Yes. Our application form asks you to provide evidence of membership (and their professional examinations) of other professional bodies. This is not intended to imply that you must be a member of a professional body. It simply means that if you do have professional membership, you should submit appropriate evidence of such.

The ICAA and CPA say more or less the same thing. Ie:
You need a formal qualifications assessed by as at least comparable to an Australian Bachelor degree. Or if you have a tertiary qualification in any discipline and membership of an acceptable accounting body, you may obtain a positive skills assessment.

But with the ICAA if you pay about $40 or more the processing time can be halved.

So really where membership of CIMA comes into it is if you do not have a degree that is necessarily an accounting degree. And perhaps for membership purposes of either of the 3 accounting bodies.

As long as you are sure that your qualifications do meet the core requirements you should be fine.

If you want more information have a look here:
http://www.immi.gov.au/asri/occupati...nt-2211-11.htm

Cheers,
Veronika

DBPhil

Thanks Veronika,

That puts my mind at rest a little ... although i guess it all depends on whether they accept my university degree as comparable to Australian standards.

I'm hoping that my current CIMA progress will swing the vote if needed!


Does anyone have experience of applying for skills recognition with only an accounting degree??

JAJ

A bachelors degree from an accredited U.K. university is equivalent to an Australian bachelors.

Then it comes down to the course content and whether it meets the requirements. I think ICAA now accepts foreign tax and law as equivalent to Australian, so perhaps look at that option.

No relevance until you are fully qualified.


By the way, you need to be aware that just because you have a skill assessment does not mean that DIAC will accept your work experience as "skilled". Get professional assistance if you are planning to use any pre-qualification work experience.

DBPhil

Thanks for the response JAJ ... I guess, as the agent states, it really is a waiting game then. I'll just have to ensure i describe the course content in as much detail as possible.

It's a real shame they won't take my current CIMA progress into account .... they may feel i lack full content in certain areas of my degree .... but i could have covered that aspect in greater detail within a CIMA exam.

Am I correct in thinking I need one's years skilled experience?

NikiL

I asked DIAC at one of the expos about this as I've been carrying out the job of a qualified for the last 4 years, passed TOPCIMA in March 06 but only got my letters Nov 06. As you only become qualified when you get your letters (and when you get the confirmation of exam completion from CIMA they make that quite clear) DIAC's opinion was that only experience post qualification was relevant for the recent MODL experience points. So we waited until November 07 to apply...almost to the day!

Best of luck, and good luck with Strategic
Niki

DBPhil

Perhaps not being qualified may be beneficial for me then??

Assuming my degree is acceptable for skills assessment then (from what i understand from my agent) the 12 month rule won't apply.

I'm also looking into getting a temporary work visa just in case I fall at the first hurdle with the ICAA.

JAJ

The 12 month rule always applies.

If you already have your degree assessed then post-degree (but pre-qualification) experience might be acceptable but it is really going to depend on what exactly you have been doing (skill level, pay level etc).

No online forum is going to be able to give you an individual professional assessment. If you have an agent, why is agent not dealing with all of this?

NikiL

Not too sure why the 12 month rule wouldn't apply? If you want MODL points for recent work experience, you have to have the experience post qualification, unless you have an agent (correct me if I'm wrong here please Jeremy) who specialises in proving pre qualification experience.

From other posts from both JAJ and other agents this is an extremely contentious area, and very difficult to get the points for. Your skills assessment and your visa application are not one and the same thing, and just because your degree has been assessed as being equivalent to an Australian degree doesn't mean that DIAC will view you as a skilled accountant.

DBPhil

Hi JAJ,

My agent, i won't mention who but they are highly recommended on this forum, stated that i'll just have to wait and see what ICAA says first and take it from there. They stated that they usually only deal with qualified accountants.

I was hoping for a little bit more certainty before i spend GBP 500 (partial agents fee and skills assessment) and that some people on here may have been in the same situation as myself, hence could shed some more light on their experiences with both ICAA/CPA and DIAC.

Re the 12 mth rule ... I must have heard the agent incorrectly. I'm sure i was informed that the 12mth rule regarding experience is only necessary once qualified. I'll speak with them monday.

So NikiL ... do you know of any agents that specialise in proving pre-qualification experience? I'm concerned mine may not have the necessary expertise in this area.

NikiL

Sorry, I don't. I just remember one of the current/former agents (I think it was JAJ, Alan Collett or Tony Coates but not sure) saying that it was a very specialised area and that you need expert guidance on it.

The other alternative is get yourself qualified - sit Strategic May, TOPCIMA Sept and get your RPE off now so your letters come through as soon as you pass the case study.

Might be of some help.....

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=506122

JAJ

You are unlikely to find such agent as there is no market for such specialisation. Reality is that most people who are studying professional exams are not working at a professional level until they are fully qualified.

And not even the best agent can alter this reality.

If you believe you might be an exception to this rule, what evidence can you provide? Are your duties and responsibilities equal to that of a fully qualified accountant (as outlined in ASCO)? Pay level the same? Have you got many years progressive work experience that shows you have progressed to a professional level and are not just still a trainee?

You may wish to browse through the Skilled Migration Booklet (booklet 6) to see the work experience rules for yourself.
http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/booklets.htm

The consolation is that unless anything has changed recently, ICAA skill assessments are valid for 5 years, so you can get skill assessed now if your degree is eligible and you then have one less thing to do later on.

Luke Brown

I'm not sure on your exact situation but I tell you mine if that helps?!

I've got an engineering degree and then started working as an trainee accountant. I got my CIMA letters last year.

In order to meet the basic work experience requirements I need 12 months experience at a skilled level. As my degree is unrelated this means I need 12 months post CIMA qualification experience so can't apply until later this year.

However, the only requirement for getting my skills positively assesesed is my CIMA letters so I'm doing that now and then waiting until later this year until I submit my main application.

Your case differs to mine in that your degree is related to accountancy, so you may be able to claim that you've been working at a skilled level since then?

Good luck with your exams!