Dream_Catcher

Hi

DH has a degree in Chemistry but has been working in IT for 10+years and has lots of IT qualifications but not a degree.

So we now think he has to go the RPL way - has anyone got any experience with that?

It seems that the ACS skills assessment is far more complex than we have anticipated.

There were also a few posts on IT people being rejected etc and I was wondering whether anyone has got any opinions or ideas on the Australian government starting to be more selective with people in the IT sector (DH is in storage).

Many Thanks

D_C

freebo

I wrote this elsewhere but hopefully its some help...

Your professional experience is proved with very detailed references from your employers during that time, you need to get the format exactly right so don't request them until you know what the format is. The ACS count the number of days the reference qualified, among other things.

We used an agent to advise us on RPL, its quite a lot of work, I took 8 weeks to write mine and 3 months to get all the paperwork together. An agent is not mandatory and reasonably costly I took the view that I wanted to do it as fast as possible and get all the advice I could. The agent does not do the RPL for you but advises on the format required for all the the various reports and references you need to write/obtain.

Dream_Catcher

He's been with the same employer all that time and worked his way up but he doesn't think he'll get a detailed reference on company paper. I read somewhere that in that case you get a normal reference and make a statutory declaration - is that right?

What do you mean by format? And do you mean that whatever reference or declaration he supplies has to have been written/ made within a few days prior to applying?

He spoke to someone very helpful at gomatilda and I'm pretty sure we'd use an agent.

Did you get your Visa in just 6 months? Sorry if I got it wrong - still getting used to all the abbreviations..

Thx for you reply.

freebo

I got detailed refs (3 of) on company paper. I actually wrote the refs and got them signed, all true info but very specifically stated. I was getting CSL status so the refs needed to show I had specific experience in my skill. Think you can do a stat-dec but I'd avoid it if possible, two of my three refs where not keen but I persisted (HR jobsworths didn't want to write anything more than a "he worked here between date1 & date2), I got my manager to do them in those cases.

I used GoMatilda and they where great, John Silvester is an RPL/IT specialist.

I was very lucky & got my visa within 4 months of putting the full app in, but this was after my skills assessment which took me about 3 months to prepare (mostly waiting & chasing refs but a lot of report writing for the RPL/CBOK too) and took the ACS 6 weeks to approve.