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IT Occupations: Australian Computer Society (ACS)

If you intend to apply for migration to Australia under one of the General Skilled Migration categories, you must have a nominated occupation which is on the Skilled Occupations List at the time you apply. In order to make a valid application, you must have obtained a skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for your nominated occupation.

 Australian Immigration Visa Assessment For IT Professionals

ACS is the assessing authority for the following occupations:

• Information Technology Manager;
• Systems Manager;
• Systems Designer;
• Software Designer;
• Applications and Analyst Programmer;
• Systems Programmer;
• Computer Systems Auditor; and
• Computing Professionals NEC.

Applicants who apply for RPL and do not hold a recognised academic tertiary qualification will have deducted from their total work experience a period of relevant IT professional experience deemed necessary to have reached the level of qualification allocated. For example, if an applicant is allocated a qualification level equivalent to a 2 year diploma, they will have 2 years deducted from the total of their recognised work experience, and therefore 8 years in total will be needed.

Grades and Membership of the Australian Computer Society

Group A

This grade refers to full professional members of the Australian Computer Society. Members must be current financial members and must provide documentation to prove their claim. ACS professional membership grades are Fellow (FACS) and Member (MACS). Assessing officers need not look beyond membership to any formal qualifications held.

Minimum requirements:

• Applicants with an Australian Bachelor degree, or Graduate Diploma, or higher qualification, with a major in information technology (see examples below); or
• An overseas qualification assessed as being comparable to an Australian Bachelor degree, or Graduate Diploma, or higher qualification, with a major in information technology (see examples below).
• In addition to above, at least 48 months of relevant work experience. Examples of relevant fields of work experience include:
• Applied Science (Computing);
• Applied Science (Computer Science);
• Applied Science (Information Systems);
• Business (Data Processing) (old);
• Business (Electronic Data Processing) (old);
• Business (Information Systems);
• Computer Science;
• Computer Science Engineering;
• Information;
• Information Systems;
• Information Technology;
• Management Information Systems; and
• Software Engineering.

Note: Graduate qualifications should contain at least a major in information technology, and a major objective should be to educate persons to be practitioners in information technology.

Group B

This is the associate grade of the Australian Computer Society (AACS). Such applicants must be currently financial and must provide documentation to prove their claim. Assessing officers need not look beyond membership for any formal qualification held.

Minimum requirements:

• Applicants with an Australian AQF Diploma, or Australian AQF Advanced Diploma in information technology, or an Australian Bachelor degree or higher qualification with a minor (sub-major) in information technology (see examples below); or
• An overseas qualification assessed as being comparable to an Australian AQF Diploma, or an Australian AQF Advanced Diploma in information technology, or an Australian Bachelor degree or higher qualification with a minor (sub-major) in information technology, such as:
• Computing;
• Computer Science;
• Information Technology;
• Business (Information Technology);
• Applied Science (Computer Science);
• Computing (Microcomputing);
• Computing (Network Systems);
• Experience Criteria for Group B;

Applicants in Group B are required to have at least 6 years of relevant IT experience prior to the date of their application for PASA.

Recognition for Prior Learning

An applicant who has limited or no qualifications but who has extensive and varied experience plus supporting professional development education may refer certified documentation to the ACS for evaluation by the Society.

The ACS will decide which level of qualification is appropriate and based on this advice an assessing officer can decide the appropriate Group.

Applicants applying under the RPL group must have no less than 7 (in certain cases 8 years may be required) years work experience in the IT industry.

 Australian Immigration Visa Assessment For IT Professionals