ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA OVERSEAS QUALIFICATIONS ASSESSMENT - Frequently Asked Questions and Answers The Institution of Engineers, Australia (IEAust) now trading as Engineers Australia is the designated authority to assess persons with overseas qualifications in engineering who intend to apply for Permanent Residence in Australia. The three occupational categories in the engineering profession are professional engineer, engineering technologist and engineering associate. Details about the assessment process are outlined in the Overseas Qualifications Assessment Kit, which can be downloaded from our website at www.engineersaustralia.org.au, by clicking on Overseas Qualifications? Immigrating?. This Kit should also be read in conjunction with the General Skilled Migration (6) handbook, produced by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) in Australia. Most queries can be answered by referring to the Overseas Qualifications Assessment Kit. In addition the following most commonly asked questions and answers may help you to understand the assessment process and requirements. 1. I am applying for migration to or permanent residency in Australia and need to have my qualifications assessed. What do I need to do? The first Step is to read the Overseas Qualifications Assessment Kit to determine under which pathway you should apply. The Kit and application forms are available from the website. 2. I have an Australian postgraduate engineering degree, but my undergraduate degree is from overseas. Can I use my postgraduate degree from Australia as the basis for my qualification assessment application? No, the assessment is based primarily on your undergraduate degree and your demonstrated competencies. Your postgraduate degree will be taken into account in that it contributes to your engineering competencies. However, an Australian postgraduate degree alone will not meet the academic requirement to confer recognition in Australia. Similarly an Australian postgraduate degree on top of an overseas qualification will not provide automatic recognition in a higher occupational category. You will still have to apply for a formal assessment of your combined qualifications. 3. What is the Washington Accord and am I eligible to apply for an assessment of my qualifications under this agreement? The Washington Accord is an agreement between certain engineering accreditation bodies to recognise as substantially equivalent the undergraduate professional engineering degrees, which are accredited by the signatory bodies. Applicants who have a qualification, which is accredited under the Washington Accord are not required to complete a Competency Demonstration Report. The countries and the relevant engineering accreditation bodies are listed in the Overseas Qualifications Assessment Kit. Please note that the Washington Accord applies to professional engineering undergraduate degrees only.
4. What is the Sydney Accord and am I eligible to apply for an assessment of my qualifications under this agreement? The Sydney Accord is an agreement between certain engineering accreditation bodies to recognise as substantially equivalent the undergraduate engineering technology degrees or equivalent, which are accredited by the signatory bodies. Applicants who hold a qualification, which is accredited under the Sydney Accord, must apply using the Sydney Accord Application Form. 5. If I have an accredited Australian undergraduate qualification how can I apply for a skills assessment? If you have a four-year professional engineering undergraduate degree from an Australian University, which is accredited by Engineers Australia and you are applying for an assessment for migration purposes, you should apply to have your qualification assessed using the Australian Qualifications Application Form. Persons with Australian engineering qualifications at the Bachelor of Technology or Advanced Diploma level may also apply using the Australian Qualifications application form available from the website. Applicants for assessment of Australian Qualifications are required to provide a certified award testamur and certified copy of the academic transcript. In cases where the testamur has not yet been awarded applicants must provide an official transcript which clearly indicates that the applicant has met all of the course requirements and is eligible to be awarded the qualification. 6. I have limited engineering experience. Can I still apply for an assessment of my qualifications? Yes, you can still apply. Twelve months of engineering experience is a guideline only. It is possible that you can demonstrate the three competency units by referring to your undergraduate professional engineering qualifications and the project/work experience elements of your academic study. Applicants may however find writing the career episodes more challenging without workplace experience from which to evidence the competencies. 7. If I have lost or not received a letter of recognition from Engineers Australia and require a letter for migration purposes, what should I do? Applicants requiring a new letter of recognition must apply in writing, requesting a letter for migration purposes. This is necessary for Engineers Australia to do a records check. With your covering letter you must provide: A Statutory Declaration, witnessed by a Justice of the Peace or equivalent, describing why a new letter is required. Payment of the $75.00 administrative fee and details of your current mailing address.
8. If I am a member of Engineers Australia and I require a letter for migration purposes, what should I do? If you are a current member of Engineers Australia a letter of recognition will be issued at no charge provided that your assessment for membership has also met the assessment requirements for skilled migration purposes. If you are not a current member the administration fee for this service is AUD $75.00 and you will need to provide a Statutory Declaration, witnessed by a Justice of the Peace or equivalent, stating the reason that you require a duplicate letter. 9. How long is the assessment letter valid for migration purposes? Whilst the assessment outcome will remain valid indefinitely, the letters are only valid for migration purposes for 12 months. If you require a letter of assessment after this time, you may return the original letter to our office, with the administrative fee of $75.00 to receive an updated letter. 10. Do I need to complete the IELTS test? All applicants applying to have their skills assessed by Engineers Australia are required to provide evidence of their English competency. Applicants are required to have achieved a minimum of Band 6 in each of the 4 modules of Reading, Writing, Listening & Speaking in either the general or academic modules of the IELTS. Further information on the IELTS can be found in the Kit or at the IELTS website, http://www.ielts.org/. The following applicants may be exempt from the requirement for IELTS: a) applicants who are native English speakers; b) applicants who have successfully completed an Australian Advanced Diploma, or university undergraduate degree or Masters degree or PhD level program at an Australian university. Please note that an IELTS exemption is determined on a case by case basis and Engineers Australia reserves the right to require an IELTS assessment result if it is deemed necessary. Applicants must arrange for the IELTS result to be sent directly to Engineers Australia from the test centre. You do not need a Contact ID number (CID) to organise this, the test result will be matched up with your application on arrival. 11. How do I get copies of my documents certified for inclusion with my application? Details of persons acceptable to Engineers Australia to certify copies of documents can be found on page 7 of the Kit. It is essential that the signature, name, status and contact details (address and phone number) of the person certifying the copy be clearly stated on each page. It is also preferred that, where possible, that the copy includes an official stamp. If a Solicitor is certifying the documents please ensure that the Solicitor provides his personal signature, not just the name of the Solicitors Office
12. How do I know whether I need to pay a GST inclusive assessment fee or not? If the application is lodged from within Australia by the applicant, or by a migration agent, or a person acting on your behalf, the GST will apply. The GST inclusive fees are 10% more than the standard fee. 13. I have not received a Contact ID Number (CID). Engineers Australia no longer provides a Contact ID number when sending out application forms, The CID number is given to the applicant when the application for an assessment has been received. 14. Can I lodge my application via E-mail or Fax Engineers Australia requires all applications to be lodged by mail. This is because of the need for original signatures on the application and certified copies. The address is at the bottom of the application forms. 15. How will I be notified of the outcome of my application? Depending on the number of applications awaiting assessment at any one time, the assessment process can take from 4 to 10 weeks for completion after receipt of your application. Applications are processed in date order of receipt. A receipt will be issued within 3 to 5 working days and will show a Contact ID number for identification. Assessment outcomes are confidential and will not be provided over the phone or by e-mail. Assessment outcomes will be provided in writing to the applicant or to the person authorised by the applicant to act on his or her behalf. No information will be given to persons acting on behalf of the applicant unless they have been authorised by a letter of authority from the applicant. It would be appreciated if you do not contact us to find out how your assessment is progressing as it delays the processing of your application and those of others. If you wish to confirm whether your application has been received, please check with your bank to find out whether the money has been debited from your nominated account. Please note that it can take 2-4 weeks for us to receive applications posted from overseas, and approximately 4-6 weeks to process an application. The Assessor will notify you if further information is required in regard to your application. You will be notified of the outcome of your assessment in writing. If your assessment has been successful the letter you receive will be suitable for migration purposes and will contain the following information: a) the occupational category you are eligible to be recognised in either Professional Engineer or Engineering Technologist or Engineering Associate and; b) the ASCO code relevant to the occupational category and engineering discipline you may be recognised in. 16. I have obtained permanent residency in Australia and now wish to become a member of Engineers Australia. What do I need to do? If Engineers Australia has previously assessed your qualifications and provided you with a letter confirming that they meet the academic requirement to be recognised in Australia you can obtain a membership application form from our website at
http://www.ieaust.org.au/membership/general.html. When you submit your application you will need to provide a certified copy of the letter of assessment which was sent to you along with your payment for the pro rata membership subscription. The membership subscription fee schedule is available on the website. If you have an overseas qualification in engineering and wish to become a member of Engineers Australia you first need to apply for a formal Stage 1 assessment of your qualifications to establish their equivalence with an Australian engineering qualification. The outcome of the assessment will determine the grade and level of membership you are eligible to apply for. A copy of the Guide to assessment of eligibility for membership (Stage 1 Competency) for candidates not holding an accredited or recognised qualification and the associated appendix can be downloaded from the website by clicking on Membership, General Information, Forms. These applications should be directed to the Membership Manager of Engineers Australia. 17. Is Engineers Australia available to help with finding a job once arriving in Australia? Engineers Australia does not provide a recruitment service. Members of Engineers Australia are able to access the resources of the National Career Adviser for help and support in job searching strategies, application letter and resume preparation. Members also have access engineer.career, (see the Members Zone of Engineers Australia s website), to help with all stages of your engineering career in Australia. Some public websites to try for employment are www.engaust.com.au (under the employment database), www.dewrsb.gov.au for government positions, www.seek.com.au, www.mycareer.com.au, www.careerone.com.au, and www.jobsguide.com.au. 16. How do I assemble my application? Please refer to Page 18 of the Kit, which includes a checklist and address for lodgement. Do not bind or staple your application or the included documents, as they must be dismantled for filing. ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA LOOKS FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOUR APPLICATION FOR ASSESSMENT.