Work Experience 'not closely related' to nominated occupation

As a Registered Migration Agent (RMA) since 2017, I have reliable information from various perspectives such as migrants overseas and temporary migrants in Australia who have received an unfavourable outcome on their Australian Computer Society (ACS) Migration Skills Assessments. One of the common reasons for refusals or unsuitable outcomes is that their work experience was, according to ACS, not closely related to their nominated occupation. Occasionally, applications are not refused. Therefore, the outcome is not necessarily unsuitable, but the work experience being assessed as ‘not closely related’ to the nominated occupation. An outcome can be termed unfavourable even if it is suitable as the applicant is not happy with it. This is because one or some work experience may not be considered related.

 

Interestingly, some applicants have received an Employment Reference Letter (ERL) endorsed by their employers as per the prescribed format. Another issue is that applicants whose experiences were considered related to their nominated occupations in previous assessments are no longer considered related in subsequent applications. 

 

The reason ACS did not consider their employment as closely related to their chosen occupation is unclear. Despite their employers signing the ERL on a company letterhead with roles and responsibilities seemingly matching the ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) description of their chosen occupation, for example, 261313 Software Engineer, ACS may have considered their employer’s company profile. This profile is used to assess the products and services offered by the organisation and determine if there is a potential for employing a software engineer.

 

It is important to note that examining a company profile is different from verifying the genuineness of an employment. The general public can access a company’s website to gain a general understanding of its products and services. ACS, as the peak body for ICT professionals in Australia, will likely scrutinise these profiles more closely. The extent to which ACS will investigate a company’s digital footprint, its own database of company profiles or business registrations, including physical and virtual addresses, relevant fair work awards and agreements, or other sophisticated methods, is not yet known.

 

Highly qualified and experienced ICT professionals have informed me that ACS would know their role in their company and only need to verify it based on their ERL. This is taken to be a naivety. Skills assessment bodies do not usually verify roles by contacting employers or emailing them. In my experience as an RMA, clients did not receive verification calls or emails. However, this does not mean it will never happen or that other applicants have not faced similar situations. ACS is tasked by the immigration department to conduct skills assessments strictly. However, as it is not the immigration department, it does not provide the same reasoning as the department in its refusal letters. The department usually cites one or more clauses from the Migration Act or Regulations in visa refusal notification letters. In contrast, ACS provides a one-liner in its assessment (suitable or unsuitable) result letters. This means they are not required to prove that you did not perform but could request that you prove it to them, even if you have performed relevant roles. If you wish to obtain more information from ACS regarding the results, you must contact them via email or message in the Application Portal and inquire about the reasons for your employment not being closely related to the nominated occupation. 

 

Submitting a skills assessment application is distinct from a job application where recruiting agencies or companies typically have different methods to verify employment claims. It is advisable to seek guidance from a MARA agent AKA RMA who can set realistic expectations regarding the alignment of your skilled employment with your chosen occupation based on your employer’s company profile.

 

As per ACS, applicants must be honest and select IT, Data Science or Cyber Security-related skills that they have demonstrated in their career episodes to date or have acquired through ICT-related qualifications. This ensures that the system generates suggested ANZSCO codes that accurately reflect their qualifications and experiences. Applicants sometimes fall into the trap of selecting occupations that are more popular for migration purposes, even though their work experience is not related to those occupations. Consequently, selecting the incorrect skills and receiving inaccurate recommendations from the system can lead to unfavourable outcomes.

 

For comprehensive information on ACS Migration Skills Assessments in video format, subscribe to my YouTube channel SujithTalks

 

For candid Australian immigration advice concerning ACS Migration Skills Assessments for Australian Permanent Residence (PR), I am the appropriate contact. As an RMA (with a background in ICT), I specialise in ACS Migration Skills Assessments applications. Be it a new or an appeal application, responding to "Additional Documents Required" messages from ACS, or to withdraw your application, schedule an obligation-free discovery session to discuss your needs, scope of my professional services, cost breakdown, work breakdown, deadlines and timelines on my website https://sujithtalks.au