Version 3 August 2008 In confidence (when completed)  Application for Qualification Assessment vetassess VETASSESS assesses post-secondary qualifications for a broad range of occupations that appear on Australia’s Skilled Occupations List for the: • General Skilled Migration Program (GSM) • Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS). If you want to migrate to Australia under the GSM or ENS, your qualification must be assessed by VETASSESS before you submit your migration application. Assessment is based on the information and documentation you provide, as well as research undertaken by VETASSESS staff. To find out more about applying for qualification assessment, or to apply online, visit www.skillassess.com Who should use this application form Use this form if you: • are a resident of a country other than Australia • are applying to migrate to Australia under the GSM or ENS • hold post-secondary educational qualifications in a skilled occupation for which VETASSESS has been gazetted as the relevant assessing authority by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. Do not use this form if: • you have secondary school qualifications only • your occupation does not appear on the Skilled Occupations List • you are a permanent resident of Australia. Complete this application form • Complete the application form carefully and answer all questions. • Answer all questions on this form in English unless otherwise indicated. • Initial and date any alterations to your answers on the form. • Provide all required information – your application will not be processed until all documentation is received. • Forged, altered or falsified documents will not be assessed and no refund will be provided. • Do not send original documents. • Do not include documents relating to your work experience – this is not relevant. • Do not staple or bind documents to the application form or put documents in display folders. • Copies of documents will not be returned. • Keep a copy of all documentation submitted. • Include fee with application and documentation. Include all required documents Make sure that you include all required information and documents with your application. Required Document Checklist for qualification assessment Application form – completed and signed 2 recent photographs – passport size, certified and dated Birth certificate or relevant passport pages – certified copy (passport page must show name, photo and date of birth) Qualification (such as degree, diploma or certificate) – certified copy of the original award certificate in the original language Transcript – certified copy showing subjects studied and marks/grades awarded in the original language Change of name evidence (if applicable) Certified English translation of the above documents, compiled by a registered translation service, if originally issued in a language other than English Assessment fee Supporting evidence for your GST exemption claim (if applicable) Note: additional requirements apply for qualifications obtained from the following countries and regions: > Europe – supply a ‘Diploma Supplement’ if one was issued with your degree and transcript. Most European universities will issue a Diploma Supplement automatically and free of charge to graduates from 2005 > Nigeria – ask the awarding body to send a verified copy of the award certificate and full academic transcript in a sealed envelope directly to VETASSESS > Pakistan – ask the awarding body to send a verified copy of the award certificate and full academic transcript in a sealed envelope directly to VETASSESS > Philippines – if you have passed the Professional Regulation Commission’s Licensure Examinations in your field, supply copies as this may positively affect your assessment outcome > People’s Republic of China – qualifications awarded in China must be verified by the Qualifications Verification service at VETASSESS, which has an agreement with the Ministry of Education China appointed verification authorities, the China Academic Degrees and Graduation Education Development Center (CADGEDC) and the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC), to verify the authenticity and recognition status of Chinese qualifications. Please submit your qualification documents as outlined below. Note: qualification award certificates do not need to be notarised; photocopies of certificates are sufficient. To find out more about Qualifications Verification, visit www.qualverify.com Required Document Checklist for verification of Chinese qualifications Copy of original Degree Award certificate and/or Certificate of Graduation and its English translation Copy of Academic Transcripts - official documents in both Chinese and English, issued and endorsed by the central student administration or archiving office of the awarding body or the attending institution. For Self-Taught programs, they must be officially issued and endorsed by the relevant Self-Taught Examinations Committee. Any unofficially issued documents or Graduation Registration Records may Explanatory notes for Qualification Assessment QA1 for managers, administrators, professionals and associate professionals You must read these Explanatory Notes before you complete the application form. Version 3 August 2008 In confidence (when completed) 2 Application for Qualification Assessment vetassess be not acceptable and/or be verified as ‘non-genuine’ official documents. Ensure the information (eg subject name, scores and credits) in the English version matches the Chinese version, as both will be verified. Inconsistent information in Chinese and English versions may cause considerable delay or lead to a negative verification and assessment result. If you were awarded qualifications during army service by an army institution, you must provide additional documents for verification (contact VETASSESS for further information) A4 size photocopy of each above document – good quality If your correspondence address is in China, four completed self-adhesive name and address labels in Chinese characters Verification fee and postage Missing documents If you do not have your original documents, try to obtain the required documents from the relevant institution or authority. Most educational institutions or authorities keep records and will reissue these documents if requested. If you cannot obtain the required documents, contact VETASSESS for advice. In some circumstances, VETASSESS will accept a statutory declaration or other sworn affidavit in place of the required documents but assessment cannot be issued on the basis of statutory declarations only. Contact VETASSESS for advice. Your assessment will not begin until all your documentation is received. If missing documents are not received within four months of receipt of a letter from VETASSESS requesting documentation, your application will expire. You must then submit a new application and pay another application fee. Certification All documents must be certified as a true copy of the original by a person who is authorised to certify documents in your country. In many countries people such as lawyers, Justices of the Peace and Public Notaries (among others) are authorised to certify documents. Each copy of the document must be certified separately and must show clearly: • the words ‘certified true copy of the original’ • the original signature of the certifying officer • the name and address or provider/ registration number (where appropriate) of the certifying officer legibly printed below the signature so that VETASSESS can contact the certifying officer if necessary. VETASSESS does not accept: • photocopies of certified copies • certification by a company rather than the individual within the company who is authorised to certify documents • certification where the identity of the certifying officer is unclear or the certifier’s contact details are illegible. Agents VETASSESS normally deals directly with people seeking an assessment of their qualification. You may choose to appoint an agent or another person to help you to lodge an application. Australia’s privacy legislation prohibits VETASSESS from discussing your application with other people unless specifically authorised to do so. If you want a family member, migration agent or other person to deal with VETASSESS on your behalf, you must: • tick the relevant box on page 2 of the application form • provide the agent's contact details. Alternatively you could provide a separate, signed letter of authority. Post your application Mail your application, documents and assessment fee to: VETASSESS Qualifications Assessment GPO Box 2752 Melbourne VIC 3001 Australia Reassessment and appeals If you disagree with the outcome of your assessment, VETASSESS may conduct a reassessment. You must submit a written request for reassessment and pay a reassessment fee. To find out more about reassessments and appeals, visit www.skillassess.com If you need help • Visit www.vetassess.com.au • Email migrate@vetassess.com.au • Fax +6 3 9654 2773 • Tel +6 3 9655 480 or +6 3 9655 489/823 Privacy statement Whenever VETASSESS collects, handles, stores, uses or discloses information about you, it aims to comply with the Privacy Principles that protect your personal information. ‘Personal information’ means information or an opinion (including information in a database) about an individual whose identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained. NOTES TO QUESTIONS 1. Your nominated occupation This section deals with your nominated occupation and reason for assessment. . Choose your occupation carefully. Make sure that you read the description of this occupation thoroughly and that you meet all requirements. Titles of nominated occupations are available on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL), which can be found on form 2i at www.immi.gov.au. To find out more about occupations, visit Australian Skills Recognition Information (ASRI) at www.immi.gov.au/asri/ Other useful sites are: • Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO) at www.abs.gov.au • VETASSESS at www.skillassess.com Nominate one occupation only on this form. If you wish to nominate more than one occupation, you must complete a separate application form and pay an additional fee for each. .2 ASCO describes each occupation and the skill level required to work in that occupation in Australia. You will find the ASCO code for your occupation on the SOL at www.immi.gov.au on form 2i. .3 Tick one of the reasons for assessment – either General Skilled Migration program (GSM) or Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS). You can find out more about both options at www.immi.gov.au For the GSM and ENS programs, occupations assessed by VETASSESS require a qualification equivalent to an Australian Qualification Framework (AQF): • Bachelor degree or higher qualification for all Manager, Administrator and Professional occupations • Diploma or higher qualification for most Associate Professional occupations. Version 3 August 2008 In confidence (when completed) 3 Application for Qualification Assessment vetassess For these nominated occupations, VETASSESS only undertakes educational assessments of completed qualifications. It does not assess work experience. For general information about ENS and GSM programs, see Booklet 5, Employer Sponsored Migration and Booklet 6, General Skilled Migration at www.immi.gov.au 2. Your personal details This section asks for all your personal and contact details. Complete this section carefully and make sure you provide all required information. 3. Authorising an agent Complete this section if you wish to appoint an agent to liaise with and receive correspondence from VETASSESS about your application. Go to section 4 if you do not wish to appoint an agent. You do not have to supply the name of the agent if you do not know it. The company name will be sufficient. To operate legally in Australia, a migration agent must be registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) and must have a MARA number. Your agent will be able to supply you with this number. To find out more about migra- tion agents, visit www.themara.com.au 4. Your school education This section is about your school years up until you began tertiary or higher education. 4. Write the start and finish dates that apply to your primary schooling. Primary schooling (or elementary schooling) usually refers to the first six to eight years of compulsory schooling. It may also include a compulsory kindergarten year. The number of years of primary education varies with different school systems. 4.2 List the country or countries in which you completed these years of schooling. 4.3 List the year in which you completed primary schooling. 4.4 Write the start and finish dates that apply to your secondary schooling. Secondary schooling refers to your school years following primary school. Please include all years of your secondary schooling, up to your last year in the school system. Include any upper secondary or senior secondary schooling you completed. 4.5 List the country or countries in which you completed these years of schooling. 4.6 Write the name of the highest (either secondary school or upper secondary school) certificate you obtained – in your language and translated into English. 4.7 List the year in which you completed that certificate. 5. Your post-secondary education This section covers your education after secondary schooling. Fill in each qualification separately. If you have more than two qualifications, provide details of any additional qualifications in the same format on a separate piece of paper. Sign and date this piece of paper and attach it to your application form. VETASSESS will normally assess only to the minimum requirement of your nominated occupation, so not all will necessarily appear on your final assessment letter. If you hold both Australian and overseas qualifications, provide details of both and VETASSESS will assess as required. 5. Fill this section in if you know what your student registration number was. 5.2 Write the name of your qualification in English. 5.3 Write the name of your qualification in your language, if it was awarded in a language other than English. 5.4 Name the awarding body. This is the organisation that awarded your qualification and it will be written on your qualification. 5.5 Write the full address of the awarding body. 5.6 Write the name of the campus that you attended. 5.7 Write the name of the institution you attended, if this institution was not the awarding body. 5.8 List the normal entry requirements for your course or the name of the examination that you had to complete to gain entry. Give the name of any educational qualification normally required for admission to this course. 5.9 If your entry to the course was by some other means, specify (eg work experience, other qualifications, special examination etc). 5.0 Write the normal length of this course if it was studied full time. Include any time required for a thesis, project, practical training etc. 5. Write the normal length of the semester in weeks or months. This should include any time spent on a thesis, a project or practical training etc. 5.2 Write the dates that you commenced and completed the course. 5.3 Write the date that your qualification was awarded. 5.4 Write if you completed the course by full time or part time study, and how many class hours were required per week. 5.5 If you studied in a different way, eg by distance education, write that here. 5.6 If you completed any specific components, tick here. Include the number of weeks you spent in practical training etc. 5.7 Provide details of any of the components you listed under 5.6. • Write the normal length of any internship, supervised practical training or work placement required for your qualification. Include the total number of weeks and hours per week required. Write the dates when you started and completed this activity. • For any required thesis, give the normal length of study (eg which semester and whether full time or part time). Write the dates when you started and completed your thesis. • For any required major project, such as a graduation project, give the normal length of time to complete this requirement (eg one semester full time or part time or the number of weeks) and the dates you started and completed the project. 6. Verification of Chinese qualifications This section is for applicants for assessment of qualifications awarded in the People’s Republic of China. Go to section 7 if you do not require assessment of qualifications from China. 6. Tick the type of document you require to be assessed and verified and write the number of extra copies of the Credential Report for each document that you need. If you have obtained Credential Reports from CADGEDC or CHESICC in the last 2 months or from VETASSESS at any time, provide a copy of the previous reports and ONLY apply for extra copies of reports. • If you have been awarded a Degree Certificate and a Certificate of Graduation separately for a degree level program, you do not need to Version 3 August 2008 In confidence (when completed)  Application for Qualification Assessment vetassess apply to verify your Certificate of Graduation – only verification for the Degree Certificate and the Transcripts is required. 6.2 Add up the total number of verifications you wish to order. 6.3 Add up the total number of extra copies of the report that you require. 6. Tick to show if you are applying from within Australia, or from outside Australia. 7. Payment of fees This section covers the fees and how to pay them. Please read it carefully. 7.1 How to pay • Fees must be paid, in Australian dollars, when you submit your application. • You must pay your fees by credit card, bank cheque or bank draft, or money order or money transfer. You cannot pay into a VETASSESS bank account or send cash. • VETASSESS will not be responsible for banking delays or for loss of cash sent with your application. • Funds must be cleared before applications are processed. We accept: Credit cards • Mastercard • Visa Cheques • must be cleared before the service is provided • cheque payment from overseas must be by bank cheque or bank draft payable at an Australian bank Money order • via Australia Post We do not accept: Cash • do not send cash through the post • fees cannot be paid directly into a VETASSESS bank account 7.2 Total payment Write the total amount owing for your qualification assessment, then the total amount owing for your Chinese qualification verification (if applicable). Then fill in the total amount you are paying. Qualification assessment Qualification Applying onshore (within Australia) Applying offshore (outside Australia) Awarded by an Australian institution AUD $319.00 (incl GST) AUD $290.00 (excl GST) Awarded by an institution in another country (not Australia) AUD $385.00 (incl GST) AUD $350.00 (excl GST) Australian and other country (more than one qualification supplied) AUD $385.00 (incl GST) AUD $350.00 (excl GST) • If you are unclear on which fee to pay, visit www.vetassess.com.au • If you are not in Australia when you lodge your application, you may be exempt from paying the Goods and Services Tax (GST) component. You need to provide evidence, such as a statutory declaration stating in exact words ‘I am not in Australia at the time of lodging my application’ for this exemption. A personal statement signed by you is not sufficient. • The fee for re-issue of an assessment letter is AUD$27.50. Chinese qualification verification The following new fees are effective from Monday, 3 March 2008. Verification Service Items Applying offshore (outside Australia, excl. GST) Applying onshore (within Australia, incl. GST) Certificate eg Degree Certificate, Certificate of Graduation AUD $95.00 AUD $10.50 Academic Transcript AUD $105.00 AUD $115.50 Extra copy of each Report AUD $0.00 AUD $.00 Postage: Registered Australian mail AUD $5.00 Postage: Express Post International mail AUD $16.00 Postage: Express Courier International AUD $3.00 1. If you have more than one Chinese qualification to be assessed, each qualification MUST be verified. You will receive our assessment letter and the verification results when your assessment is completed. 2. Choose and add postage in the ‘Chinese qualification verification’ payment in Item 7.2 on page 5 of the QA1 form. Postage payment is required for each address that results are sent to. 7.3 Credit card payment Write your credit card details here, if you are paying by credit card. 8. Applicant’s declaration You must carefully read this section before signing the declaration. You must read the Required Documents Checklist and ensure that all documentation is ready and certified as required. The declaration must be signed by the applicant, not the agent. 9. Submit application Post your application, with all required documentation and fees, to: vetassess Qualifications Assessment PO Box 2752 Melbourne Vic 3001 Australia 1. 1. 1. 2. 2. 2.