Your friendly Immigration Advisor

Q: I am engineer, can I migrate to Australia?

A: YES.  Provided you meet the following four basic eligible criteria for migrating to Australia.

   (a) must be under 45

   (b) must have competent English ( in the ILETS test score 6 or more in READING, 6 or more in WRITING, 6 or more in SPEAKING and 6 or more in LISTENING)

   (b) must be university graduate engineer of a discipline which is listed in the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)  and must get skills assessed by Engineers Australia

   (d) must have at least 12 months work experience in the last 24 months as an Engineer

 

Q   If I meet the four basic criteria, for which visa type will I be eligible?

A   If you meet the four basic criteria and score 120 points or more you will be eligible for the Skilled Independent visa under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) points testing system.  If you meet the four basic eligibility criteria but do not score 120 points but score at least 90 points, and if your nominated occupation appears in the list of demand occupation of a state/territory in Australia, you may apply for the Skilled Sponsored visa.

 

Q  How do I calculate how many points I score under the GSM points testing system?

A  Normally, you will score points as shown below:.  To check if you are likely to score points from other factors, go to the page on FAQ – General Skilled Migration available on this website.

 

      Skills = 60

      Age = 30 (if you are under 30),

                25 ( age = 30-34),

                20 (age = 35-39)

               15 (age = 40 0-49)

       English = 25 ( if you score 7 or more in each four components in the IELTS test)

                       15 ( if you score 6 or more in each four components in the IELTS test)

       Specific Work Experience = 10 ( if you can show three years work as an engineer (non-teaching) in the last 4 years.

       MODL  = 15 (if you can show 12 months work experience as an engineer in the last four years)

 

Q  What do I have to do if I want to apply for the Skilled sponsored visa, to be sponsored by a state/territory?

A  You have to apply for sponsorship from a state/territory that has your engineering occupation in their state’s list of high demand occupations.

 

Q  Which states/territories  have my occupation in their demand list?

A  The following table shows the occupations in the state demand list in different states as on Jan 2009.  For the latest list you should visit the

state websites.

 

Victoria as on 23/11/09	South Australia as on 23/11/09	Western Australia as on 23/11/2009	Australian Capital Territory as on 23/11/2009	Northern Territory as on 23/11/2009	Queensland as on 23/11/2009
Civil	Civil	Civil	Civil	Civil	Civil
		Prodcuction or Plant		Chemical	Electrical
Electrical	Electrical	Electrical	Mechanical (limited)	Mechanical	Mining
	Electronics	Electroncs	Electrical	Electronics Electrical	Petroleum
Mechanical	Mechanical	Mechanical	Electronic	Petroleum
Mining	Mining	Mining		Mining
Production or Plant	Petroleum	Petroleum

 

Q How do I apply for state/terrioty sponsorship and what documents do I need to submit for applying for state/territory sponsorship?

A  Each state has its own application procedure and requirements for documents.  You will have to go to the respective state’s websites and find out such information.

Q Where can I find the website addresses of differet states/territories?

A Check on this website the page States Links

 

Q Where can I get more information about eligibility?

A: You should visit the pagre  FAQ  GSM Offshore on this website..

 

Engineering Occupations  in SOL and MODL

Q  What engineering occupations are currently on the Skilled Occupation List?

A   Aeronautical Engineer, Agricultural Civil Engineer, Biomedical Engineer, Chemical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Electronics Engineer, Engineer Manager Industrial Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Materials Engineer, Mining Engineer, Naval Architect, Petroleum Engineer,  Production or Plant Engineer.  These may change.  So you should always check the latest Skilled Occupation List (SOL)

 

Q  Which of the engineering occupations are 60 –point occupations?

A  Currently all engineering occupations on the SOL are  60 point occupations.

Q  Which of the engineer occupations are currently in the other special list called MODL?

A   Civil Engineer,

     Chemical Engineer,

     Electrical Engineer,

     Electronics Engineer,

     Engineer Manager,

     Mechanical Engineer,

     Mining Engineer,

     Petroleum Engineer.

The list changes from time to time.  So you should always check the latest Migration Occupation in Demand List (MODL)

 

Q  What benefits do I get  if my occupation is in the MODL?

A  If your occupation is in the MODL, then if you can show that you have 12 months work experience in the last 4 years in any engineering discipline, which requires an engineering degree, you can claim 15 MODL points.    If you have a job offer in Australia in an MODL occupation then you can claim 20 MODL points.

Engineering Occupations in the CSL

Q  What is CSL?

A  It is a new list introduced in January 2009 which stands for Critical Shortage List

Q  What happens if my nominated occupation is in the CSL?

A  If your nominated occupation is in the CSL, then your application will get higher processing priority compared to applications with occupations which are in the MODL or simply on the SOL

Q  What engineering occupations are on the CSL?

A   The following engineer occupations are on the CSL as per the list published on 17/3/2009.  You should visit the DIAC website to get up-to-date information.

    Engineer - Chemical

    Engineer - Civil

    Engineer - Electrcial

    Engineer - Electronics

    Engineer - Mechanical

    Engineer - Mining

    Engineer - Production or Plant Engineer

    Aircraft Maintenance Engineer - Avionics

    Aircraft Maintenance Engineer - Mechanical

Application Processing Priorities

Q  Do any applications get higher processing priority  than applications with CSL applications?

A  Yes.  An applications nominated by  an employer will get the highest processing priority.  Next in line in processing priority will be those which are sponsored by states and the occupation is in the CSL.

Q  Can I apply for state/territory sponsorship so that my application is processed faster?

A  Yes, if your nominated occupation is in a state/territory's demand list and if you fulfill all the requirements for sponsoraship by that state/territory, you will be well advised to apply for state sponsorship.  If you get a state sponsrship then your application will be processed faster as it will be in the priority queue level 2. 

Q  How can I find if my nominated occupation is in the state/territory sponsorship lists of  a state?

A  See the table above.  Also visit the websites of the different states to get up-todate information.  See the links for different states.

Pre-applications Skills Assessment (PASA) 

Q I am a Chemical Engineer.  I meet the three basic eligibility criteria of age, English and work experience.  How do I get my skills assessed to meet the fourth eligibility criterion?

A You have to apply to Engineers Australia for skill assessment (PASA)

 

Q What does the skills assessment involve?

A You have to submit the following for your skills assessment as an engineer. It is called Competency Demonstration Report (CDR).

 

    * Application form with statutory declaration that you have prepared the CDR that you are submitting , photos, application fee

    * IELTS result (original) to be sent directly to Engineers Australia by the IELTS examination centre.
    * Certified copies of your academic certificates

    * Certified copies of your academic transcripts

    * Detailed CV

    * Details of recent training undertaken for professional development

    * Three Career Episodes, written by you in English, about your involvement in three projects in which you were involved

    * A summary competency statement pointing out the appropriate paragraphs within the three Career Episodes, showing when and where you

      demonstrated the competencies required of an Australian professional engineer, as listed.

Q:  Do I have to take the general or academic IELTS test?
A:  There is no specific requirement by Engineers Australia.  So you may take either the general or academic IELTS test.

Q I obtained my Bachelor degree in engineering from the USA.  Do I have to write the three Career Episodes?

A No.  You do not have to write the three Career Episodes and the summary statement if you obtained your engineering degree from a country which is a member of either the Washington or Sydney Accord.  USA is a member of Washington Accord..

 

Q  I obtained my Bachelor degree in Engineering from India.  Do I have to submit three Career Episodes and the Summary statement?

A  Yes.  If you graduated from India, you have to still submit your Career Episodes and the Summary statement.  That is because India is not a member of either the Washington Accord or the Sydney Accord.

 

Q  Why is it that some have to submit Career Episodes and others don't?

A  If you obtained your Bachelor in engineering degree from a country, which is a member of Sydney Accord and/or Washington Accord, then you do not have to submit career episodes.

 

Q  I completed my Bachelor degree in Engineering from Bangladesh and got my Masters in Engineering from the USA.  Do I have to submit my Career Episodes and Competency Summary statement?

A  Yes.  Although you have a post graduate engineering qualification from a country which is a member of the Washington Accord, you will have to submit your career Episodes and Competency Summary statement as your first engineering qualification is from a country which is not a member of the Washington Accord.

 

Q  I obtained my Bachelor degree in Science with major in Mathematics from Bangladesh and I got a Masters degree from the UK.  The Masters degree was from the engineering faculty and hence I was awarded a Masters degree in engineering instead of Master of Science.  Can I expect to get a positive skills assessment as an engineer from Engineers Australia?

A  No.  Engineers Australia will assess your engineering competency skills based on your undergraduate degree. So although you have a post graduate engineering qualification from the UK, as you obtained your Bachelor's degree in a non-engineering discipline from Bangladesh, you will not get a positive skill assessment as an engineer.

 

Q  I have a four year Bachelor degree in Applied Physics.  Since graduating I have been working as an Electronics Engineer with a Telecommunications company.  Can I apply for skills assessment to Engineers Australia as an Electronics engineer?

A  Yes.  Applied Physics and Electronics Engineering are closely related studies.  Engineers Australia will consider it as long as you can show in your Career Episodes that at work you performed the job duties of an Electronics Engineer and you have the competencies required of an engineer.

 

Q  I have a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering but, at work because of the specialisation of the company where I work, I have been doing Civil Engineering work.  For which occupation shall I apply for skills assessment? 

A  If most of your work has been related to Civil Engineering, then you should apply for skills assessment as a Civil Engineer.  You have got a first degree in an engineering discipline, in which you acquired the basic and foundation knowledge of engineering and with that you should be able to choose and branch out to any field in engineering.  Engineers Australia will consider that.

 

Q  I have worked in various fields in engineering, I don’t know which occupation to nominate.  What should I do?

A  You submit your application to Engineers Australia. Engineers Australia will select a suitable occupation, which closely matches your work experience.  Before giving you your final assessment results, EA will ask you if you are prepared to get your skills assessed for the occupation they think your work experience matches.

 

Q  What does Engineers Australia assess from my application?

A  Engineers Australia assesses to find out if you have (a) the required  and current Engineering knowledge,  (b) can communicate in English and (c) have developed the competencies which Australian graduate engineers are expected to have.

 

Q  I have only one year's work experience after graduating from university as an engineer.  Can I write my career episodes based on projects that I worked on at university?

A  Yes.  In your career episodes you may include substantial projects (not short class assignments) that you worked on in your senior years at university.

 

Q   What do I include in a Career Episode?

A   In a career episode you describe in a narrative story telling style the role you played in an engineering project.   You describe (a) the project outline, (b) the goals and objectives of the project, (c) the project team, (d) your job duties in the project, (e)  chronologically describe how you went about working on the project completing different tasks, (f) what you did, how and when, (g) what problems, if any, you encountered and how you solved those problems,  (h) what engineering and non-engineering tools, techniques and methodologies you used and how,  (i) what new things you had to learn and how, (j) with whom you worked and communicated  within the project team, with other people, including management,  within your  department, and people outside the department and organisations, (j) what social, environmental and ethical issues you faced and addressed (k) and others , (l) and finally, in your opinion about the success or otherwise of the project giving reasons for your opinion. 

 

Q  Is there any specified format for writing the Career Episodes?

A  No, there is no specified format as such for writing the career episodes.  Engineers Australia has defined the four sections and their broad contents.  The rest, including the report format, is entirely up to you.

 

Q  How should I organise my Career Episode?

A  You should organise your Career Episode as specified by Engineers Australia.  There should be four sections.  The first section is Introduction.  Next, section is Background.  The next section is Personal Workplace Activity.  The final section is Summary.  You will get more details in the Migration Skills Assessment Booklet available from the EA website at 

http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=2D91E644-9AD2-6EEA-D640-D9FA3767CA26&siteName=ieaust

 

Writing Career Episodes for the CDR

Q  Can I get help from someone to write my Career Episodes?

A  The Career Episodes and the Competency Statement summary are to be your work.  You have to make a signed declaration to that effect.

 

Q  Can I get any guidance on how to write Career Episodes and prepare the CDR for submission to Engineers Australia.

A   If you become a client of a registered migration agent, the migration agent should guide you on how to prepare your career episodes and organise your CDR.

 

Q  Does OZMA provide such guidance?

A  Yes, OZMA provides this service to those who sign with them as clients

Q  If I give all necessary information about three engineering projects that I have been involved in and pay the necessary fees, will OZMA write the three career episodes for me and prepare the CDR application for submission to EA?

A  No.  Certainly not. The career episodes have to be written by you in your own language.  One of the competencies Engineers Australia want to see is that you have good written communication skills in English. You have to  make a signed declaration with your CDR application saying that you wrote the career episodes. OZMA will not do that for you.  OZMA can guide you and advise you on how to organise the episodes, what to include in which section as specified by EA, which parts need further expansion, explain the summary statement and show you how and what to refer in it paragraphs from the Career episodes and elesewhere and review and edit the entire CDR to chedk that it complies with EA requirements. .

Q   It may take me a lot of time to complete my three Career Episodes.  Is there anyway, I can complete them faster?

A   OZMA runs five day, full-time residential and non-residential workshops on Writing Career Episodes both in Dhaka and overseas.  During these workshops participants, under the guidance of OZMA consultants, write the Career Episodes and Competency Summary Statement.

 

Q  Where are these workshops held?

A  Non-residential workshops are held at Shegun Bagicha in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Residential workshops are held outside Dhaka at a suitable resort in Bangladesh or in other countries in Aisa.  Residnetial workshops are held on five successive holidays.

 

Q   What is the cost of attending a five day workshop?

A   Currently, the cost of attending the five-day non-residential, all inclusive ( notes, tea and light lunch), workshop is Tk 25000 per participant.

Q  How is a non-residential workshop arranged?

A  The five day sessions are held on five successive weekends or public holidays when all registered participants can attend.   A workshop session starts at 9 AM and ends at 6 PM each day with appropriate breaks for tea, lunch and Juma prayers.

 

Q   What are we expected to achieve at the workshop?

A  By the end of the five days, participants are expected to have completed the drafts of the three career episodes and the summary statement.  Participants are expected to complete individual episodes as per workshop plan.  This may require participants to work at home after a workshop session to catch up with the rest of the participants at the next session.

 

Q  How many participants can attend such a workshop?

A   A  maximum of four participants, on a first come first serve basis, will be taken for each workshop so that each participant can be given individual attention by the workshop leader and English language editor.   

 

Q  What is the cost of attending a residential workshop?

A  The all inclusive (workshop participation, travel cost if travelling with group, accommodation and food) will be Tk 40,000 per participant. If the workshop is held outside Bangladesh then the cost will be announced in this website.

 

Q  How can I know when and where the next workshop is going to be held?

A  For all OZMA programs you have to check  OZMA Forthcoming Programs. 

 

Meeting English Requirement

Q  I sat the IELTS test.  I obtained more than 6 in three components but got 5.5 in READING, and an overall band score of 6.5. Will Engineers Australia accept that?

A  No.  You have to score a minimum of 6 in each of the four components in the IELTS test to be considered to have Competent English.

 

Q  I hold a British (EU) passport but after I completed my schooling in England my parents came back to Bangladesh and I completed my engineering degree from Bangladesh.  Will I need to sit the IELTS test?

A  No, as long as you can show proof that you are a British citizen, you will not need to take the IELTS test.

 

Q  Can I not get my IELTS certificate certified like my other certificates and send it with my PASA application?

A  NO.  Engineers Australia requires you to organise with your IELTS provider to send an original copy of your IELTS certificate directly to them. 

 

Q  Do I tell my IELTS exam provider to send my IELTS results to EA by normal airmail?   In that case it will not cost me anything.

A  It is advisable to tell your IELTS exam provider to send your certificate by courier. You will have to pay for the courier cost, but it is safer this way.  You should take the courier's tracking number and track it on the Internet.   

 

Q  What is the application fee for PASA?

The PASA fee is currently A$450 (Nov 2009)

Q:  If  I become a client of OZMA how much do I have to pay?

A:  For receiving guidance for preparing the CDR for skills assessment, the fee is A$1500  payable in two equal instalments. The first instalment of A$750 is to be paid at the time of signing the agreement to become an ozma  client.  The second instalment of A$750 is payable when the CDR is ready for submission.

Q:  Does this cost cover the visa application fee and getting assistance for preparing and submitting my visa application?

A:  No.  The visa application charge is currently A$2105, which is valid till 30 June 2009.  To receive assistance for preparing and loding your visa application, for a Skilled Independent Migration visa, you will have to sign another agreement.  The fee for this service is A$1000 (for a married couple) payable in two equal instalments of A$1000.  The first instlament of A$500 is to be paid at the time of signing the agreement to become an ozma  client.  The second instalment of A$750 is payable when the visa application is ready to be lodged.

Q  How long does it take to get the Skills Assessment results from EA?

A  Normally, from 4 to 6 weeks.  But it may vary depending on factors like - incomplete application, application load etc.

 

Q Where can I get more information about skills assessment for engineers? 

A  You will get all the information from the website of Engineers Australia at  website of Engineers Australia

 
Acknowledgment:  My thanks to the following persons who went through this FAQ and gave me valuable comments and suggestions. 

  Engineer Mir Hafiz Hassan, Dhaka

  Engineer Rezaul Karim, Kuwait

  Engineer Golam Rabbany, Dhaka

  Dr. Mushfiqur Rahman, Melbourne

  Dr. Malik A Taha, Dhaka

© Amin Rahman MARN0322761

Last updated on 23/11/2009