Aaarggh!! Please help!

[Guest joseph1801]

Hi all,

 

I've had an email from my CO saying she thinks I dont meet the points total.

 

She has awarded me 10 points for education but I have a BA(Hons) degree - although it is not related to my chosen occupation (I have a skills assessment as a network administrator and my degree is in history). I understood you got 15 points for a degree regardless. I have emailed this info but not had a reply yet.

 

Can anyone help/advise?

 

Thanks

[Guest kamalg]

Hello Joseph1801

 

i had a similar situation with my application last week, where they miscalculated my points, which led to me scoring only 60 points and getting a refusal notice.

after finding out they had miscalculated i raised the issue with my CO and they acknowledged the oversight and my application is back on track again.

 

best thing for you to do is the wait for your CO's reply and also talk to people who have applied who have similar circumstances to yours

 

 

To claim points for a qualification obtained overseas, the qualification will need to be recognised as being of a standard comparable to the relevant Australian level qualification

 

An applicant may also be able to claim points for a qualification not related to their nominated occupation, for example they may hold a trade qualification related to their nominated occupation and an unrelated Bachelor degree. If the assessing authority conducting their skills assessment cannot provide an opinion on the non related qualification, applicants should contact the Vocational Education Training and Assessment Services (VETASSESS). VETASSESS is the national assessing authority for a broad range of management, administration, professional and associate professional occupations.

 

from what i can gather you may need to get your degree assessed to show that it is standard to an Australian degree.

 

best of luck

 

kamalg

[Guest joseph1801]

Hi kamalg

thanks for the reply. It's good to know I'm not the only one. I have been telling myself they must have made a mistake. Everything I read and everything my migration agent told me suggested I should get 15 points, but your never sure if you missed some small print somewhere.

As you said, I'll wait to see how they respond. So your degree was not related to your occupation either?

thanks again for the reply - its put my mind a bit more at ease.

[Guest kamalg]

Hello Joseph1801

 

well in my case they missed the fact that i had studied in Australia for my degree and failed to award points for Australian Studies.

 

But my point is that these things could and can happen... so best thing is to raise the issues with the CO to ensure you and them are on the same page

 

Kamalg

[Guest joseph1801]

cheers kamalg

 

Im fairly sure this is an oversight, but it doesnt reduce the stress levels!

 

thanks

[wrussell]

Depends on which institution conferred your degree.

[Guest joseph1801]

Depends on which institution conferred your degree.

 

Thanks wrussell

 

My degree is from the University of East Anglia which, according to the Times Higher Education survey is in the top 1% of universities globally.

I have no idea what criteria DIAC or VETASSESS use when evaluating...?

[wrussell]

Thanks wrussell

 

My degree is from the University of East Anglia which, according to the Times Higher Education survey is in the top 1% of universities globally.

I have no idea what criteria DIAC or VETASSESS use when evaluating...?

 

They rely on the Country Education Profiles, which you can Google.

 

It is a subbcription service.

 

If you are not inclined to subscribe, the relevant entry is:

 

[h=2]University of East Anglia[/h]Sections :

 

 

 

• Higher Education - SECTION 1
  

 

Degrees conferred by SECTION1 UK institutions are assessed as comparable to Australian degrees for DIAC purposes.

[Guest joseph1801]

They rely on the Country Education Profiles, which you can Google.

 

It is a subbcription service.

 

If you are not inclined to subscribe, the relevant entry is:

 

University of East Anglia

 

Sections :

 

 

• Higher Education - SECTION 1
  

Degrees conferred by SECTION1 UK institutions are assessed as comparable to Australian degrees for DIAC purposes.

 

Thats really helpful info wrussell, thank you.

i've couriered my documents to vet assess, hopefully they won't take too long to turn this around.

thanks again

[wrussell]

VETASSESS have nothing to do with awarding points or deciding whether a degree is comparable to an Australian degree.

[Guest joseph1801]

VETASSESS have nothing to do with awarding points or deciding whether a degree is comparable to an Australian degree.

 

Apparently they do.... http://www.vetassess.com.au/migrate_to_australia/qa2_points_test_advice.cfm#Q2c

[wrussell]

Apparently they do.... http://www.vetassess.com.au/migrate_to_australia/qa2_points_test_advice.cfm#Q2c

VETASSESS have nothing to do with awarding points or deciding whether a degree is comparable to an Australian degree.

[Guest joseph1801]

VETASSESS have nothing to do with awarding points or deciding whether a degree is comparable to an Australian degree.[/

 

So you said.

Thanks for your help.

[wrussell]

VETASSESS have nothing to do with awarding points or deciding whether a degree is comparable to an Australian degree.[/

 

So you said.

Thanks for your help.

 

Migration points are awarded by the DIAC and the opinions of skills assessing bodies are advisory - and sometimes wrong

 

The comparability of overseas academic qualifications cf. Australian qualifications is decided by:

 

https://www.aei.gov.au/Services-And-Resources/Services/Country-Education-Profiles/About-CEP/Pages/default.aspx

 

All a skills assessing body can decide is whether the content of an academic qualification satisfies their particular criteria. They do not assess the comparability of an academic qualification per se, although some of them take money from applicants having asserted that they do.

 

There is currently no requirement to have either a 'work points assessment' or a qualifications assessment form any skills assessing authority. If you were to consult a registered migration agent and an application was going to 'blow up' for either of these reasons, you would be advised. It should not be necessary to pay to get a yes or no answer about the comparability of an academic qualification. In some case a full assessment of work experience entails a significant amount of work and could attract a fee.

[Guest joseph1801]

 

Migration points are awarded by the DIAC and the opinions of skills assessing bodies are advisory - and sometimes wrong

 

The comparability of overseas academic qualifications cf. Australian qualifications is decided by:

 

https://www.aei.gov.au/Services-And-Resources/Services/Country-Education-Profiles/About-CEP/Pages/default.aspx

 

All a skills assessing body can decide is whether the content of an academic qualification satisfies their particular criteria. They do not assess the comparability of an academic qualification per se, although some of them take money from applicants having asserted that they do.

 

There is currently no requirement to have either a 'work points assessment' or a qualifications assessment form any skills assessing authority. If you were to consult a registered migration agent and an application was going to 'blow up' for either of these reasons, you would be advised. It should not be necessary to pay to get a yes or no answer about the comparability of an academic qualification. In some case a full assessment of work experience entails a significant amount of work and could attract a fee.

 

 

Thanks for the info wrussell.

my situation is that initially the diac CO said I didn't have 65 points as she only awarded 10 education points - presumably for my mcse being equivalent to a diploma. I pointed out that I had a degree - albeit not related to my occupation. She then said I needed to get a vet assess advisory letter before my application could proceed. While this may not be legally binding or strictly a requirement of the visa application process, if it gets me through I guess it will have been worth the extra delay and expense.

 

Lesson - use an agent?

[wrussell]

excuse my typo/s