RPLHelp - provides assistance to anyone who is preparing an Australia Computer Society (ACS) Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) application for assessment for migration, including example CBOK sections, project reports and references.

This section aims to provide practical advice on where to start with an ACS RPL application and gives the answers to frequently asked questions. I intend to supplement the information in this section as and when it becomes available and hope to summarise interesting threads from the Forum here too.

Where do I start?

If you're considering applying for a migration visa for Australia, and you work within the IT sector, you'll need to get your skills assessed by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) before being able to complete any visa application. The only place to start is www.acs.org.au: on their website you'll find lots of information about what you need to do to complete a skills assessment application. Basically the ACS provide two types of assessment, see the RPL section to find out more.

Do I need to complete an RPL application?

The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessment is designed to enable applicants without an Australian equivalent degree or diploma in IT to be recognised as IT professionals by way of their professioinal commercial experience.

So if you don't possess a degree or diploma in IT then you'll need to consider an RPL application.

How much experience do I need?

Generally speaking for an RPL assessment the ACS require eight years professional experience.

OK, I need to do an RPL application, how?

Once you've decided that you're suitable for an RPL application you need to start the hard work. You must study the ACS guidelines and CBOK information very carefully and understand what it's trying to achieve. Your RPL application needs to show what you've learnt during your career not just what you've done. This is a subtle descriptive difference but I regard it as the key to the RPL. Think 'I learnt' rather than 'I did'.

I'll explain the process that I went through in order to achieve a positive assessment, but of course this is by no means the only way to go about the RPL.

I started by taking my CV and produced a more detailed version, trying to remember more of the details of the duties I undertook during my time with a specific company or on a particular project. The more you start to think back about what you've done the more you'll start to remember, trust me!

Once I had the detailed CV I then revisited the CBOK section descriptions and started writing notes for each section and tasks I'd undertook at each company that related to that CBOK section. I then went back over and reviewed and re-wrote it twice over.

It was at this point that I lost my motivation and left the process for some months. Not being confident in my own ability I decided to engage an immigration agent to help and motivate me to finish the process. Fortunately because I'd already completed most of the work for the RPL I got a discount from the agent! After working through the RPL CBOK sections with the help of my agent I finally sent off the application to the ACS. In hindsight I think what I already had would probably have been good enough to get a positive assessment straight off, but who can tell. Having the backup of someone with experience of going through the process certainly does help.

How many CBOK sections should I complete?

This is a tricky question and I get asked it all the time.The ACS's guidelines don't really give much help either. Unfortunately I can't give a definitive answer: I completed 11 out the 14 CBOK sections and that was certainly more than I expected to do when I first read the CBOK guidelines. I have heard of one RPL where only seven of the sections were completed. I guess it depends on the length and breadth of your knowledge but I would encourage you to fill in as many sections as possible, even experience that doesn't immediately seem relevant often can be.

How much should I write for each CBOK section?

Again another tricky question. One of my CBOK sections was only 189 words long whereas my longest was 1,941 words long. I've heard of an RPL where each CBOK section was only a paragraph long (50-100 words)! To give a ball-park idea, my RPL CBOK sections excluding Project Reports (each of which was approx 1,000 words) was 12,000 words. Contributors to the Forum have produced RPL CBOKs ranging from 6,000 to 25,000 words. Again it'll depend on the number of years' experience that you include in your application.

Does it really matter about getting references that list my duties?

It is vital that you have sufficiently detailed references to accompany your RPL application. Without them your application will probably fail. The ACS's FAQs section explains what is required on a reference.

I'm having trouble getting a sufficiently detailed reference from a previous employer, what can I do?

If you absolutely need the experience for a particular job to be recognised you must obtain at least a 'statement of employment' type reference or 'HR reference' from the company in question. This basically just details the dates you joined and left the company, whether you were full or part time and your job title. If the company no longer exists, any offer letters, contracts of employment or P60s, P45 and payslips may help in establishing you actually worked for them. If you at least get the basic reference and/or offer letters, payslips etc, you'll also need a 'list of duties' type reference. You need to try and get this from colleagues or ex-colleagues. This task may seem impossible for companies you left years ago and where you didn't keep in touch with anyone but these types of references are vital to your application's success. Try friends of friends of ex-colleagues, or Friendsreunited which has a workplace section. Again you'll be surprised as to how much information you can gather with the help of the Internet. If your ex-colleague still works for the company in question, then get them to write your reference on company letterhead paper and include their business card, otherwise ask them to include their name and address and a contact telephone number. You'll also need to accompany this reference with a statutory declaration explaining your relationship. See the References section for examples of my references, both company and personal ones, to get a flavour as to what is acceptable.

Failing the above, you will need to write a statutory declaration detailing why you are unable to provide a reference. This should be used as a last resort option - it is at the discretion of the ACS as to whether or not this will be accepted.

Can you recommend an immigration agent with RPL experience?

I will only recommend an agent who I've used personally or know has helped someone else to obtain a positive RPL assessment. If you'd like to know who I used and whether I'd recommend them please send an email to info@rplhelp.com and I'll let you know what I know.

How long will the ACS take to process my application?

This seems to vary all the time: my application (submitted 23rd September 2005) took 46 days but others may take less or more time, check out www.austimeline.com for a more up to date processing time. Four to eight weeks is the normal range.

What's the best way of getting my application to the ACS?

I have used two methods to get my documents to Australia: one was using the UK's 'Royal Mail International Signed For' delivery, for about �8 - you get a polythene envelope and pre-paid postage for 0.5 kg . This method takes about a week for delivery to Australia and is tracked until it leaves the country. Unfortunately the package doesn't need to be signed for at the other end (the service name therefore being something of a misnomer!), so you will never actually know for certain if it was delivered until you get an acknowledgement from the recipient. I was sending documents to my agent so had confirmation of arrival instantly. You won't get that when sending directly to the ACS.

The other method I used was www.interparcel.com. I chose the 'DHL Document Only' service. DHL collect the documents within a specified time window and will provide an envelope if you wish. If you package it yourself don't bother sealing it as the courier may need to open the package and check the contents before accepting it. You'll receive a DHL tracking number and will be able to track the package all the way to the recipient; you even get to see the name of the person that signed for your package! At about �27 this is obviously more expensive but does let you have the peace of mind that you can track it all the way. If it does go missing en route attempts will be made to try and find it. When sending many certified copies consider the cost to you in terms of time as well as money to redo them and select the postal service accordingly.

What else do I need to send off with my application?

You need to send the following:

ACS application form;
RPL application form;
Two project reports;
Fee (currently A$400);
Your CV;
Certified copies of all references;
Certified copy of any statutory declaration;
Certified copies of all your tertiary qualification certificates and transcripts;
Certified copies of any certificates for professional training courses;
Certified copy of your passport bio-data information page (the one with your photo on it);
Certified copies of any letters of commendation and the like;
Certified copies of offer letters, contracts of employment, P60s, P45s, payslips, etc.

What are certified copies and what needs to be copied?

Certified copies are those that have been made and subsequently confirmed (by being witnessed) as being genuine copies of the original. Only certain people as recognised by the law in the country in question can certify copies.

In the UK, a wide range can assist including but not limited to: magistrate, justice of the peace, solicitor,dentist and doctor. In the USA, only a Notary Public can carry out this service. Whoever you engage for this service will need to see the original document and will then either stamp and sign copies you've made or alternatively make copies themselves and stamp and sign them to state that the copies are a true copy of the original document.

Fees for getting this done vary considerably: some find the cheapest way is to book an appointment at the local Magistrates Court while others find a local solicitor cheaper. You should expect to pay in the region of 50p to �5 per copy depending on the amount of copies required.

My advice is to ring around as many local solicitors as you can if your local magistrates court is too expensive or cannot help, and if you're getting lots of copies (more than ten) don't pay more than �1 a copy. A single copy will cost around �5. Remember everything you send to the ACS will also need to be sent to DIMA with the main visa application, so you'll ultimately have to get two certified copies of everything. My advise is to therefore kill two birds with one stone and get two certified copies of each document from the outset.

In the USA, Notary Publics at banks more often than not provide a free service to existing customers. They can also sometimes be found at FedEx Kinko�s (photocopying outlet) � fees vary. Alternatively look in your local phonebook for your nearest Notary Public � you shouldn�t have to pay more than USD $1.

Which ASCO code to choose?

Try and choose an ASCO code and specialisation from the ACS guidelines with the description that most closely relates to your day-to-day duties. Don't worry too much about getting this precisely correct since if the ACS assesses you to be in a different category they'll inform you on the acceptance letter.

Small print:
This section provides information that I have gathered both personally and via various forums including but not limited to the RPLHelp forum. The information provided is not intended to be authoritative, but rather as a guide drawn up from my own experiences. Please do your own research before taking any actions based on the information contained here. I am not a registered migration agent and will not provide any migration related advice; any advice herein is intended only to assist with the ACS RPL skills assessment application process.