NEED ADVICE: WELSH TONY, and anyone else Sender: welshtony

Hi Nirakar

The ACS have a policy that part-time work, to be counted, needs to be at least 20 hours per week. DIMIA has legislation that requires paid send experience to be a minimum of 20 hours per week. There is no discretion for the DIMIA officer if it is 19 hours per week and 40 hours during holidays to give an average of 25 hours per week. The ACS MIGHT, and I stress MIGHT, recognise this period buttUMING it was seen as send IT experience.

If the ACS do recognise this experience, they will give 50% credit for such part-time work so your best case scenario would be:

17.5 months for 01-00 to 04-02 (based on 8 months part-time and 4 months full-time each year) 14 months for 07-02 to 09-03 - full-time work will be another 17.75 for current period of 09-03 to 12-05

So you would be right on the (buttuming you have a recognised IT degree) required 4 year IT experience.

DIMIA's required 12 month in the last 18 month period, you will not be able to meet, but you will have 4 months full-time experience followed by a 4 month period of non-countable part-time experience in the previous 8 months as at 12-05. If you complete your post-graduate in 12-05 and get back into full-time work, after 8 months yo uwould then have the required 12 months for DIMIA.

I think you need to know asap what, if any of your experience while studying is likely to be counted so consult an experienced ACS skills consultant and see if it is worth applying for an ACS buttessment now. Even if it fails, it may list some periods as recognisable and then you will know exactly how much further IT experience you need.

You should never claim to have worked 20 hours if it is the case that you you never actually did you can claim to have worked say an average of 26 or 27 hours per week over a 12 month period. Like I said, this probably will not wash with DIMIA but MIGHT wash with the ACS.

Tony

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