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The ACS Closely Related Assessment is one of the most misunderstood of the ACS migration skills assessment streams. Most ICT professionals believe that having an ICT degree is sufficient to consider work experience closely related, but actually both the qualification and work experience are assessed separately to be closely related to the nominated ANZSCO occupation to achieve a successful outcome.
CDR Australia Engineer creates application-ready documentation for ICT professionals who are applying for a skills assessment through the ACS General Skills Assessment pathway and whose qualifications may be closely related or even have an ICT minor or be partially related to their nominated ICT occupation. At CDR Australia Engineer, we understand the ACS skills assessment guidelines and structure all of the documents around the candidate’s real career and qualifications.
If your degree is partially related to the nominated ICT occupation, you have work experience in several occupations, or you don’t know how the ACS would classify your qualifications, CDR Australia Engineer can walk you through the entire process and produce the documents that provide your application with the firmest foundation.
In the ACS Migration Skills Assessment, ACS evaluates whether your qualifications and work experience are at a professional ICT level and closely related to your nominated ANZSCO occupation.
The term “closely related” appears at two stages of your assessment.
An ACS assessor reviews which ICT units in your qualification are considered closely related to your nominated occupation. At least 65% of the ICT content in your qualification must be closely related to the nominated occupation to meet the suitability criteria.
Your qualification is then classified as one of the following:
Your employment episodes are assessed to determine if they are considered closely related to and at the appropriate skill level for your nominated occupation. This is assessed using the SFIA (Skills Framework for the Information Age).
Your reference letters, job duties, and employment descriptions must directly align with the ANZSCO occupation tasks for your nominated code.
Whether your qualifications and experience are assessed as closely related has a direct impact on the following:
For a closely related ICT Major qualification, 2 years of relevant experience in the last 10 years, or 4 years anytime in your past work history, are required. If your qualification is not closely related or is assessed as a minor, significantly more experience is needed, up to 6 years or more.
ACS determines your “skills met date” based on when you accumulated sufficient experience after any applicable deduction period. A closely related outcome moves your skills met date earlier, meaning more of your work history counts for migration points.
The number of years ACS recognizes as skilled employment directly affects your points score under the General Skilled Migration program. A closely related outcome can mean several additional years of skilled employment, recognized, translating directly to more migration points.
Without a positive ACS skills assessment, including a closely related finding for both qualification and experience, you cannot lodge an Expression of Interest for Subclass 189, 190, or 491.
CDR australiaengineer specialises in high-quality CDR, RPL and VETASSESS reports for engineers. We offer low-cost, customized and reliable services in diverse engineering disciplines.
The General Skills Assessment is the primary pathway for ICT professionals with completed ICT or related qualifications. It covers applicants both inside and outside Australia.
Qualification Outcome | Experience Required |
ICT Major, Closely Related | 2 years in last 10 years OR 4 years anytime |
ICT Major, Not Closely Related | 5 years in last 10 years OR 6 years anytime |
ICT Minor | 5 years in last 10 years OR 6 years anytime |
Non-ICT / Insufficient | RPL pathway required |
If your ICT content falls below the minor threshold or you have no formal ICT qualification, the RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) pathway applies instead. We prepare RPL reports separately.
A complete ACS General Skills Assessment application requires the following.
Important: If you do not have all your documents ready, do not submit your application. ACS will deem an incomplete application as not decision-ready and finalize it as an unsuitable outcome.
These are the most frequent issues we identify and resolve before submission.
Complete document preparation for your ACS General Skills Assessment CV, employment reference letter review and drafting, qualification documentation guidance, and supporting evidence organization. Each document is organized to show directly relevant work experience and closely related qualification content.
ANZSCO relevant reference letters for all employment claims. It is tailored to the task of the occupation nominated by you and prepared in a style that meets ACS document format requirement. You can get them signed by your manager and issued on company letterhead for you to submit.
Pre-submission review of your academic transcripts and work history against the closely related criteria for your nominated ANZSCO code. We identify whether your qualification is likely to be assessed as closely related; major but not closely related; or minor and advise on the strongest application strategy before you pay ACS fees.
Already drafted your application documents? We review every element, reference letters, CV, transcript presentation, and ANZSCO alignment and revise until every document meets ACS standards.
If your ACS assessment resulted in an unsuitable finding, we analyze the outcome letter, identify every point of concern, and rebuild your documentation to directly address the assessor’s reasons for the decision.
Closely related means that at least 65% of your ICT qualification units directly align with the ANZSCO occupation you nominated and that your work experience duties are consistent with the tasks described for that occupation.
The ACS General Skills Assessment (including the closely related pathway) is for ICT professionals who hold a degree or diploma with sufficient ICT content. The RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) pathway is for those without a formal ICT qualification or with insufficient ICT content.
A closely related ICT Major outcome allows ACS to recognize work experience from earlier in your career, which moves your skills met date back. More years of skilled employment recognized by ACS translate directly to more points under the General Skilled Migration points test.
Yes. ACS accepts part-time work experience provided it was paid at a professional ICT level and performed for at least 20 hours per week. Part-time hours below 20 hours weekly are not assessed as relevant experience regardless of the duration of employment.
An unsuitable outcome is not final. ACS provides a written outcome note explaining the specific reasons so you can reapply with an improved application. A stronger resubmission with clearly ANZSCO-aligned documents significantly improves your prospects.
ACS now allows applicants to apply for up to three ANZSCO codes at once for a single fixed fee. Nominating multiple codes increases your chances of a suitable outcome if your experience spans more than one ICT occupation. However, each nominated code requires closely related evidence of your qualifications and work history.
Free consultation & document collection.
ANZSCO code & category assessment.
Expert CDR writing by engineers.
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