Social Worker’s Pathway To Australia
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Social Worker’s Pathway To Australia

Exclusive Australian Immigration News, Updates & Opportunities

If you are migrating to Australia and seeking recognition as a qualified social worker for migration and/or employment purposes, the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) acts on behalf of the Australian Government to assess academic social work qualifications by assessing your qualification against the IQA criteria set out below. The AASW also assess post-qualifying work experience for migration purposes.

Criteria for assessment – IQA
There are five Criteria which must all be met for a positive assessment for migration and employment purposes:

Criterion 1: The qualification must be a specific qualification in social work.

Criterion 2: The qualification must be regarded as a professional social work qualification in the country of training.
Criterion 3: The learning outcomes of the professional social work qualification is comparable to the learning outcomes that graduates of AASW accredited social work qualifications must demonstrate.
Criterion 4: At least 980 hours of field education in at least two placements and with two contrasting practice foci, with a requirement that one placement must be in direct practice.

Criterion 5: A high level English language skill (as per the AASW English language policy) is demonstrated. The AASW reserves the right to ask an applicant to take the Academic IELTS examination if there is uncertainty about their level of English proficiency. NOTE: The AASW ONLY accepts Academic IELTS.

General information for all applicants
The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) is the professional representative body of social workers in Australia, with more than 13,000 members. The AASW is a recognised Assessing Authority by the Australian Federal Government. The AASW is an Accrediting Authority for higher education courses in social work. The AASW is an Assessing Authority for comparability and equivalency of international qualifications in social work.
To be a qualified social worker in Australia, tertiary qualifications in social work are required. An AASW accredited social work qualification is the entry level requirement for professional social work practice in Australia. AASW accredited social work courses are undertaken through Australian Higher Education Providers.
The AASW assesses social work qualifications gained overseas for comparability and equivalency to the required Australian social work qualification standard, and provides assessment of AASW accredited courses or mutually recognised social work qualifications for membership eligibility and migration skills assessment purposes.
The AASW assessment can be relied on for the purposes of applying to the Department of Home Affairs of the Australian Government for some migration purposes.
Social work is not yet a registered profession in Australia. However, many employers require social workers to be eligible for membership of the AASW. If you wish your AASW membership eligibility to be assessed, you will need to indicate this on the Application Form. The assessment of membership eligibility is included as an option, for no additional fee, if you are applying for Assessment of overseas social work qualifications for migration purposes.
The AASW assesses post-qualifying Skilled Employment for migration purposes. This is an optional assessment. An additional Skilled Employment Assessment Fee applies. A Skilled Employment Assessment can be undertaken as part of an assessment for migration purposes, which the Department of Home Affairs may use to award additional points. The skilled occupation category ANZSCO 272511 – Social Worker is currently listed on the Australian Government’s Combined current list of eligible skilled occupations.

A Doctorate Degree Assessment is another OPTIONAL additional assessment that applicants can apply for: (the applicant must have had their SW qualification assessed prior to this).

The Dept of Home Affairs may award 5 additional points to those holding a doctorate degree level qualification and is included as part of their migration application. Applicants holding a doctorate degree relevant to social work may apply to have this degree assessed by the AASW

The AASW is unable to provide migration advice, and recommends contacting the Department of Home Affairs for further information regarding visa options, points tests and other visa related questions via their website: www.homeaffairs.gov.au

Application forms
The International Qualifications Assessments applications which can be made to the AASW as an Assessing Authority are primarily made by completing Application Forms 1 to 7:

You can access the Application Forms here.

Reading the Application Forms is a recommended first step to clarify which application you wish to make and so that you are able to compile the required documentation to support your application.
You may apply to AASW from Australia or from overseas. Note: applications must be submitted by hard copy.
Further helpful links
As well as reading your Application Form in detail, before preparing your application and again before submitting an application, you should also read the following AASW information:
You should also read these further linked pages:
This gives you the best chance of preparing a complete application so that your application is considered in a timely manner.
A complete application demonstrates your professional level of attention to detail and also your recognition of the importance of the role of the Assessing Authority in making an assessment.
How to Apply for your Skills Assessment

• You may obtain further information on how to apply for your ‘Skills Assessment’ via simply clicking on the blue links located on ‘page 8 and 9’ of the APPLICATION GUIDE’ (located in Step 4).