Skills assessment · Accountants
Accountant skills assessment for Australian migration: CPA Australia, CA ANZ or IPA, and the occupation codes
An accountant migrating to Australia on a skilled visa almost always needs a positive skills assessment first, and for accounting there is a choice of three assessing bodies: CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and the Institute of Public Accountants. Each assesses whether the qualification compares with an Australian accounting degree and covers the required knowledge areas, each sets its own English requirement, and each can separately assess post-qualification employment. This page sets out which body assesses which occupation, what the assessments look at, and how the accounting occupation codes differ.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed November 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Assessing bodies
- CPA Australia, CA ANZ, IPA
- Occupations they assess
- Accountant (General), Management, Taxation, External Auditor
- Internal Auditor
- Assessed by VETASSESS
- Qualification assessment
- Degree comparability and core knowledge areas
- English
- Each body sets its own requirement
- Employment
- A separate assessment, after a suitable qualification outcome
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About the CPD →MARN 1576536 · Assessing authorities from the Home Affairs skilled occupation list, read 6 November 2026
Who assesses which accounting occupation
The Department's occupation list names the assessing authority for every occupation. For the accounting group it reads as follows:
| Occupation | ANZSCO | Assessed by | On the CSOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accountant (General) | 221111 | CA ANZ, CPA Australia, IPA | Yes |
| Management Accountant | 221112 | CA ANZ, CPA Australia, IPA | Yes |
| Taxation Accountant | 221113 | CA ANZ, CPA Australia, IPA | Yes |
| External Auditor | 221213 | CA ANZ, CPA Australia, IPA | Yes |
| Internal Auditor | 221214 | VETASSESS | Yes |
| Company Secretary | 221211 | VETASSESS | Yes |
Where three bodies are named, the applicant chooses one. The choice does not change the occupation or the visa; it changes the process, the fee, the processing options and the English tests accepted. An assessment from one body is not transferred to another, so a change of mind means a new application.
What the qualification assessment looks at
All three bodies begin with the qualification. The question is whether it compares with an Australian bachelor-level accounting qualification and whether the subjects studied cover the core areas of accounting knowledge each body lists. A degree that is comparable in level but leaves gaps in the knowledge areas can come back with those gaps identified, and the bodies offer ways to fill them through further study before a reassessment. A qualification assessment is made for a nominated occupation, so the occupation code is chosen before the application, not after.
English for the assessment, separate from the visa
Each body sets an English requirement for the skills assessment itself. CPA Australia states that its English requirement has to be met, together with the degree and competency requirements, for a successful outcome, and it points applicants to Home Affairs for the visa's own English requirement. The two are separate tests of the same person: the assessment's English requirement, which can be specific about the test type and the minimum score in each band, and the visa's, which sets the level for the visa and, for points-tested visas, the points English earns. A result that meets one does not automatically meet the other, so both are checked before a test is booked.
Skilled employment assessment
Post-qualification work experience is assessed separately. CA ANZ states that its skilled employment assessment is available only after a suitable qualification outcome from CA ANZ, and IPA's employment assessment form is for applicants who already hold a suitable IPA qualification assessment. For a points-tested visa, an employment assessment from the body is one way to support the claim for employment points, and the claim is still tested by the Department at the visa stage.
The accounting occupation codes
Accountant (General) 221111, Management Accountant 221112 and Taxation Accountant 221113 are separate occupations, each with its own ANZSCO description of duties. External Auditor 221213 shares the same three assessing bodies; Internal Auditor 221214 and Company Secretary 221211 are assessed by VETASSESS. The nominated occupation should be the one whose description the qualification and the work actually fit, because the skills assessment, the expression of interest, any state nomination and the visa all refer back to the same code.
For employer sponsorship there is one more check. On the Core Skills Occupation List the accounting occupations carry caveats that exclude clerical and bookkeeping positions and positions in businesses below set turnover and staff numbers. The caveats guide sets them out.
Fees and processing
The three bodies publish their own fees and processing options, which change from time to time; CA ANZ, for example, states that its full members do not pay the migration skills assessment fee. Our skills assessment fees page carries the current published figures with the date each was read.
After the assessment
A suitable outcome is the entry ticket, not the visa. For a points-tested visa the next steps are the English result, the points and an expression of interest, and in many cases a state nomination; for employer sponsorship they are the nomination and the 482 or 186 requirements. The outcome letter has a validity period, so the timing of the assessment matters as much as the result.
Plan the assessment as part of the visa
A consultation settles the occupation code, the visa and the order of the assessment, the English test and the application, so the outcome letter is still valid when it is needed.
Book a consultation — A$330 inc. GST, credited
General information only, current at 8 November 2026; not advice on your own case. Assessing authorities from the Department of Home Affairs skilled occupation list as read on the date shown above; assessment rules from the published pages of CPA Australia, CA ANZ and the Institute of Public Accountants, which change from time to time. WIDEN is not affiliated with any assessing body. Outcomes depend on the assessing body's and the Department’s assessment of each application; no registered migration agent can guarantee a result (Code of Conduct, Migration Agents Regulations). Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.
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Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536), reads your situation with you and tells you which route fits, what it costs and what happens next.
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What you get
- 30 minutes (A$330) or 60 minutes (A$550) by video with a registered migration agent, Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.
- A written summary of your options and next steps after the session.
- What to bring: Passport, current visa, CV, qualifications, English result, and a skills assessment or job offer if you have one.
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MARN 1576536 · practising since 2015 · contact details
Questions we get asked first
Who assesses accountants for Australian migration?
Three bodies: CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) and the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA). On the Department's occupation list each of them is named for Accountant (General), Management Accountant, Taxation Accountant and External Auditor. Internal Auditor and Company Secretary are assessed by VETASSESS instead.
Does it matter which of the three I choose?
For the visa, each is an approved assessing authority for those occupations. The bodies differ in their process, fees, processing options and English test rules, and an assessment from one body is not moved to another, so the choice is made at the start.
Is the English requirement for the assessment the same as for the visa?
No. Each body sets its own English requirement for the skills assessment, and CPA Australia states that its requirement must be met, in addition to the degree and competency requirements, for a successful outcome. The visa then has its own English requirement, set by Home Affairs, and a score that satisfies one does not automatically satisfy the other.
What is the difference between 221111, 221112 and 221113?
They are the ANZSCO codes for Accountant (General), Management Accountant and Taxation Accountant. Each is a separate occupation with its own description of duties, and the skills assessment and the visa are made for one nominated occupation. Choosing the code is a matter of which description the qualification and work actually fit.
What does the consultation cost?
A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes by video with Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536), credited in full if you engage WIDEN. For an accountant the session places the skills assessment within the visa plan: which occupation code, which visa, and the order in which the assessment, the English test and the application should happen.
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