Who this may suit
Accounting graduates, professional accountants and employers reviewing an Australian accounting role or migration application.
Key considerations
- CPA Australia, CA ANZ and the Institute of Public Accountants are the specified assessing authority options.
- 221111 is on the MLTSSL and CSOL, but listing alone does not establish eligibility.
- A migration assessment is separate from professional membership and permission to provide regulated services.
Confirm the professional accounting role
The ABS occupation concerns professional services such as financial reporting, accounting systems and compliance-related accounting work. Compare the actual role with Management Accountant, Taxation Accountant and Finance Manager where relevant.
For a first review, explain the reports, accounting judgements or systems responsibilities you own. Distinguish professional analysis from routine data entry, invoice processing or bookkeeping. An “Accountant” title on a contract does not by itself establish the required skill level.
Prepare examples in plain language without supplying client tax returns or private company accounts through a general enquiry.
Start with qualification comparability and competencies
CPA Australia’s qualification assessment examines comparability to at least an Australian bachelor degree, educational competencies for the nominated occupation and English proficiency. CA ANZ publishes the same broad categories of assessment through its own current guidance.
Collect qualification awards and transcripts. Where required, provide the subject content needed to establish competency coverage. A course named “Business” or “Finance” should not be assumed to contain every accounting subject required for 221111.
If the assessment identifies missing subjects, review the authority’s recognised study options before enrolling. Professional membership pathways and migration assessment are separate; a membership decision does not automatically resolve a migration competency gap.
Decide whether an employment assessment is needed
Qualification assessment and skilled employment assessment are distinct. Do not import a VETASSESS employment pathway into an accounting-body application. Check which service and evidence your intended visa or points claim requires.
For example, CPA Australia considers employment after a suitable qualification outcome and applies its own rules on relevant post-qualification work, hours, periods and documentation. Study placements and volunteering are not recognised as skilled employment under that guidance.
Use an accurate chronology showing promotions and different accounting functions. Employer evidence should describe real duties for each role rather than copy an occupation definition. Review the outcome before claiming employment points.
Check the visa route and sponsored-position caveats
221111 appears on the MLTSSL and can be considered for 189, 190 and both 491 pathways, subject to their other requirements. State nomination and invitation prospects need separate assessment.
It is also on the CSOL for 482 Core Skills and 186 Direct Entry. Both instruments attach caveats excluding clerical, bookkeeping or accounting-clerk positions, businesses with annual turnover below AUD1 million, and businesses with fewer than five employees.
An offer from a small business should therefore be reviewed before assuming that these sponsored routes are available. Home Affairs uses ANZSCO 2022 for 482/186 and ANZSCO 2013 for other skilled subclasses.
Check Skills in Demand sponsorship →
Plan separately for membership and regulated practice
A migration skills assessment does not make you a CPA or Chartered Accountant, register you as a tax agent, or authorise you to act as a registered company auditor.
The Tax Practitioners Board requires registration for tax-agent or BAS services provided for a fee or reward unless an exemption applies. Employment and supervision arrangements can matter. ASIC has a separate registration framework for company auditors.
Identify the services you intend to perform and check the relevant professional or regulatory requirements. An internal accounting job, public practice and signing an audit report can raise different questions; do not assume a visa grant answers them all.
Check tax-practitioner registration rules →
Review ASIC company-auditor requirements →
How we can help
Ausdirect can help align your occupation, qualification assessment and employment evidence with a visa strategy, while identifying professional-practice requirements that need separate attention.
Questions to consider
Does an Australian accounting degree guarantee permanent residence?
No. It may support an assessment, but the assessment outcome, visa criteria and any invitation or nomination process must still be satisfied.
Must I already be a member of an accounting body?
Review the chosen body’s migration service rather than assuming professional membership and migration assessment are the same. They are separate processes with their own requirements.
Does a positive 221111 assessment authorise tax-agent work?
No. Tax-agent and BAS registration rules are separate and depend on the services and arrangements. Check the TPB requirements and exemptions before providing those services.
Your next step
Bring your qualifications, transcripts, English-test history and employment chronology. General information checked on 17 October 2026.