NZQA and qualification needed for professional registration

[MLVB]

I have a job offer in New Zealand as an Anaesthetic Technician starting in January 2016.

I'm applying for a Skilled Migrant Category residency visa and I have a question about my qualification and the NZQA. I have a Diploma in Higher Education gained through the University of Leicester. My subject was Operating Department Practice and the course was 2 years full time.

My registration with the professional body in New Zealand is through the Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand and you cannot work as an Anaesthetic Technician without registration and an Annual Practicing Certificate. As part of gaining registration they looked at my qualification and assessed it as being comparable to those gained in New Zealand for the same job. Does this mean I don't have to have my qualification assessed by NZQA?

[Karen Phillips]

Hi. If you need professional registration to practice (as in your case) and the NZ Medical Council (or whichever professional body) checks out your qualifications and gives you registration (or sometime provisional registration until you are in NZ), then you don't have to go through the NZQA process. Just occasionally this fools new Case Officers at INZ, so if anyone at INZ insists you do need this, just go back to them and ask them to check it.

[MLVB]

Thank you Karen. I've also emailed the professional body themselves to clarify. If they say it's an official assessment of my qualification, I'll get a letter from them and submit it along with my Visa application.

[Karen Phillips]

No problem. This is where you can see it in black and white http://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/40518.htm - see paragraph d.

[MLVB]

My Expression of Interest was selected from the pool on Wednesday. I asked for clarification from the Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand about my qualification and received this reply (my comments are in bold for the sake of this post). I just want a second opinion that this says what I think it does i.e. my qualification has been assessed by the professional body as being the direct equivalent of the named New Zealand qualification which is a Level 5 Diploma under the NZQF and entitles me to 40 points on the EOI. I planned on sending on all of this information along with my Application for the SMC visa...



"There are a number of qualifications that have been prescribed by the Medical Sciences Council as Substantially equivalent to the standard qualification in New Zealand. The Medical Sciences Council has deemed that a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) Operating Department Practice is equivalent/satisfactory as the New Zealand prescribed qualification. There a number of UK Universities listed as offering an equivalent DipHE, the University of Leicester is one of the approved Universities. (this is the qualification I have from he University of Leicester

In order for this qualification to be deemed equivalent, the applicant must have registration the Health Professions Council (HPC) and have at least 3680 (2 years full time equivalent) post qualification relevant and specialised anaesthetic technology experience. (All of which I have)

This is equivalent to the prescribed New Zealand qualification and experience.

New Zealand Qualifications:
The Council has prescribed the following New Zealand qualifications for a practitioner to be eligible for registration as an Anaesthetic Technician:

· The Diploma in Applied Science (Anaesthetic Technology) as issued by the Auckland University of Technology;
· The Graduate Certificate in Applied Science (Anaesthetic Technology) as issued by the Auckland University of Technology.
Graduates of these prescribed qualification programmes must also sit and pass an Anaesthetic Technician registration examination. To be eligible to sit the registration examination, graduates must have completed 5520 hours (3 years fulltime equivalent) working as a Trainee Anaesthetic Technician in a New Zealand training hospital.

Your qualification was not sent for assessment, as the qualification has already been deemed equivalent to the New Zealand standard."

[Karen Phillips]

That's exactly how I read it - that you meet the criteria!

[MLVB]

I received my ITA today and despite what I thought in the posts above, I'm being asked to get a NZQA assessment...

'Original or certified copies of your qualification certificate and academic transcript. As your qualification is not on the List of Qualifications Exempt From Assessment (Appendix 3 of the Operational Manual) or the List of Qualifications Recognised as an Exception (Appendix 8 of the Operational Manual), you must also submit a full NZQA International Qualification Assessment. Please note that a full NZQA International Qualification Assessment can take several weeks to obtain. Please apply to NZQA (www.nzqa.govt.nz) as soon as you receive this invitation to ensure you can obtain your assessment before your four month period expires. An NZQA IQA is required confirming your qualification at a level 5.'

Not a problem but it's extra expense and time. Is it worth getting back to them to argue the point or is this final?

[Karen Phillips]

I wouldn't do this without going back to INZ and checking - I had this exact same problem with a client who was a Doctor - a consultant. The Case Officer said he had to have an IQA. I argued that he didn't because his acceptance by the registration body was sufficient. The Case Officer then went to the Technical Advisor, who agreed with me. There are lots of new staff at INZ. It is possible this one hasn't been allocated one of these cases before. On the other hand, it is just possible that there is something in the rules specifically relating to Anaesthetic Technicians which i don't know. I suggest you send them a copy of the communication from the Medical Sciences Council in which you highlight the last sentence. Quote http://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/40518.htm - SM14.5 (d). Send me a private message if you like.

[MLVB]

I've been back in touch with INZ about this and they've insisted that I get an IQA, which I've now applied for.

They said that although they recognise that I cannot legally be a practicing Anesthetic Technician without registering with the Medical Sciences Council and holding an Annual Practicing Certificate, they do not recognise the Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand - though they do still recognise the organisation that it was before it changed it name (The Medical Laboratory Science Board). I've made several calls to INZ to argue the point and gain clarification but I'm not getting anywhere. It seems easier just to get the IQA.

I do note that despite saying they do not recognise the professional body they ARE insisting on seeing my professional registration and annual practicing certificate issued from that professional body as part of the documents to be submitted with the ITA...

Your registration documents, including your current practicing certificate if it is required for your occupation.

[Karen Phillips]

Did you speak to someone in London or the Customer Helpline? It's just that London branch was closed on Friday and today, so wondered if you had spoken to someone in NZ - the Helpline is not always 100% reliable, but it might be in this case. Send me a Private Message if you think I can help. It's just that I had a client who is an Anaesthetic Technician from the UK last year and INZ only wanted the registration - nothing else?? She was going for a temp visa though, so it might be different but I can't think why it would be. (You need to have made 5 posts before you can send Private Messages).