Hi everyone,
I am asking this for a friend, who has just applied for SMC under the new policy effective after August 28 2017.
It seems that the requirements for recognition of skilled work experience are as follows:
"Points are awarded for skilled work experience in a skill level 1, 2 or 3 occupation if an immigration officer is satisfied that:
the work undertaken substantially matched (see SM7.10.5) the description for that occupation as set out in the Australia New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO); and
the applicant was suitably qualified (see SM7.10.10) for that work prior to the work experience for which points are claimed.
Also,
An applicant will be assessed as suitably qualified in terms of SM7.10.1 (b) above if they hold a relevant qualification as specified in the ANZSCO for that occupation.
For the purposes of this provision, a qualification is relevant to an applicant’s employment in a skill level 1, 2 or 3 occupation for which they are claiming points for skilled work experience if:
the major subject area of the principal applicant's recognised qualification is directly applicable to the employment; or
an immigration officer is satisfied that the qualification was a key factor in the employer's decision to employ the principal applicant in that position." (Operations Manual, SMC)
1. So my friend's job was definitely skilled (ANZSCO Market Research Analyst) and we have a fair overlap with the duties so first condition is taken care of.
2. We are stuck with the second condition, he holds a bachelor's degree in engineering physics and the work he did was a lot of math, stat and computer application based tools. We can show from his transcript that over 4 years, he took about 7 courses that were directly relevant to his field of work. In fact, the employer hires students with this degree because they are pretty good with quantitative, computing and analytical skills.
My friend's LIA is pointing out that his degree and work experience are not compatible, hence he can't claim points here. But we think otherwise because the nature of courses needs to be considered here before just looking at the major and deciding. Do you think my friend and I have some ground here?
Worst comes worst, if the case officer denies those 10 points (for 2.5 years of work ex), is there a way we can corroborate our claims? A letter from my friend's manager, perhaps?
Suggestions and comments are welcome!