Psychologists

Information for Psychologists regarding visas and immigration to Australia.

Overview:

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) is the national assessing authority in Australia for assessment of overseas academic qualifications in psychology for the purpose of migration. For a fee, the APS determines the level at which an applicant's qualifications are equivalent to an Australian programme of study that has been accredited by the Society.

This service is for people who are seeking to:

• Migrate to Australia under the General Skilled Migration Categories;
• Register or work as a psychologist in Australia; or
• Enter accredited psychology courses in Australia Universities.

Information for overseas applicants

The Australian Government has nominated the APS as the assessing body for overseas psychologists applying for migration to Australia under the General Skilled Migration categories. This means the Society is the only body in Australia that can assess psychology qualifications for migration to Australia under these categories.

Please note that people seeking to migrate under the General Skilled Migration categories must have complete the equivalent of an APS accredited six-year programme of study in psychology.

For further details on requirements for migration to Australia, please contact us or communicate with your consultant in your client area

Assessment of Qualifications

If you intend to migrate to Australia on the basic of your skills, the Australian Psychological Society is the relevant accessing authority for the following occupations:

• Psychologist - Clinical Psychologist
• Psychologist - Educational Psychologist
• Psychologist - Organisational Psychologist
• Psychologist - Psychologist (nec)

What Information do I need to Supply ?

In order to assess an individual's qualifications the APS requires a completed assessment of psychology qualifications application form and certified copies of relevant documentation.

Required documents include:

• Originally certified copies of transcripts and completion certificates for all undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in psychology
• Certified copies of thesis/research project/dissertation extracts (if relevant)
• A certified copy of evidence of membership of psychology organisation(s) (if relevant)
• A certified copy of evidence of licensure/registration as a psychologist (if relevant)
• A certified copy of a marriage certificate or change of name documentation (if relevant)
• A certified copy of your IELTS examination results (if relevant)

How long does an Assessment take ?

Assessing qualifications is a complex process and the current approximate processing time is eight weeks. However the processing time may exceed eight weeks depending on the complexity of an individual's application and whether all the necessary documents have been provided.

Translation of documents into English

All non-English documents must be accompanied by a certified English translation.

If the documents are translated in a country where the translation is made. Ask the Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate for advice if you are unsure.

Translators in Australia are listed in the Yellow Pages telephone book and should be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).

Keep the original translation for your future use. Send only certified copies of the English translation. Refer to the following section for details on how to have your document certified.

Certification

It is essential that copies of documents are certified.

This mean that you should send copies which have been formally endorsed as true copies of the originals by a person or agency recognised by the law of your country and recognised by the Australian Embassy, High Commission or Immigration Office for this purpose.

In Australia, person who may certify documents include Justices of the Peace (JPs), Commissioners for Declarations, and legal practitioners. The APS also accepts documents which have been certified by an accountant, notary, pharmacist, physiotherapist, police officer or psychologist. The certifying officer must not be a family member or spouse.

To have your copies certified you will need to present both the original and the copy of each document to the person certifying the copies. Each copy of the document must be certified separately and must show clearly:

• the words 'certified as a true copy of the original';
• the signature of the certifying officer; and
• the name and address or provider/registration number (where appropriate) of the certifying officer legibly printed below the signature. It must be possible, from the details provided, for the APS to contact the certifying officer if necessary.

Please note that it is the certified document itself which must be submitted with your application A photocopy of a certified document is not valid.