The IQA assessment criteria is the same for both an assessment to determine eligibility for AASW membership for employment purposes or for both employment purposes and migration purposes. An assessment outcome notice is prepared for each type of outcome decision but they are used differently. Please refer to previous FAQ for more information.

A qualification assessment outcome letter for migration purposes is provided to the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs as part of your visa application to live and work in Australia.

A qualification assessment for employment purposes (that is, a statement of AASW membership eligibility) can be provided to employers when you are applying for or starting work as a social worker in Australia.

If you would like to migrate AND work in Australia, we encourage you to apply for both assessments at the same time for the one fee. Just tick the box for both assessments on Application 1. 

The Department of Home Affairs may award additional points for a relevant skilled employment history. You can apply for a Skilled Employment Assessment as part of your international social worker qualification assessment for migration purposes. 

The AASW can assess your post-qualifying social work employment (i.e. skilled employment) and advise the Department of Home Affairs whether your work experience meets the appropriately skilled level of a social worker in Australia. If you have overseas qualifications, please refer to page 7 of  Application Form 1  (Application for Assessment of International Social Work Qualifications) for more information. If you have Australian AASW accredited social work qualifications, please refer to page 2 of  Application Form 2 (Assessment of AASW accredited social work qualifications for migration purposes) for more information.

Costs for a Skilled Employment Assessment of post-qualifying employment either overseas or in Australia are listed under ‘Fees’ above.

If you are on a working holiday visa, we recommend ticking both the migration and employment purposes box on our application form when you apply for a qualification assessment for employment purposes. This will provide you with a migration assessment notice at no extra cost or time. You can provide the notice to the Australian Department of Home Affairs if you want to extend your stay in Australia, or if you wish to apply for a different visa type. 

Even if you are registered in another country, you will need to apply for an AASW assessment of your social work qualifications and individual circumstances to determine whether your qualification is comparable to an Australian social work qualification for employment purposes (AASW membership eligibility) and/or migration purposes.

If you have completed a recognised New Zealand social work qualification, are currently fully registered with the NZSWRB and are eligible to hold an Annual Practising Certificate (APC), you can apply under the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). Applicants who apply under this Agreement are still required to meet the English Language Requirements as per the AASW’s English Language Policy.

The AASW can assess qualifications that are lower than degree level if you submit supporting documentation to provide evidence of how your initial social work qualifying program meets the AASW criteria listed above.

You can do this by submitting a professional statement of up to 3,000 words that provides evidence of other relevant formal studies, or of paid professional work experience/employment. This evidence must be verified by a referee. Refer to page 6 of Application Form 1 for further details. You will need to complete section 6 of Application Form 1.

You need to be a qualified social worker to apply to the AASW. We can only assess your qualifications as eligible if you have a specific social work qualification and meet the five criteria listed above, including a social work qualification from an accredited social work program that is eligible for registration in your country of training (where such a body exists), the curriculum and fieldwork placements are comparable to an Australian AASW social work program and you meet the AASW English Language Policy. For example, a person with a qualification in social care from the Republic of Ireland is not able to register in Ireland, so this is not recognised as a social work qualification. This person would not receive a positive assessment from the AASW based solely on that qualification.

If you have completed all the required units of study, including field work placements, and all other criteria have been met, the AASW can assess your three-year degree. If the three-year degree does not meet the AASW learning outcomes as detailed in the application forms, we may ask you to submit further information regarding your relevant studies or paid post-qualifying social work experience. This could include a Professional Statement of up to 3,000 words. Please see Application Form 1 for further information. Please also refer to the FAQ about preparing a Professional Statement.

The AASW maintains the professional standards in Australian social work but also recognises the value of internationally qualified social workers to Australia’s multicultural society. It is now possible for the AASW to assess international professional social work qualifications that are lower than bachelor degree level in combination with evidence of paid post-qualifying social work experience, an assessed year, or further relevant studies that meet the AASW learning outcomes.

In these situations, you may be asked for a Professional Statement in addition to your other documentation.

• Your Professional Statement should address the nine Social Worker Learning Outcomes linked to the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS). Link this to your post-qualifying social work experience/employment as a qualified social worker to the learning outcomes which relate to your work. Your Professional Statement should be 2,000–3,000 words .

• Applicants must provide examples of their work and may be asked to explain a case scenario from their recent practice. Recent work experience is a minimum of 12 months of social work practice experience within the past seven years.

• We suggest that you write your Professional Statement as if you were preparing a presentation to social work colleagues and/or staff from an academic and analytical point of view, addressing each of the nine Graduate Learning Outcomes.
• You may refer to a scenario from your recent work experience that highlights your direct social work practice, research, social policy work or social work management.
• We recommend that you structure your Professional Statement in terms of each step of casework practice intervention processes from referral, to planning the work, conducting the work, ending and how you reflected on your work through supervision or otherwise. Explain any further action you took, such as identifying any training or learning needs. Address all nine Graduate Learning Outcomes.
• Clearly outline your social work practice case scenarios in the work you carried out and explain which Graduate Learning Outcomes they relate to. Address all nine Graduate Learning Outcomes. We ask that you list the number of the corresponding Learning Outcome and Indicator related to the case scenarios and how your social work practice achieved each of the nine Learning Outcomes. For example, if your scenario includes evidence of your ability to work with diversity and demonstrate respect for culture and your advocacy, negotiation and mediation skills and shows your experience with undertaking evidence informed practice and demonstrates your knowledge of empowering and non-oppressive practice and your knowledge regarding the needs of children, your ability to promote their wellbeing, identify when their well-being is compromised and use a range of methods to respond to their needs, list the Learning Outcome/s you are evidencing in the following format 8. a), 7. c), 6. b), 3. b) and 3. f).
• It is strongly suggested that you refer to Page 6 – Criteria 4. Point 1 and Section 6 – Page 22 of Application Form 1 which details how to present your Professional Statement. 

These Guidelines provide potential applicants with an indication of the likelihood of a positive outcome for migration or AASW membership eligibility purposes following completion of an overseas social work qualification from a number of listed countries. These are Guidelines only and do not preclude applicants from other countries making an application.

• The AASW is the authorised assessing authority of social work specific qualifications for migration skills assessment purposes. The AASW provides a recommendation to the Department of Home Affairs. It is at the discretion of the Department of Home Affairs whether points or the appropriate Visa will be awarded.
• Decisions around determining AASW membership eligibility is at the sole discretion of the AASW.
• The AASW can change the following Country Assessment Guidelines at any time.
• The AASW welcomes feedback on these guidelines, particularly from overseas professional social work associations or registration authorities.

The Guidelines are only relevant to applicants with qualifications from the following countries:

Country Assessment Guidelines