Is ACCA recognized in Australia?

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is a professional accountancy body recognised in more than 170 countries worldwide. But the key question on students minds: “Is ACCA recognized in Australia?” For ACCA members who wish to shift to Australia, the good news is that ACCA is recognised in Australia. Many ACCA members have found themselves pursuing lucrative careers in Australia, owing to their prestigious professional qualifications.

Pursuing ACCA in Australia

ACCA’s Accelerate program for Australian students

ACCA’s Accelerate program for outstanding bachelor’s students in Australia allows them to pursue ACCA alongside selected university qualifications. Under the Accelerate program, students get conditional exemptions for multiple ACCA papers. They can study for ACCA Strategic Professional exams at the university, which allows them to complete ACCA swiftly. Furthermore, there are also exemptions available for students in Australia who have already graduated.

Working in Australia as an ACCA member

CPA Australia and ACCA partnership

ACCA’s partnership with CPA Australia allows ACCA members to work in Australia with a professional qualification recognised and trusted in Australia. To apply for the CPA Australia membership, ACCA members need to ensure that they meet the following requirements:

• They should be in good standing with ACCA
• They should have completed all ACCA exams and Practical Experience Requirements (PER)
• Should have been ACCA members for at least five years.
• Should hold a bachelor’s that can be reasonably compared to an Australian bachelor’s degree and is recognised by CPA Australia.

Once the requirements are met, and a good application is submitted to CPA Australia, the ACCA member will likely be admitted into CPA Australia. Additionally, to work as a CPA Australia member, an ACCA member must register with the Tax Practitioner’s Board.

Also read: How to decide your future after completing ACCA Exams

ACCA’s support for members based in Australia

ACCA has a specific LinkedIn page dedicated to ACCA members in Australia. Furthermore, there are particular recruitment agencies such as Hays and Hudson, which help ACCA members is obtaining jobs. ACCA job board is the page to look for when finding job opportunities in Australia. ACCA has 19 Approved employers in Australia listed on its page. The benefit of working for an ACCA-approved employer in Australia is that students can gain performance objective exemption.

Some of the ACCA-approved employers in Australia are:

• Commonwealth Bank of Australia
• AMP
• Deloitte
• Ernst & Young
• Telstra
• Addsum Accountants Pty Ltd
• PepsiCo
• Toyota
• Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Immigration to Australia

ACCA members often wonder if ACCA will be helping them directly in migrating to Australia. ACCA has disclaimed any responsibility regarding providing visas to Australia, and candidates are encouraged to go through the process themselves with this task. Fortunately, immigration to Australia is not impossible. As a globally recognised professional qualification, ACCA has the advantage of being considered above an undergraduate degree in Australia. Hence, it is easier to migrate with an ACCA under your belt.

The ACCA member can get to Australia through the Skilled Migration Program to become an Australian PR (permanent resident). Through the skilled migration program, people who enter Australia essentially get a five-year visa to live and work there. It can take a few weeks to a couple of months for an ACCA member to gain a work visa for Australia.

Higher studies in Australia with ACCA

ACCA members have the option to pursue an MBA at Deakin University Australia. Deakin University is a prestigious university whose MBA is highly recognised in Australia. Deakin’s MBA program currently ranks at number 25 in the world. As an ACCA member, you will be considered as already having completed half of the MBA program at Deakin University.

Additionally, ACCA has partnered with Macquarie University, which allows students to pursue their master of professional accounting alongside their master’s exams.

Value of CPA Australia membership

With more than 168000 members worldwide and members working in more than 100 countries, CPA Australia is a widely respected professional designation. There are many benefits of being a CPA member in Australia, which include but are not limited to:

• CPA is highly trusted in Australia, and you would hold a significant advantage over other candidates applying for the same position.
• CPA is valued across most sectors, and hence a wide range of jobs in Australia are available to CPA candidates.
• CPA professionals have a greater chance to climb up the career ladder. They are often the first candidates to be approached where new opportunities arise for career progression.
• It is internationally recognised, and candidates have the option to utilize their qualifications anywhere in the world.
• It allows CPA candidates to perform well at higher positions in business because of their skills and expertise.

Also read: 6 ways an ACCA qualification can help you get a job

ACCA Membership in Australia

Membership is an entire package of skills and experience that can be cashed anywhere in the world, including in Australia. ACCA currently has hundreds of jobs in Australia available for ACCA members on its career page. Hence for an ACCA member, the opportunities to achieve career growth and progression are endless in the Australian job market.