# ACS skill assessment - reference letter



## subhban (Dec 6, 2016)

Hi,

I got my PTE score recently. (overall 90 in S W R L). 
I'm planning to apply for ACS assessment soon.
I am a Software Engineer by profession and have more than 5 years of experience in my field. I need reference letters from my previous companies, of which one is willing to provide and the other is not willing to (reason is no company policy of providing the same). What should I do?

Can offer letter and relieving letter work as an alternative?
Can I submit an affidavit mentioning the work that I've done and my skill set?
What options do I have?


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## sultan_azam (Sep 9, 2015)

11. STATUTORY DECLARATIONS AND AFFIDAVITS If you are unable to obtain an employment reference on a company letterhead from your employer, a third party official Statutory Declaration or Affidavit written by a work colleague may be considered. 
A Statutory Declaration or Affidavit is a legally written statement declared to be true in the presence of an authorised witness, for example - a Notary Public. 
All Statutory Declarations or Affidavits must be clearly signed by an authorised witness. The document must state that it was Sworn Before, Signed Before or Witnessed Before the authorised witness by the referee and signed by the authorised witness, with the date and place in which the declaration was made and witnessed. List of Authorised Witnesses within Australia. 
Please Note: If obtaining a Statutory Declaration or Affidavit outside Australia, please refer to an Australian Embassy or the legal standard of the country in which you are applying. 
The Statutory Declaration or Affidavit must be written by a third party work colleague and NOT written by you, the applicant. Self-written Statutory Declaration or Affidavit will be assessed as not suitable. 
A Statutory Declaration or Affidavit written by a work colleague needs to describe the working relationship with you, the details of the duties you performed and with relevant dates of the employment. It is preferable that the work colleague writing the declaration be at a supervisory level. 
An example of how to define a working relationship is as follows – 
‘I can confirm that (applicant name) carried out the duties and roles specified in this document at (company name) as I was his/her (supervisor, colleague, manager etc.) who interacted with and witnessed his/her work on a regular basis throughout the employment. ‘ 
All third party Statutory Declarations or Affidavits must include one of the following as supporting evidence: (these must be in relation to you, the applicant and not the declarant)  Certified copy of payslips – preferably first & last payslip for the employment period  Certified copy a Human Resource statement or Service Certificate with employment dates  Certified copy of a Termination Letter with employment dates 
Employment contracts, offer letters or appointment letters will NOT be accepted as supporting evidence and only one of the 3 above mentioned documents should be submitted. All other types of supporting documentation for Statutory Declarations or Affidavits will be assessed as unsuitable. 
Acceptance of Statutory Declarations or Affidavits in place of employment references will be subject to the verification and discretion of the ACS and noted to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection for authentication against fraud and plagiarism. 
The following Statutory Declarations or Affidavits are NOT suitable:  Does NOT contain words to the effect Sworn Before or Signed Before or Witnessed Before.  From a junior colleague  Stating the referee agrees with what the applicant has written in another document  Stamp and signature of Notary Public doesn’t state that the referee’s signature is witnessed  Signature of Notary Public only states Attested Copy.


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## djthevj (Dec 24, 2016)

Please share the option you have as i have a similar question. It would really be helpful.


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## destinedtobe (Jan 11, 2016)

djthevj said:


> Please share the option you have as i have a similar question. It would really be helpful.


You should heed @sultan_azam's advice. 

I did the same- I asked the HR for a detailed COE but said he can only give me the one with generic template so I asked my manager to write me a statutory declaration.

You should follow the guidelines on the statutory declaration. Otherwise, ACS will reject it by not awarding you with relevant experience of your employment period.


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## djthevj (Dec 24, 2016)

ok , how can i produce my first salary slip as i have been working in an organisation for more than 10 years . Is there any way or workaround?.


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## destinedtobe (Jan 11, 2016)

djthevj said:


> ok , how can i produce my first salary slip as i have been working in an organisation for more than 10 years . Is there any way or workaround?.




I did not include any payslip. 

I only submitted a COE with the company header (generic template) + statutory declaration from my manager in the same company for my job roles and responsibilities.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## djthevj (Dec 24, 2016)

ok , do you have the format ?. i don't think so i would be able to get anything from the manager or organsiation . Appreciate if you can share the template with me .


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## sultan_azam (Sep 9, 2015)

djthevj said:


> ok , how can i produce my first salary slip as i have been working in an organisation for more than 10 years . Is there any way or workaround?.


I too didnt have first salary slip, in fact i didnt have many pay slips for first two years, i provided in bits and pieces whatever i have


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## cyetukuri (Jul 30, 2015)

Hi All,
I have a question regarding skill assessment. During my tenure, i worked in USA (For 9 months) and Germany (5 Months). But those companies were reluctant to give a separate experience letters for my onsite experiences (9 +5 = 14) months. While doing skill assessment i didn't created a separate entry for my USA and Germany experiences. I just created one entry for the total tenure with the company because my company did not give a separate letter my onsite experience. They gave only one experience letter with roles and responsibilities.
Will it be a problem? 
Where should i mention my details of my experience outside India for Police Clearance and all. 

Regards,
Chandra


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## subhban (Dec 6, 2016)

*Applied finally*

Finally applied for ACS assessment. Waiting for the outcome.


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## SalahOsman (Dec 17, 2017)

destinedtobe said:


> I did not include any payslip.
> 
> I only submitted a COE with the company header (generic template) + statutory declaration from my manager in the same company for my job roles and responsibilities.
> 
> ...


Hi, Iam also facing this issue, I can get payment slips from my current and previous company but I am not sure I can get payment slips from my first company, will my experience be counted if I havent provided payment slip? Basically all i can provide from that company is just experience paper, probably some old proposals in my name, but thats it...... by the way, did u receive you assessing result ?


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