Australia 189 Professional Year Points: Completion Dates, Accounting Closure and ACS
A completed, qualifying Professional Year may support five points for an Australian subclass 189 points-tested application. Enrolling, paying tuition or starting an internship is not enough. Check the recognised program, its relationship to your nominated occupation and the formal completion date against the date of invitation. Accounting Professional Year enrolment has closed, so a plan to start that program now cannot be treated as an available points strategy.
Start with the recognised program, not the marketing name
Home Affairs identifies Accounting, ICT/Computing and Engineering as the relevant fields. The Professional Year must satisfy its requirements, including completion in Australia, a period of at least 12 months, an appropriate relationship to the nominated occupation and an authorised provider. A short employability course, university placement or professional examination does not qualify simply because it involves workplace skills.
The organisations listed by Home Affairs include ACS, CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, the Institute of Public Accountants and Engineers Australia. Their appearance on the list does not establish that every course they offer qualifies, or that every field remains open for enrolment. Confirm the exact program and the evidence issued on completion before committing to fees.
The 48-month window ends at invitation
Home Affairs uses the date on the official Record of Completion issued by the authorised organisation or delivery partner. The program may have started before the 48-month window; its completion must fall within the relevant period before invitation. A graduation ceremony, final payment or the day you believe your placement ended is not a substitute for the recorded completion date.
For example, completion in May 2023 would fall within the previous 48 months for an invitation in October 2026. An invitation in August 2027 would place that completion outside the window. This illustrates the date calculation only. It does not establish eligibility under the other requirements or predict when an invitation will arrive.
Submitting an EOI earlier does not freeze the points. Review the position while waiting, alongside changes to age points, English evidence and the skills assessment. Do not claim completion based on an expected graduation next month.
Accounting closure: distinguish new enrolment from completed study
CPA Australia’s current program page states that new enrolments ceased on 31 March 2025 and all activity would conclude no later than 1 May 2026. Someone considering a course now should not rely on an old advertisement for new Accounting Professional Year enrolment.
The same page says people who complete the program remain eligible to seek the five points under skilled migration arrangements, subject to the government’s points system and Home Affairs’ decision. Closure does not mean every older completion record became unusable immediately. Equally, an existing certificate does not remove the timing, occupation and other requirements.
Retain the official completion record and provider details. If a document is missing, ask the issuing organisation about verification or replacement rather than recreating a certificate yourself. Someone who did not complete the course must not adopt the position of a completed graduate.
ACS entry conditions are separate from migration points
ACS currently lists an Australian IT-related bachelor’s or higher degree, the Australian Study Requirement, appropriate English evidence and an interview among its IT Professional Year entry conditions. Applicants also need a passport and visa permitting full work and study rights, with the visa valid for at least 365 days from program commencement.
An overseas IT degree or substantial overseas experience does not by itself meet those entry requirements. Ask an accredited provider to check your documents, campus, start date and internship arrangements. An internship component does not establish a permanent job offer or employer sponsorship after graduation.
Skills assessment does not turn an internship into paid employment
The ACS Post Australian Study pathway requires an eligible Australian bachelor’s or higher qualification in IT or Data Science, together with the specified relevant post-qualification experience or completion of the ACS Professional Year. That is a skills-assessment test. Whether Home Affairs awards Professional Year points is a separate decision.
Do not convert a course or unpaid placement into one year of full-time paid employment in an EOI. Employment points require their own examination of duties, remuneration, hours, occupation relationship and dates. Completing the course also does not itself produce a final skills-assessment outcome: the assessment application and evidence still need to be dealt with.
Compare a realistic timeline and total cost
Put the completion date, visa expiry and age changes on one timeline. A future course completion cannot be combined with an age score that will no longer apply at the relevant time. Separate evidence you already hold from possible future outcomes.
Budget for tuition, transport, living costs, the effect of placement hours on existing work and any separate assessment fees. Obtain the provider’s deferral, withdrawal, non-completion and refund terms in writing. A course quotation is not the total cost of a migration application, and five additional points do not guarantee an invitation.
Before a consultation, gather the program or completion record, nominated occupation, existing assessment and the basis of your EOI claims. 卓越移民 Premiervisa Group can help organise the dates and evidence requiring review. An initial enquiry can describe the documents without sending full passport numbers or unredacted personal records.
Sources checked on 26 October 2026
Home Affairs: subclass 189 points table https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/supporting/Pages/Work/189-points-table.aspx
CPA Australia: Accounting Professional Year closure https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/migration-services/accounting-professional-year-program
ACS: Professional Year in IT https://www.acs.org.au/cpd-education/professional-year-program.html
ACS: Post Australian Study assessment https://www.acs.org.au/msa/assessment-pathway/post-australian-study.html
Comments