Criteria for a Manager for the Purpose of Migration

The Australian Institute of Management is contracted as an assessing authority by the Australian Government to assess senior management skills for applicants for the purpose of skilled migration to Australia.

Managers are assessed against these criteria and not the functions of the general managerial occupations, as set out in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

Guidelines are based on the level of work experience, training and qualifications achieved.

To satisfy these requirements applicants must hold a senior management position and for your information the criteria used are as follows:

Chief Executive or Managing Director [111111]

To meet the requirements for assessment as CEO/Managing Director for migration purposes, an applicant must:

• Have, or have held, a proven record of top management experience over a continuous period of at least three years
• Have proven and successful experience in a top management position at the level of Corporate General Manager or equivalent prior to being appointed to the position of CEO/Managing Director
• Be the owner of the business; or/ report directly to the Board of Directors of the business; or/ report directly to the relevant Minister/Secretary of State if the applicant works in the public sector; or/ be a senior management consultant providing advice to client organisations at Board level
• Be wholly responsible for implementing the organisation's policy and strategic objectives as defined by the Board
• Be responsible for negotiating, planning and directing negotiations related to mergers, acquisitions or the sale of major assets
• Be responsible for designing and developing the organisation's financial budgets to achieve Board priorities and objectives
• Ensure that the management organisation structure is designed to achieve the Board's strategic aims and objectives
• Have the decision making authority to delegate responsibility to the most senior operational manager who would be eligible for assessment as Corporate General Manager under the criteria outlined below

Corporate General Manager [111211]

To meet the requirements for assessment as Corporate General Manager for migration purposes, an applicant must:

• Have, or have held, a proven record of top management experience over a continuous period of at least three years.
• Have proven and successful experience in a functional area of management prior to being appointed to the position of Corporate General Manager
• Currently hold the most senior day-to-day operational position within the organisation
• Report directly to the CEO, Managing Director, Board of Directors or owner of the business; or/ report directly to the Head of Department if the applicant works in the public sector; or/ be a senior management consultant providing consultancy advice to client organisations at CEO, Managing Director or Board level.
• Have delegated authority for managing and achieving the organisation's financial budgets and outcomes
• Have the decision making authority over a wide range of responsibilities through delegation to three or more subordinate managers who would be eligible for assessment as a senior functional manager under the criteria outlined below

Sales and Marketing Manager [131112],

Advertising Manager [131113],

Public Relations Manager [131114],

Human Resource Manager [132311],

Engineering Manager [133211], and

Supply and Distribution Manager [133611]

A proven record in a senior functional management position over a continuous period of at least three (3) years, requiring the delegation of authority directly to three or more other managers who themselves hold positions requiring the delegation of work to several other subordinates in supervisory, technical or skilled positions.

To meet the requirements for assessment as a functional manager for migration purposes, an applicant must:

• Hold the most senior management position within the applicant's functional area of responsibility
• Report directly to the owner of the business, Corporate General Manager or CEO/Managing Director; or/ report directly to the Department Head if the applicant works within the public sector; or/ be a senior management consultant providing consultancy advice to client organisations at the level of Corporate General Manager or above
• Have the final decision making responsibility through the delegation of functional authority to three or more subordinate managers in a range of broader responsibilities such as administration, finance, data gathering and public relations
• Be wholly responsible for achieving his/her functional responsibilities within the organisation
• Have had a proven and successful experience in a broad range of managerial responsibilities prior to being appointed to the top functional position

For all applications, the years of experience may be reduced if the applicant has qualifications in management studies or business administration assessed as comparable to an Australian Bachelor, Post Graduate or Master degree, or in a discipline relevant to the field in which the manager is working. This applies where the qualification concerned has been completed immediately prior to, or within the relevant time frame of years of management experience being assessed. The Country Education Profiles prepared by the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition are the basis for an educational assessment.

To be assessed as a senior manager for migration purposes, the complexity and size of the organisation will influence the assessment. The larger the organisation, the greater would be the responsibilities of the senior managers. Applicants will normally require senior management experience across a diverse range of functional areas including managerial authority over subordinates who are also at a management level. A manager at a senior level would also have a high level of discretionary decision making authority.

Senior managers tend to manage departments servicing the overall operations of the organisation and where delegation to several subordinate managers involved in specific but related functions is required. The critical components in applying these criteria are the breadth and depth of the applicant's own managerial responsibilities and those of the subordinate managers reporting directly to the applicant. An important criterion is that the organisation chart shows that the applicant supervises a number of direct reporting managers.

The criteria for recognition as a senior manager for migration purposes make it clear that the applicant must be responsible for a range of responsibilities at a level which is concerned with the implementation of the organisation's strategies and policies.

Our assessment is based upon a review of an entire career history, but with an emphasis on the immediate past three (3) years, and satisfactory evidence is sought of managerial progression through increased authority and responsibility of each position thereby demonstrating a period of sustained success.

If you believe you meet these criteria, please proceed to step 2:

Submit a Management Skills Assessment form with your personal details and supporting documentation. A non-refundable application fee of AUD$475* is required upon submission. Please take time to fully complete the form, as incomplete applications may be returned.

Download the AIM information booklet and application form for assessment of management skills for migration:

Management Skills Assessment form
PDF format [158Kb]

* Application fees paid by applicants residing in Australia will incur 10% GST. Fees paid for applicants who do not reside in Australia are GST free.