More and more accountants are arriving from overseas to meet the reported skill shortages of 2004. However, most of these arrivals are from non-English speaking backgrounds which is where the problem lies. As many migrating accountants have very strong accents or don't understand Australian colloquialisms well enough, they can not communicate well enough to qualify for the job. Communication is one of the vital roles of an accountant and even more so as they progress to becoming more commercial in their work.

According to 2001 census data only 38% of migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds were employed as accountants within Australia.

It is suggested by some that migrants should perhaps gain a tertiary qualification in Australia, join an accounting body or gain some real work experience by accepting jobs that are below their capabilities to further improve their chances of winning jobs.