Australia to accept alternative English tests from visa applicants

Australia has announced that English Test scores of TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic of skilled migrants coming to the country would be acceptable across several visa categories from November.

These tests will be alternatives to the currently acceptedInternational English Language Testing System (IELTS) andOccupational English Test ( OET).

"From November 2014, the department will accept English language test scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT) and the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) across visa programmes," according to the Department of Immigration and Border protection.

"The TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic tests have been accepted for the Student visa programme since 2011. From November 2014, the visa subclasses from the Temporary Graduate, Skilled and Work and Holiday visa programmes will also accept a TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic test score as evidence of English ability," it said.

The Department of Immigration and Border protection has extended the new option to other visa categories including Employer Nomination Scheme, Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme, business Innovation & Investment (provisional), Skilled - Independent, skilled - Nominated, work and Holiday (temporary), skilled - Recognised Graduate and Temporary Graduate.

Describing the move as an excellent one, a Melbourne- based education expert Intaj Khan said "this is a very good news for the intending migrants wishing to come to Australia."

"It will allow them to save time as they now would have more options for test centres of giving the English test and it will also break the monopoly of IDP IELTS Test centres," he cited.

IELTS managed by the IDP is a test designed to assess the language ability of the visa applicants whose primary language is not English but who wish to study or work abroad, where English is the standard language of communication.

However, the new announcement did not include the Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) and said that the subclass 457 visa programme was currently undergoing an independent review.

Streamlined Visas to Australia for Vocational Students

According to a recent announcement by the Australian government on 26 May 2014, the streamlined visa processing (SVP) arrangements are extended to students enrolled in advanced diploma level courses at low immigration risk providers.

Low immigration risk education providers are organizations offering bachelor, masters or doctoral degree level courses. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection will write to eligible providers by the second half of 2014 inviting them to participate in the arrangements, which is expected to commence by early 2015.
Scott Morrison, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection indicated that the streamlining of the visa application process for advanced diploma courses will benefit eligible students through simpler and faster visa processing, and is in addition to existing arrangements for eligible higher education sector students.
"This will enable eligible education providers in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector and higher education sector to directly access SVP. This will make study in Australia even more attractive to overseas students, while at the same time ensuring that immigration risk is appropriately managed,' said Minister Morrison.
The announcement was made in a joint statement by Minister Morrison and Minister for Education Christopher Pyne, who believed these changes would substantially benefit Australia's high-quality VET and higher education sectors, supporting the sustainable growth of Australia's international education industry while providing a vital boost to the economy.
"The number of international students seeking to study in Australia continues to rebound positively, with an increase of over 27 per cent in the number of visas granted to offshore applicants in the 2013-14 programme year," Minister Pyne said.
If you are interested in Australian visas, contact Leash Consultants for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Australia.