With its vibrant cultures, bustling megacities, reputable education system and sturdy economy, Australia is a popular destination for those looking to work and study there. It’s no wonder that gaining permanent residency is a goal sought by many graduating students and professionals all across the world.
To work and permanently settle in Australia, you’ll need to prove that you can meet a minimum language standard for day-to-day conversations, be it ordering a flat white or talking to your colleagues.
Taking the IELTS test with IDP is an excellent way to meet Australia’s English language requirement. IELTS is the preferred test for migration to Australia accepted by almost all professional entities, and is integrated into the point-based immigration system.
To obtain a visa for Australian permanent residency (PR), you can take either the IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training test. However, you will need IELTS Academic for professional registration in occupations such as medicine, nursing, accounting and engineering.
Getting Australia permanent residency
There are three main pathways of obtaining Australian PR: family-stream permanent visas, work-stream permanent visas, as well as business or investor-stream permanent visas. To become an Australian Permanent Resident, you may be applying for a visa that best suits your needs and current eligibility. The visa type may allow a temporary, provisional or permanent status.
Several visa pathways to PR are points-tested to meet their eligibility, particularly subclass 189, 190 and 491 visas.
There are several criteria in the point-based immigration system you must be aware of:
Age
English language proficiency
Work experience (in and out of Australia)
Level of education
Study in Australia
Specialist education
Spouse skill points
Other (nominations, community language accreditation, etc.)
To be eligible to receive an invitation to apply to the select visa subclasses, you need a minimum of 65 points.
You can calculate your points using the official calculator from the Australian government’s Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
IELTS is one of the critical components for obtaining the best possible points score in your visa application. While a minimum overall score of 6.0 for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking tests is required, a higher score will gain you more points.
There are three bands of IELTS scores (competent, proficient and superior) which correspond to the number of points allocated.
Point allocation table for IELTS scores
IELTS score | Points allocated |
|---|---|
Competent (score of 6.0 or more) | 0 |
Proficient (score of 7.0 or more) | 10 |
Superior (score of 8.0 or more) | 20 |
It is important to note that for Australia universities, including the top-ranked institutions, most undergraduate or postgraduate courses already require you to attain an overall band score of 6.0 or 6.5 for your IELTS test.
While IELTS remains the preferred test, other language tests such as TOEFL iBT, CAE, PTE Academic and OET are also accepted by DHA. OET is only approved for medical and allied health professionals.
Score requirements for Australian PR language tests
Here are the different score requirements for the various language tests to help gain permanent residency in Australia.
English language proficiency | Section | IELTS | PTE Academic | TOEFL iBT | CAE | OET |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Competent | Listening | 6 | 50 | 12 | 169 | B |
Reading | 6 | 50 | 13 | 169 | B | |
Writing | 6 | 50 | 21 | 169 | B | |
Speaking | 6 | 50 | 18 | 169 | B | |
Proficient | Listening | 7 | 65 | 24 | 185 | B |
Reading | 7 | 65 | 24 | 185 | B | |
Writing | 7 | 65 | 27 | 185 | B | |
Speaking | 7 | 65 | 23 | 185 | B | |
Superior | Listening | 8 | 79 | 28 | 200 | A |
Reading | 8 | 79 | 29 | 200 | A | |
Writing | 8 | 79 | 30 | 200 | A | |
Speaking | 8 | 79 | 26 | 200 | A |
IELTS requirements for visas to work and attain Australian PR in 2024
1. Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
This visa allows workers with key skills to work and live permanently anywhere in Australia. You are required to fulfill a skills assessment that will check if you meet the standards set to work in a relevant occupation such as an actuary or engineer or nurse practitioner.
You will have to score at least 65 points on the point-based immigration system as well as attain a level of competent English.
This will mean a minimum of 6.0 for your overall IELTS score and a 6.0 in every category as well.
2. Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
This visa allows you to work and study anywhere in Australia. You must have a relevant occupation as well as pass the skills assessment check. The relevant occupations include hospitality managers, lawyers and biomedical engineers.
You will also have to score at least 65 points on the point-based immigration system as well as attain a level of competent English.
This will mean a minimum of 6.0 for your overall IELTS score and a 6.0 in every category as well.
3. Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
This provisional visa is for skilled workers who want to live and work in a designated regional area of Australia. You’ll be able to stay for 5 years with a nomination or sponsorship for the visa. However, you’ll need to work in a relevant skilled occupation and pass a skills assessment as well.
These occupations include accountants, civil engineers and dentists.
You will have to attain an overall IELTS score of at least 6.0 with a minimum score of 6.0 for each of the 4 parts.
This will show a level of competent English proficiency that is required for this visa.
4. Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) - Post-Study Work stream
This visa authorises you as an international higher education graduate to live, study and work in Australia between 2 to 3 years, with post-study work rights that allow you to stay on to work after you complete an eligible degree, regardless of your field of study.
You must be under 50 years of age, have held a student visa in the last 6 months and show the required proficiency level of English. You will have to attain an overall IELTS score of at least 6.0 with a minimum score of 5.0 for each of the 4 test sections.
As part of the 2024 migration strategy, the Australian government is shortening post-studywork rights for eligible graduates applying to subclass 485 visa.
The revised durations on the post-study work visa will apply from mid-2024:
2 years for all bachelor’s degrees
2 or 3 years for master’s degrees by coursework and by research respectively
3 years for all doctoral degrees
Only international graduates who have studied in a regional area are eligible for the two-year extension of post-study work rights. [IK1] This extension in the duration of the post-study work period requires you to have completed a degree in an eligible qualification, listed by occupational category. Some occupations include allied health, ICT and teaching professions.
5. Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)
This visa covers two available specific pathways:
Extended stay pathway
This temporary visa is for skilled workers who want to live and work in regional Australia. There is no specific occupation requirement.
There is no current English language requirement for this pathway.However, you must hold a subclass 475, 487, 495 or 496 visa to be eligible.
Subsequent entry pathway
This visa is for a member of the family unit of someone who holds a Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489), and will need to live in regional Australia.
Valid visa holders can also study or work in a specified regional area of Australia, withis no specific occupation requirement.
You will have to attain an overall IELTS band score of at least 4.5 with a minimum score of 4.5 for each of the 4 parts.
This will show a level of functional English proficiency which is required.
The Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489), on both pathways, is also an eligible visa to apply for permanent residency (PR) later through the Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887).
6. Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887)
This permanent visa is for people who have lived and worked in specified areas of regional Australia on a previous, eligible visa. You must have lived for at least 2 years and worked full time for at least 1 year in a specified regional area.
There is no specific occupation requirement.
You will have to attain an overall IELTS score of at least 4.5 with a minimum score of 4.5 for each of the 4 parts.
This will show that you have a functional level of English proficiency.
7. Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188)
This visa allows business owners and managers to conduct business and investment activity in Australia or undertake an entrepreneurial activity in the country. It allows you to stay for up to 5 years.
There is no occupation requirement. For the Business Innovation stream, you must operate a new or existing business in Australia.
For the investor stream, you must invest AUD2.5 million in Australian investments that maintain business or investment activity in Australia.
Both streams require you to be nominated by an Australian government agency.
You will have to attain an overall IELTS score of at least 4.5 with a minimum score of 4.5 for each of the 4 parts.
This will show a level of functional English proficiency, which is required for this visa.
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