English Language Requirement for General Skilled Migration

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If you are applying for General Skilled Migration, you will need to prove your English language ability. The required level of English depends on the visa subclass you are applying for and there are 4 different levels of English which may be relevant:

Proficient English
Competent English
Concessional Competent English
Functional English

Timing of English

English language ability is in general a time of application requirement for General Skilled visas. This means that you would usually need to provide evidence of English testing at the time of application. As it can take some time to obtain a booking for a test and to receive the results, you may wish to plan to take the English test well ahead of time.

The IELTS Test

The IELTS test is the most common way of evidencing English language ability. Either the Academic or General Training versions of the test are acceptable to the Department of Immigration, but some skills assessing authorities require applicants to sit the Academic version. You will in most cases need to obtain a minimum score in each band of the IELTS (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking) in a single sitting.

Threshold English

For most skilled visas, you will need to show at least Competent English to meet the threshold criteria. The only exception to this is for Skilled Regional Sponsored visas which require Concessional Competent English.

If you establish threshold English, this will give you 15 points in the Skilled Migration Points Test.

Proficient English

You can show you have proficient English ability by scoring at least 7 out of 9 on all four components of the IELTS test.

It is also possible to show proficient English by obtaining a B pass in all 4 components of the Occupational English Test. The Occupational English Test is generally only taken by people in medical or allied health professions.

If you demonstrate proficient English, this will give you 25 points for English language ability.

Competent English

You can establish a competent level of English by:

Obtaining a score of at least 6 out of 9 for all four components of the IELTS test; or
Holding a passport from one of the following 5 countries:
1. Canada
2. New Zealand
3. United Kingdom
4. United States
5. Ireland

Competent English is the required threshold for most general skilled subclasses, including:

Concessional Competent English

You can show you have concessional competent English ability by scoring at least 6 average in the 4 components of the IELTS test.

Concessional competent English is the threshold requirement for Skilled - Regional Sponsored visas.

Functional English

You can show you have functional English ability by providing evidence of the following:

Scoring at least 4.5 averaged over the four components of the IELTS test.
Holding a degree, diploma or trade qualification from an academic institution as a result of at least 2 years full time study where all instruction has been conducted in English
Working in an English speaking country for 2 years or more

If your spouse has less than functional English, then you would need to pay the "English Education Charge" to cover English language tuition in applying for general skilled migration.

Applying for migration to Australia can be complex, so we recommend that you contact us to check your likely eligibility for immigration to Australia before you proceed with an application.