Irish vet fails oral English test for skilled visa application
An Irish vet failed to meet the requirements for a skilled migrant visa after she did not pass a language test, despite being a native English speaker and holding two degrees. The Department of Immigration, however, says she did not need to take the test in the first place.
Dr Louise Kennedy says she took the test because it was otherwise impossible for her to reach the score required for the visa without sitting the English test.
Dr Kennedy failed to make a score of 60 for the subclass 189 visa (which costs $3,670), meaning she was ineligible to apply. Instead she had to apply for the much more expensive spousal visa (which costs $7,000), and requires upfront payment.
An equine veterinarian, she is based in Sunshine Coast, is married to an Australian and has been living there with her children for the last two years.
And seems like Dr Kennedy is not alone. An Irish engineer who found himself being judged as not able to speak English fluently by an automated computer program has warned people seeking Australian visas to be wary of how their tests are marked.
Matthew Kelly (34) did the Pearson (PTE Academic) English exam as part of his application process for an independent skilled immigrant visa when he was moving to Australia but scored poorly in the oral fluency and pronunciation sections of the exam.
