Immigrating to Australia and fulfilling the English test requirements can be quite difficult to do, but as research has recently shown, close to 1 million people are unable to speak English in Australia currently.
The Federal Government is in response to these scary statistics are, looking to implement a Conversational English test for migrants seeking permanent residency in an effort to combat the rise of non-English speakers living in Australia on visas.
There is currently a ceiling in place of 190,000 permanent residency places available to immigrants each year through Home Affairs, and though the permanent residence applicants are required to show a sufficient knowledge of English, their families accompanying them do not… which is contributing to the English language problem.
“Everyone should recognise we all have a vested interest in being able to converse and engage in the national language”
Malcolm Turnbull – Prime Minister
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also stated that primary school-level English was reasonable, as it was a measure to help migrants to achieve Australia.
Alan Tudge, the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs gave a statement in strong support of the English language changes, saying that everyday facilities such as health, Centrelink and domestic violence services are difficult to access with poor English as well as work situations
“The evidence is equally compelling with the humanitarian intake. According to the Centre for Policy Development, 85 percent of those with good English skills are in the labour market, versus only 15 percent of those who do not speak English well.
Alan Tudge – Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
He also went on to say that in some areas up to one in three people cannot speak the national language well or at all.
You can find the full statement from Alan Tudge here
“What would this proposed change mean?”
This would mean that before becoming a permanent resident you will need to pass a conversational test with the ability to communicate as well as an Australian primary school student.
“When is it happening?”
As of yet it is still in the planning and discussion stage and not agreed to by the Australian Parliament House, so not applicable to any current migrants applying for permanent residency, but subscribe to keep updated on any upcoming changes!
So what happens now?
To see how this change can affect you in the future contact our friendly staff today for more information!
Also don’t forget to subscribe to keep updated on any upcoming changes!
