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                  Partner Visa Applications – Functional English Language Requirements

According to the recent 2020 Australian Budget, the functional English language would be a requirement for partner visa processing. 

• The Department of Home Affairs is planning to introduce an English language requirement for partner visa applicants by mid to late 2021.
• Partner visas are processed in two stages and the new language requirement would not need to be met until someone was applying for permanency, usually after living in Australia for two years on a temporary partner visa.
• The applicant as well as their sponsor will have to meet functional level English, through one of the following ways:

1)You are a holder of a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, or the Republic of Ireland and you are a citizen of that country. 

2)You have a positive assessment by an Adult Migrant English Program service provider in Australia showing that you have functional English. 

3)You have completed all years of primary education and at least three years of secondary education in an educational institution in or outside Australia and all instructions were in English. 

4)You have completed at least five years of secondary education in an institution in or outside Australia and all instructions were in English. 

5)You have successfully completed at least one year of full-time study or equivalent part-time study towards a degree, higher degree, diploma, or associate diploma in an institution in Australia and all instructions were in English. 

6)You have completed a degree, a higher degree, a diploma or a trade certificate that required at least two years of full-time study or training in an institution in or outside Australia and all instructions were in English. 

7) You have undertaken one of the English language tests and obtained the scores below. Your test must have been completed within 12 months of visa application lodgement or can be completed during visa application processing.