English language - Level of English
IELTS (or International English Language Testing System, is an international standardised test of English language proficiency. For Australian immigration purposes, the various English levels are defined as the following:
Poor English – very limited command of the English language.
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
Vocational English (Basic)
A reasonable command of the English language, coping with overall meaning in most situations. Must be able to communicate effectively in the selected field of employment. (This equates to a band score of 5 out of 9 in each of the four components of the IELTS test which are speaking, reading, writing and listening.)
Competent English (very good) must either score at least 6 on each of the modules of IELTS, or score at least “B” on Australia’s Occupational English Test
The OET is only appropriate for medical and allied health professionals.
Proficient English (excellent) – An operational command of English with the ability to use and comprehend complex language well and understand detailed reasoning. (This equates to a band score of 7 out of 9 in each of the four components of the IELTS test which are speaking, reading, writing and listening.)
For the purpose of Australian skilled migration, applicants must demonstrate at least Competent level English. Depending on your occupation, a higher level of English may be required . We will advise you of your required English Language Proficiency.
How soon can I come to Australia?
This all depends under which type of visa you are applying for migration and the strength of your application.
It also depends on whether you lodge yourself or use the services of a Registered .Migration Agent. Registered Migration Agents have the ability to lodge ‘Decision Ready’ visa applications which significantly reduce the processing time.
Nobody gets a visa overnight – these things invariably takes time. Each application is unique and a time estimate can only be determined once an Immigration Law Matters consultant has done a personal assessment. Also have a look at the Department of Immigration and Citizenships service charter for average processing times
If I buy a house in Australia will that give me a Visa?
Can I use TOEFL instead of IELTS or OET?
Only IELTS or OET are acceptable. TOEFL may be acceptable for student and working holiday visas only.
For most skilled migration application the minimum English language level required is:
An overall Band score of at least 6.0 (with a minimum score of 6.0 in each of the four components of reading, writing, listening and speaking) at the General level of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
For some occupations, you may be required to submit higher IELTS scores.
If they are still dependent on you, they will be included on your visa. Married / Independent children will not qualify under your visa.
What about health?
A medical test is standard procedure and you need to pass that. A blood test will be conducted and X-rays of the chest will be taken.
Applicants for most types of visas for Australia are required to meet health requirements, amongst other prescribed criteria, before a visa can be granted. All applicants for permanent migration visas are required to undergo a full medical examination and chest x-ray with a “panel doctor” (see below) before a visa can be granted. Some applicants for temporary stay visas may also be required to undergo one or both examinations, or provide a “fitness to travel” letter from a doctor before a visa can be granted.
All children / dependents included in your application aged 11 + must undertake full medicals and X-ray examination.
All the persons included in your application as well as all of your dependents (even if they are not included in your application) MUST undertake a medical exam, and must “pass” the medical. If one fails, all fail – and the visa will be refused.
How do I have character checks done?
In order for the Australian government to determine whether you are of good character, you may be asked to provide penal clearance certificates for each country you have resided in for 12 months or more over the last 10 years. In some instances, you may also be asked to obtain penal clearance certificates for periods beyond the 10 years or for countries where you have spent less than 12 months when the case warrants it.
Why should I use a Migration Agent and when should I make my decision to migrate to Australia?
Experience suggests that many people interested in Migrating to Australia spend a lot valuable time thinking about making their migration decision or go bargain hunting (looking for the cheapest advice they can get) or simply attempt to do themselves and fail.
The below are 7 reasons why you should act quickly and use a Australian Registered Migration Professional:
Take advantage of current migration laws which can and usually always get harder as they change over time. Australian Migration Law is complex and constantly changing. The Skilled Occupation List is constantly being monitored and renewed. Your occupation may not be an occupation that is in demand in Australia tomorrow. Furthermore, Visa Application Charges (VAC) are indexed annually (sometimes bi-annually). For example, the VAC for partner visas increased by $600 AUD this year.
Avoid the stress of getting yourself and your family into a difficult migration situation or not knowing what to do with your migration – stress is often caused when you do not know how to solve a problem and feel trapped. Unless you have access to professionals like us with our many and varied information resources you can only rely on your own research and inaccurate gossip – that is hardly, the basis for making important decisions about where you will spend the rest of your life.
Save money and time by not having to do migration the hard way – the costs of returning home unexpectedly or making more than one visa application can easily be double or more the costs of the original application. There is just no point risking this lost money as well as the lost opportunity to earn a better income in Australia just to save on some professional fees. If you have a visa refused it will impact on a further visa application you make – So get it right the first time and use a Migration Professional like ourselves.
Protect your family by being in Australia sooner with your visa, especially if you normally live in a dangerous country – this hardly needs explaining, but Australia is one of the safest countries in the world, ranked 21st of 158 countries on the Global Peace Indicator. As many of the countries above it are Scandinavian and freezing, this is a great ranking, unless you like being cold and in the dark most of the year! 
With an Australian work visa you most likely will increase your income by earning more in Australia, which has some of the highest wages in the world – most people in the world would love to earn the Australian average annual income of around $A60,000. That’s $1200 per week. As for average disposable income, Australia was recently ranked 5th behind only the USA, Ireland, Luxembourg & Switzerland (source: OECD + )
Access greater medical assistance, and in some cases free medical help, by coming under the protection of Australia’s Medicare system – Australia has one of the best public health programs in the world that has existed for nearly 30 years.
Start planning your career future and your children’s educational future with certainty as soon as your Australian migration issues are resolved in your favour – these job and employment factors always rank very high when people are deciding where to live. If you are still working out complex migration issues and not even sure if you can get your visa you cannot even start planning these matters at all, let alone make firm commitments.
You have no idea how much you have helped me and how much time you have saved me. It was a pretty short period getting my Engineering assessment and quite incredible getting my visa just in 4 month.
No doubt the service you provided was prompt and exceptional. I have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone who seeks Australian Migration Assistance.
Lilianne Dayekh - Lebanon
Dear Youssef,
I would like to thank you all at Immigration Law Matters for the support and help you provided during my visa process.
Your informative and prompt replies to all questions and inquires made the process seem effortless.
You helped pave the way towards reaching my goal, and for that I am very grateful!
Sincere Regards,
Elias Ibrahim.
Elias Ibrahim - Palestine
Immigration Law Matters has helped me with my Australian permanent residency three years ago and was always extremely efficient and professional.
Two years ago, I started my own business in Melbourne and ILM has since helped me with the business sponsorships for my staff. Their expertise and pragmatic work ethic were highly valuable to me both from a personal, as well as a professional perspective. They comes highly recommended.
Barbara Fischer
Barbara Fischer – Director, Papa Antonios Restaurant - Melbourne
Immigration Law Matters are the best in Australian Migration Law. Not only did they help me determine the best occupation according to my skills and qualifications but they helped me get the visa quickly. If you want to be successful in your visa application please only use Immigration Law Matters…they know what they are doing.
Mohammad F (Alexandria, Egypt)
I’m a Civil Engineer from Iran and successfully migrated to Australia because of Immigration Law Matters.
Australian Skilled Migration is very complex and stressful. Before I found out about Immigration Law Matters (ILM) I was so confused from all the advice the other ‘so-called’ professionals gave me. ILM were very realistic with their advice and most importantly they gave me correct advice and our family successfully migrated to Australia. The staff at Immigration Law Matters make you feel like you are part of their family. Thank you from the bottom of hearts. If you’re an engineer and want to migrate to Australia then Immigration Law Matters know how to get you to Australia.
بسیار بسیار از شما سپاسگزارم
Mabood and Leila H (Shiraz, Iran)
We have been extremely impressed with the level of service we have received from Immigration Law Matters.
We have always felt that they go beyond the call of duty to help with our enquiries and answer our questions, very often after hours as well. We have had six people including ourselves receive permanent residence visas due to their teams’ efforts and recommend them highly to anyone who is looking for help in Australian Migration.
They have no hidden fees and tell you how much the whole process will cost right from the start.
Vicky A (Athens, Greece)
We are forever grateful to Mr Youssef Haddad and Immigration Law Matters because due to his hard work and excellent knowledge of Australian Migration Law. Before we met with Youssef we were getting ready to leave Australia but against all odds he helped us win our case at the Migration Review Tribunal. I would certainly recommend Immigration Law Matters to anyone wanting to migrate to Australia or is in Australia and has a problem with their visa.
Mandeep S
Mandeep S (Delhi, India)