Legislative Updates – Vocational English Standards

Immigration (Education) (Standards for Vocational English) Instrument (LIN 21/012) 2021 – F2021L00464 reflects the amendments made to the Immigration (Education) Act 2020 to extend the amount and level of English tuition available for eligible persons through the Australian Migrant English Program (AMEP).

Previously migrants were only eligible for 510 hours of English tuition or up to a level of Functional English. This Instrument allows eligible migrants to continue to study up to the higher level of Vocational English.

The change is related to reaccreditation processes undertaken within the main AMEP curricula for the Australian Core Skills Framework and aligns the current testing systems with this new framework.

This Instrument defines Vocational English for Part 3(1) of the Immigration (Education) Amendment (Expanding English Access to English Tuition) Act 2020, as an approved provider of an English course determines that the meets or exceeds one of the following standards:

(𝐚) 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝟑 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤; 𝐨𝐫

(𝐛) 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟓.𝟓 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠; 𝐨𝐫’

(𝐜) 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟒𝟔 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐭-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠; 𝐨𝐫

(𝐝) 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟔𝟐 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝟏 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠; 𝐨𝐫

(𝐞) 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟒𝟐 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠; 𝐨𝐫

(𝐟) 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐁 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭.

This Instrument repeals the Immigration (Education) Functional English Specification Instrument 2017 and commenced on 20 April 2021.

* 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐠 𝟏.𝟏𝟓𝐁 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟒.