English requirement for partners of 186 visa applicants
What is the English language requirement for dependents of the 186 visa?
Fulfilling the English language requirement for the 186 visa is mandatory for both the 186 visa applicant and their dependents who are 18 years above. The department requires the dependents over 18 years for the 186 visa to have Functional english. Functional English is lower than Competent English that is expected from the 186 visa applicants. Functional English is 4.5 average score for IELTS. And if the dependents over 18 or the partner cannot fulfill this requirement then they will have to pay a second installment
How to fulfill the English language requirement?
There are various ways in which you can fulfill the English language requirement as a partner or a dependent above 18 for a 186 visa.
- Be a passport holder of certain countries
- Have completed a higher qualification
- Have studied in certain education institutes
- Have completed an English language test
1. Be a passport holder of certain countries
Have a valid passport from the following countires:
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Republic of Ireland
- United Kingdom of Great Britain
- Northern Ireland
- United States of America.
British National (Overseas) passports are not accepted as evidence of functional English
2. Have completed higher qualification
You must have completed a
- Degree
- Higher degree
- Diploma
- Trade certificate
The institution that the dependent or the partner got the above qualifications from can be in or outside Australia. However the qualification must have required at least 2 years of full-time study or training and all instructions must have been in English.
3.Having studied in certain educational institutions
The dependent or the partner must be able to fulfill one of the requirements below
r
Educational institutions
A primary school and secondary school, in or outside Australia, where all instruction was in English
Study times
Study times
Must have studied all years of primary and at least 3 years of secondary education
y
A secondary school, in or outside Australia, where all instruction was in English
e
Must have studied at least 5 years of secondary education
e
An institution in Australia, where all instruction was in English, towards one of the following awards:
- a degree
- a higher degree
- a diploma
- an associate diploma.
e
- Must have At least 1 year of full-time study towards an award, or
- The part-time equivalent of 1 year of full-time study towards an award
e
4.Have completed an English language test
Must have gotten one of the following test scorers within the last 3 years.
If the partner or the dependent has done the English language tests after the 7th August 2025 then they should fulfill one of the test scores below.
r
Scores
An overall band score of at least 5
w
An average band score of at least 4.5
r
An average band score of at least 4.5
w
An overall band score of at least 38
c
An overall band score of at least 1020
e
An overall band score of at least 38
r
An overall band score of at least 24
r
A total score of at least 26
w
If the partner or the dependent has done the English language tests before the 6th August 2025 then they should have sat for the tests within the last 12 months and fulfill one of the test scores below.
t
Test
e
Scores
r
A total band score of at least 147
An average band score of at least 4.5
An average band score of at least 4.5
q
A total band score of at least 30
e
A total band score of at least 32
The types of tests that is not accepted
English language that are completed completely online are not accepted. Such examples are:
- IELTS Online
- LANGUAGECERT Academic Online
- OET@Home
- CELPIP Online
- MET Digital (taken at-home)
- TOEFL iBT - Home Edition
Exemptions for the English language requirement for the partner of the 186 visa applicant
If the partner or the dependent is unable to fulfill the English language requirement, then an extra payment called tthe second installment will have to be paid. The second installment is priced at AUD 4,890.
186 visa applicant
186 visa applicant
Competent English
IELTS- 6.0 for each of the test components
PTE:
- 47 for listening
- 48 for reading
- 51 for writing
- 54 for speaking
Dependent/ partner of 186 visa applicant
Dependent/ partner of 186 visa applicant
Functional English
IELTS- an average band score of at least 4.5
PTE- an overall band score of at least 24
Keith James
Keith is a graduate of Monash Law School. He moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2014 and has a passion for working with migrants, who aspire to call Australia their dream home. Being a migrant himself, he has a tremendous capacity to empathise with the problems his clients face and focuses on providing them with outcomes that leads to Permanent Residency in the shortest possible time.
Keith practices in all aspects of Migration law, with a particular focus on Skilled Migration and Family visas. He stays abreast on the latest updates in state nomination criteria and has a wide range of options available to assist his clients navigate their migration aspirations.
- LLB (Monash University, Australia)
- Member (Law Institute of Victoria)
- Member (Migration Institute of Australia)
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