Additional points for primary applicants

‘From November 2019, the Skilled Migration Points Test will be adjusted to award additional points to primary applicants when their partner has competent English but does not meet the existing requirements for skilled partner points’

The 2019-20 Budget Paper No. 2 includes the following passage:

From November 2019, the Skilled Migration Points Test will be adjusted to award additional points to primary applicants when their partner has competent English but does not meet the existing requirements for skilled partner points. Single applicants will also be awarded additional points to ensure they are not disadvantaged. This measure is estimated to result in an unquantifiable increase in revenue over the forward estimates period. The Department of Home Affairs will be provided with $0.3 million in 2019-20 to implement this measure.

The Skilled Migration Points Test currently awards additional points to primary applicants where their partner is under 45 years old, has competent English, and has a skilled occupation applicable for the visa subclass and stream they have been invited to apply for.

These changes will prioritise applicants who are single or whose partner can demonstrate competent English and therefore have the best potential to participate in the Australian labour market.


Disclaimer: the above is a mere extract of a the 2019-20 budget. The views there expressed might not reflect the views of the Department, the AAT or the courts. The law or policies might have changed between the writing and reading of this article. The author of this article and Migration Law Updates disclaim any liability for any action (or omission) on their part based on any information provided (or not provided) in this article and are under no obligation to keep the general public nor practitioners informed about the matters discussed in this article or any other matters, or any future changes to any of those matters. It is the responsibility of each practitioner to obtain access to primary sources of law and policy by themselves and to carry out their own research and come to their own conclusions on legislation, case law, policies and more. This article is not intended for the general public.


Sergio Zanotti Stagliorio is a Registered Migration Agent (MARN 1461003). He is the owner of Target Migration in Sydney. He can be reached at sergio@targetmigration.com.au

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