Glossary

PTE Academic is a fully computer-based English proficiency test conducted by Pearson PLC Group. The test assesses and validates English proficiency of international speakers needed to work, live, and study abroad. The exam tests on four parameters which include writing, reading, speaking and listening.

The test is taken on a computer in a single sitting lasting for 3 hours and containing 20 different questions. Some questions often test 2 skills of takers, such as reading and listening together. 

Exam results are announced within five business days. The cost of the exam is $330 but may vary according to countries. Test scores of PTE are accepted in over 6000 government, academic, and employment institutions around the globe.

It is a discount coupon offered by Pearson PLC Group and its official resellers to book PTE exams. The voucher contains a code which one needs to use to book PTE test at the discounted price.

A voucher, in general, is valid for 90 days from the day of purchase. No extension is given upon expiration. Using this PTE exam voucher, one can save on test fees.

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is a test designed to assess abilities of non-speakers in the English language. IELTS test score is needed to be eligible to study, live, and work in English speaking countries. IELTS is managed jointly by British Council and IDP and University of Cambridge. It is a popular proficiency test and taken in 1100 test centers worldwide.

IELTS Academic and IELTS General are two different tests available under the name. Both the exam contains four parts as reading, writing, listening, and speaking section. Speaking and listening are the same in both tests but writing and reading sections have some variations.

IELTS assesses one's ability of English language through a three-hour test containing 40 different questions. Reading, writing, and listening tests can be taken in a single sitting. However, speaking can be taken only upon the completion of other tests or after a week as advised by the test center.

A student visa (subclass 500) allows applicants to live in Australia for the duration of the course and 28 days extra. To get this visa, applicants must show good English proficiency and other eligibilities. This visa is applicable for all students irrespective of their chosen courses in Australia.

Applicants must be above 16 years. Visa is issued only after the confirmation of enrollment in an accredited course in an Australian institution. Vocational courses and English language courses can be added in this visa later.

This Visa allows students to work for up to 40 hours in two weeks during the course period and full time after completion. The cost of this visa is $535 and validity vary from a minimum 12 weeks to 50 weeks for long term courses.

Migration is a process of moving to another country for permanent settlement or to stay for a short time. Valid visas are needed to migrate to Australia to live, study, or work.

To be eligible for migration, applicants must fulfil all requirements like qualification, English proficiency, character certificate, medical certificate, etc. to the concerned authority. It is easy for international workers to migrate under skilled migration process in Australia. Applicants need right qualification, work experience, language abilities, and an occupation under SOL or CSOL for migration. To ensure a smooth migration process, consulting with an immigration expert is the best choice for applicants.

PR stands for Permanent Residency. A PR visa holder can live and work in Australia indefinitely even after completion of the initial period of 5 years given under migration laws. Australian government offer this visa to applicants satisfying pre-defined guidelines and proving eligibilities to Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

Best candidates are selected for PR so that they can contribute to the Australian economy while living in the country.  General skilled migration is a standard process used by migrant workers to apply for PR. Under this process, an applicant needs to acquire a minimum 60 migration points to qualify for lodging Express of Interest with DHA. Acquiring PR, migrant workers enjoy rights and facilities almost at par with Australian citizens. A PR visa holder can apply for citizenship after completion of waiting period in Australia.

Temporary Residence policy of Australia facilitates entry of people temporarily who can contribute to an economic, cultural, and social development of the community. TR visas allow migrants to live and to work in Australia on a temporary basis from three months to 4 years (457 visas). Most of the TR visas need a business to sponsor applicants with the approval of Department of Home Affairs (DHA) before filing the application.

TR visa is given to professionals like medical practitioners, entertainers, working holiday makers, and so on. To find more information on TR visas and categories, visit DHA official site.

Migrations points are valuable points needed by applicants looking to migrate to Australia under skilled migration program. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) offer points to applicants meeting the set guidelines and eligibilities.

A minimum of 60 migration points are needed by applicants to be eligible to lodge Express of Interest to DHA. Point Test System is operated by DHA. It offers points based on qualification, age, English proficiency, Australian work experience, etc. of the applicants. 

Applicants need to satisfy all criteria and eligibility besides acquiring migration points to get permanent residency in Australia. Expert guidance is required to obtain migration points and increase the chance of migration to Australia.

Department of Foreign Affair and Trade offers the scholarship to deserving international students studying in Australia. Scholarships may be awarded by the government, universities, and education institutions offering courses. Australia has already allocated $200 million as grants, bursary, and scholarships to international students coming from Indo-Pacific regions.

Australian government and universities offer scholarships based on the selected courses. Even Scholarship amounts tend to vary depending upon courses and schools offering it. Scholarship benefits include remission of a full tuition fee, return air travel, establishment allowance, contribution to living expenses, overseas student health cover, and so on. It enables international students to undertake full-time graduate and postgraduate degree courses in Australia.

NAATI stands for National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. It is a company owned by nine Australian governments operated by Board of Director chosen by owners. The aim of the company is to maintain interpreting and translating standard while meeting demographic needs of the Australian society. NAATI services and accredited professionals are employed in hospitals, banks, railways, and other places to manage effective communications between natives and non-speakers.

Over 33, 000 NAATI accredited translators and interpreters are available in Australia currently, and accreditation spanning in 117 languages. According to 2011 census, more than 4 million can speak more than one language in Australia. International students opting for NAATI certification get a promising career ahead and earn five migration point for PR in Australia.

Skilled Occupation List (SOL) is a long list of occupations published by states to use as a part of Australia’s Point Test System for immigration of skilled professionals. The Applicants seeking migration under General Skilled Migration process need to nominate for an occupation listed in SOL. The Department of Education and Training offers advice to Department of Home Affairs (DHA) while preparing a list of SOL. A new list of SOL has been drafted with minor changes from the previous one with effect from 1st July 2016.

SOL identifies occupations that can benefit from skill migrations serving mid to long term goal of the Australian economy.  The occupations listed in SOL are the ones facing shortages of qualified professionals or will contribute much to the development of the economy. Visit the official website to find the occupations coming under this category.

It stands for Consolidated Sponsored Skilled List. It is a separate occupation list from SOL including the Employer Nomination Scheme, State Sponsored Migration, Temporary Business Long Stay (457 Sub-Class) and Occupational Trainee Visa Categories. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) prepares the list of CSOL. CSOL is generally used to select skilled professionals in the following Sub-Classes:

1. 457 visa subclass
2. ENS visa subclass
3. State sponsorship category

If any occupation requires skill assessment, applicants need to contact the concerned authority.

Overseas student health covers is an insurance required to meet hospital and medical care which may require while doing a formal study in Australia.  International students and their dependents (spouse and children under 18) need OSHC to get a visa for the duration of studies in Australia. The benefits include cover for visits to doctors, hospital treatment, ambulance cover, and limited pharmaceuticals (medicines). The Department of Immigration and Citizenship demands OSHC from international students while applying for this visa.

Credit transfer is a process in which international students may be eligible for credits from a prior institution. It is also known as recognition of prior learning (RPL), credit exemption, and advanced standing. Applicants can transfer credits only for recognised courses of diploma or higher education in Australia. Under the revised National Code, only registered providers are eligible to enrol students within six months of commencement of the principal course, that too in limited circumstances.

Changing of a course to another institution may create visa problems for international students. To get further information, it is advisable to visit Department of Home Affairs (DHA) website.

A Professional Year Program is a 44-week professional development program combining of formal training and internship for international students. Training is available for engineering, accounting, and IT graduates who studied in an Australian university. The program is designed by professional bodies of schools with the approval of Department of Home Affairs (DHA), Australia.

International students need a minimum two-year degree from an Australian university to fulfil eligibility criteria to join this program. This market-ready program delivers graduates industry relevant skills, knowledge and work experience as demand by recruiters. Graduates find fewer obstacles in getting employments in the relevant industry and get five migration points for permanent residency.

SMIPA stands for Skilled Migration Internship Program – Accounting. It is also called Professional Year in Accounting. This program was specifically designed for international accounting graduates who studied in Australia.

Accounting professional bodies like CPA Australia, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, and the Institute of Public Accountants collaboratively develop course contents combining formal training and internship for graduates.

The primary aim of this program is to deliver skills, knowledge, and work experience demanded by employers from graduates during recruitment. The program is a part of initiatives taken by professional bodies with the approval of Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to resolve shortages of skilled accountants to meet mid to long term needs of the Australian economy.

CPA stands for Certified Practicing Accountants. It is an accounting body in Australia having over 150, 000 members. Founded in 1886, it is considered one of the largest accounting bodies in the world. It is operating in 121 countries currently. Its core services are education, training, knowledge exchange, technical support, networking and advocacy. Presently, CPA has 19 staffed offices in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, New Zealand, and UK.

CPA Australia is one of the three professional accounting bodies responsible for developing the training program for accounting graduates in the country. For more information, visit its official website.

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is a department of the Government of Australia responsible for immigration, citizenship, and controlling of borders. The head of the department is the Secretary of DHA, who reports to Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and also the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection.

Until September 2013, DHA was called Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). The motto of DHA is “build Australia's future through the well-managed movement and settlement of people”. Here are some of the objectives of DHA:

1. Contribute to Australia’s future managing migration well
2. Safeguard refugees and help in building humanitarian policy globally
3. Promote safety with proper management of border and travellers
4. Follow migration laws and maintain integrity in decision making
5. Offer support to migrants and refugees to settle and participate in Australian society
6. Offer citizenship to migrants and create a multicultural Australia

ANZSCO full form is Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations. It is a statistical classification designed for aggregation and reorganisation of data collected about jobs and individuals. Classifications are done based on skill level and specialisation needed to perform a particular occupation or a group of occupation. It allocates occupations to particular skill level, but it’s indicative only not prescriptive. The aim of this classification is to interpret occupation statistics better as done in ANZSCO. Hence, classifications contain a definition for all major, sub-major, minor, unit groups, and occupations. 

The Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa (subclass 457) is the most common visa used in finding skilled workers in Australia by businesses. 457 visa allows international workers to live and work in Australia up to four years temporarily with a sponsor in a nominated position. 457 visa program is used by businesses if appropriately skilled citizens and permanent residents can’t be found in the local market for a skilled occupation. 

This visa is issued in two different paths to applicants in Australia:
Standard business sponsorship: A standard business sponsorship is the most common route used in finding a qualified and skilled overseas worker. It requires an approved business to sponsor and a prospect 457 applicant with necessary qualification, English proficiency, and experience as needed by the business.

Labour agreement: It is a formal agreement between Australia and businesses looking for recruitment of overseas workers. The agreement is negotiated to resolve current shortages of labour and deal in the businesses which aren’t covered by standard business sponsorship program.

It stands for Technical And Further Education. TAFE is a government-run system offering vocational education after completion of higher secondary school. Vocational courses in beauty, design, childcare, accounting, business, recruitment, IT and so on to aspirants. Courses offered in university and colleges concentrate on broad ranges of theories whereas TAFE courses focus on developing a particular skill of takers.

TAFE is a part of Vocation Education and Training (VET) which covers all the vocation training offered in Australia. TAFE courses are short and can be taken from its approved institutes operating in Australia. Courses are offered by government-run institutes and private providers, but the quality is controlled by Australia Skill Quality Authority (ASQA).