Many international students and temporary migrants seeking to apply for Australian permanent residency are struggling to book their English language proficiency tests amid coronavirus restrictions.
The clock is ticking for Abhimanyu Singh, whose long-stay work visa is expiring on May 18.
The Sydney-based dressmaker now wants to apply for his permanent residency under the transitional arrangements specific to his subclass before his visa expires.
But for that to happen, Mr Singh would need to submit his English language test results along with his application.
The 28-year-old said he is now “on the edge”, as his PTE exam (Pearson Test of English) has been cancelled, while his IELTS ( (International English Language Testing System) test has been postponed to May 16, due to the social distancing restrictions currently in place due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking to SBS Punjabi, Mr Singh said while he has managed to secure an exam date, he is still worried because it is too close to his visa expiry deadline.
“I am quite literally biting my nails. I have contacted the IELTS centre and have informed them of my situation. They have been very cooperative and have told me that they would inform me in case there are any cancellations,” said Mr Singh.
IELTS and PTE are two of the five English language proficiency tests that are accepted in Australia for higher education and migration.
Depending on the requirement of the visa, aspirants are mandated to achieve a specified score in the test to be able to lodge their application.
Longer waiting period for visa applicants:
Migration agent Kamaldeep Singh said the unavailability of test dates has left hundreds of students and permanent residency aspirants in limbo.
This only means one thing for visa aspirants and that is delays
“This can potentially become one of the major reasons for visa delays in the coming days as English language test is more often a pre-requisite for a majority of visa categories,” said Mr Singh.
When contacted IDP, the organiser of IELTS said while some centres have suspended testing due to social distancing requirements, however, IELTS testing remains available in every capital city.
“We understand this is a challenging period, however, we are committed to supporting our students progress their goals by providing a safe environment for them to take the English test they trust,” said an IDP Education spokesperson.
While only a small number of PTE Academic Test centres have continued to operate in line with different state organisations.
“More widely we are working towards re-opening Pearson test centres across Australia in May with additional hygiene and social distancing measures in place,” a said a PTE spokesperson.
Migration agent Tejas Patel said in addition to the suspension of tests, the fact that only a certain number of students can be present at the test centres is further putting pressure on the ones that are currently operating.
“Lesser number of centres are currently taking bookings for tests. And the ones that are taking are only allowing a limited number of students to appear for the test at a given day or time, which overall means very few students will be able to take up the test until after the restrictions are lifted,” he said.
The Department of Home Affairs has said it is aware that there has been disruption to the availability of English language testing centres due to COVID-19.
Where an English language test is required and a visa applicant is unable to attend due to temporary closures, further time will be provided for the visa applicant to meet this requirement- Department of Home Affairs, spokesperson
Online tests?
Mr Patel suggested that online testing system could be a feasible solution to the current stalemate.
“We know that IELTS and TOEFL iBT have now launched at-home testing solutions in response to the pandemic.”
He, however, added that there is currently no clarification if the new format would be considered valid in Australia.
“We currently do not know if the TOEFL at-home or IELTS Indicator will be accepted by the immigration authorities. We do know some universities in the country have started accepting the IELTS indicator. But I would advise students to check before considering these options,” he added.
Source: SBS News