Melbourne: Australia will end the monopoly enjoyed by International English Language Testing System (IELTS) from Nov 5.
Other English language test providers have now been allowed to gain entry to the Australian international education market.
“It’s a positive step in the right direction,” says Jag Khairra, a Melbourne-based education and immigration consultant.
Once the IELTS monopoly ceases, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) case officers would start accepting results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Pearson’s PTE Academic test and the Cambridge English Advanced test.
Currently, the student visa applicants from the “high-risk” countries such as India and China are required to provide IELTS test score as evidence of English proficiency. IELTS, which is jointly owned by Australia’s IDP and British Council, is also used as a standard for all the work and skilled migration related visas. (IANS)
