Australia will require foreign partners of existing residents to pass an English language test before gaining a permanent visa, the government announced. The controversial measure, if approved by parliament, would take effect from mid-2021.
Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said both the applicant and their sponsor must demonstrate functional English or have made reasonable efforts to learn the language. 'We will require an applicant and a sponsor to have met functional level English or to have at least made reasonable efforts to learn English,' he said.
Critics have labelled the change discriminatory and racist, with the Labor opposition saying it 'takes us back to the 1950s'. Shadow minister Andrew Giles remarked, 'English proficiency isn't a test of someone's love.' The requirement has drawn comparisons to language tests used under the 'White Australia' policy, which restricted non-European immigration until the late 1960s.
The government argues the policy will build social cohesion and protect vulnerable immigrants from controlling partners. Tudge noted that in some cases, husbands prevent wives from learning English for control reasons. 'Reasonable efforts' would involve around 500 hours of free English classes under a government programme.
Currently, about one million people in Australia have poor or no English skills. More than one-fifth of the population speaks a language other than English at home. In 2017-2018, around 40,000 partner visas were granted, with double that number pending. The two-year waiting period and application fee of A$7,715 remain unchanged.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said partners could arrive on temporary visas but must learn 'Australia's first language' to stay permanently. Australia is expected to see its first drop in net overseas migration since World War Two due to the coronavirus pandemic.
