Recently, several outlets have swallowed the rumour and pushed out misleading articles. Newstars genuinely doesn’t enjoy bursting people’s bubbles, but you need to know that hopes built on rumours tend to come crashing down even harder.
Here’s what’s been happening: Newstars has been getting a steady stream of enquiries from engineering students asking whether “engineering is an instant ticket to migration” and “engineering migration doesn’t need IELTS?”
After looking into it, we found that some WeChat public accounts are once again playing word games to draw eyeballs.
(Funnily enough, the outlet above has been busy plagiarising our original articles for some time.)
(This one is also misleading readers…)
But is the truth really what those headlines claim?
We’re sorry to say —
No!!
No!!
No!!
Let’s break down how clickbait merchants build a rumour:
Part One: “No need for IELTS anymore”?
Partly true — but it’s a word game!
The accurate version: from 1 January 2016, Engineers Australia (EA) skills assessments accept TOEFL scores in addition to IELTS.
The official notice is below (source: the Migration Institute of Australia website):
But that’s not the whole story!
For onshore engineering students, this update doesn’t actually change much.
Why? The diagram below (Engineers Australia) shows the specific conditions for the language-requirement exemption: as long as you’ve completed two years of engineering-related study in Australia, an EA skills assessment doesn’t require an English test in the first place.
The EA language requirement applies to overseas engineering applicants. And those overseas engineers don’t just need an English test — they also need to submit three CDR career episodes! (We’ll cover the Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) in a separate piece, so we won’t go into it here.) Rumour-mongers, would it kill you to read the source?
So having two language tests to choose from simply means overseas engineering students get an extra option — it does NOT mean the IELTS requirement has been waived! (Whoever taught you to phrase it that way?)
One more thing worth stressing: every Australian skilled-migration visa requires applicants to meet a minimum English level of at least 6 across all four bands (or the equivalent in another accepted test). So claiming “engineers don’t need IELTS and can migrate instantly” is simply not possible.
Part Two: “Pick the right major and migrate in a flash”
Source: late last year, the new Turnbull government, in a bid to encourage an innovation-driven society, rolled out a new entrepreneur visa. The official announcement is below (source: the Migration Institute of Australia website):
So does this announcement actually mean “pick the right engineering major and you can migrate in a flash”?
The answer is: no!!!!
Let’s talk about the reality:
The announcement is aimed at PhD candidates and research-based Master’s students.
But what does the reality look like? Right now, the vast majority of engineering students coming to Australia enrol in coursework programmes (coursework Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees).
So — yes, you guessed it. Another word game. We’re not laughing.
That said, what does engineering migration actually look like at the moment?
As things stand, engineering applicants under Subclass 189 are typically waiting around a month at 60 points before receiving an invitation. The most recent EOI round on 8 January invited candidates back to 14 December at 60 points. Compared with accounting and IT, the outlook is still very strong.
Common ways to reach 60 points:
For Bachelor’s graduates who are short on age points: IELTS 7 across all four bands (or the equivalent in another accepted test), plus PY or NAATI, will usually get you to 60 points. A typical breakdown looks like: age 25 + qualification 15 + two-year Australian study 5 + IELTS 7-across-the-board 10 + PY or NAATI 5 = 60.
For Master’s graduates whose age points are already maxed out, you only need ONE of: IELTS 7 across all four bands (or the equivalent), or PY + NAATI — to reach 60. A typical breakdown: age 30 + qualification 15 + two-year Australian study 5 + IELTS 7-across-the-board OR PY + NAATI 10 = 60.
Newstars also offers skills-assessment and CDR coaching for overseas engineering students — get in touch any time. We look forward to delivering our most professional service to you.
Newstars will follow up with a detailed article on how overseas-qualified engineering Bachelor’s holders can apply for Subclass 189 skilled independent migration — stay tuned.
Also, tonight we’re running another live EOI-round broadcast — engineering candidates are looking at potentially zero wait. If you’d like to join the live session, add the editor on WeChat (kirk1031) and we’ll pull you into the group.
Get in touch any time — we’d love to help.
WeChat: NewstarsCanberra
Nanjing:
Phone: 025 8622 8099
WeChat: Lovedudu0426
Or simply leave your name and phone number via our public account and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
