English-Speaking Countries Under DHA Rules: Who Is Exempt
DHA recognises certain countries as “English-speaking countries” — citizens of these countries are generally exempt from the English test requirement for Australian migration visas.
The list of countries recognised by DHA
Under DHA rules, the following countries are treated as English-speaking countries:
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Republic of Ireland
This is the core list that applies to most visas. Some visas may use a broader list.
Holding a passport from one of these countries
If you have become a citizen of one of these five countries, you are exempt from the English test requirement when applying for an Australian visa, regardless of your background.
This is a common situation for migrants who settled in the US, Canada or the UK and now want to move to Australia.
Is your country of origin on the list
Many countries are not classified as English-speaking countries under DHA’s definition. If your passport is not from one of the five listed countries, you will need to provide an English test result for most long-term migration visas.
How it applies per visa
Subclass 482 (TSS): Citizens of the five countries above are fully exempt from the English requirement.
Subclass 186 (ENS): Similar — exempt if you hold a passport from one of the five countries.
Skilled visas (189/190/491): Exempt, but this affects your EOI points — there are no English points in the EOI if you are exempt on the basis of citizenship.
Dual citizenship
If you hold a passport from a non-listed country and a passport from the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand or Ireland, you can lodge your Australian visa with the passport from the English-speaking country and be exempt from the English requirement.
Note, however, the rules for entering Australia: Australian citizens must use their Australian passport; people who are not Australian citizens may use whichever passport is most appropriate.