BF2 Minimum standards of English (27/07/2009)

1. Unless BF4 or BF5 applies, principal applicants who lodge applications under all Categories of Business Immigration Policy, meet the minimum standard of English if:
   1. they provide a certificate (no more than 2 years old at the time the application is lodged) from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which shows an overall band score of at least 5 in the IELTS General or Academic Module, or
   2. they provide evidence that they have an English-speaking background (see BF2.1) which is accepted by a visa or immigration officer as meeting the minimum standard of English; or
   3. they provide other evidence which satisfies a visa or immigration officer that, taking account of that evidence and all the circumstances of the application, the person meets the minimum standard of English (see BF2.5).
2. In any case under (a) (ii) or (iii), a visa or immigration officer may require an applicant to provide an IELTS certificate in terms of paragraph (a)(i). In such cases, the IELTS certificate will be used to determine whether the applicant meets the minimum standard of English.

Note: IELTS is an international organisation that provides an assessment of ability in English. Its General and Academic Modules provide band totals (test results) showing overall ability as well as performance in listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Effective 27/07/2009