The Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand released a new version of ANZSCO on Wednesday, 30 October. INZ will continue to use the previous version until the middle of 2020, although not for every occupation.

What is changing?

The updated version of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) is Version 1.3. This version sees the government adding 44 jobs to those deemed to be ‘skilled’ for the purposes of a Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa application.

When does ANZSCO Version 1.3 come into effect?

New Zealand will continue to use the current version of ANZSCO in the assessment of most applications until mid-2020. In mid-2020, Version 1.3 will then kick in.

How does Version 1.3 affect visa applications?

At the moment, New Zealand uses a combination of ANZSCO classification and pay to determine skill band levels. From next year, when ANZSCO Version 1.3 comes into effect, New Zealand will no longer use ANZSCO to assess the skill level of jobs for the Essential Skills Work Visa. Until then, New Zealand uses Version 2.1 to assess occupations.

Some occupations will be treated as an exception

As mentioned, New Zealand will continue to use ANZSCO Version 1.2 until mid-2020. However, New Zealand will treat some occupations as exceptions. Exceptions will apply to occupations that are:

• Low-skilled – Skill level 4 to 50 in ANZSCO Version 1.2.
• Skilled – Skill level 1 to 3 in ANZSCO Version 1.3, and
• The visa applicant earns at least the New Zealand median income, which is currently at NZD25 per hour.

New Zealand will treat these occupations as if it is ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3.

You can find a list of ANZSCO occupations that’ll be treated as exceptions on INZ’s website.

What does the change in ANZSCO list mean for visa applicants?

There are a couple of scenarios for visa applicants:

• You hold already hold a work visa: The skill level of your job remain the same for the duration of your visa.
• You apply before mid-2020:
  • Your occupation is not on the exceptions list: New Zealand will use ANZSCO Version 1.2 to assess your visa application.
  • Your occupation is on the exceptions list: New Zealand will treat your occupation as if it were skill level 3, if your job pays above the New Zealand median income or use ANZSCO Version 1.2 to assess your application, if your job pays below the New Zealand median income.
• You apply after mid-2020:
  • For an Essential Skills Work Visa: New Zealand will no longer use ANSCO to assess the skill level of your jobs.
  • For a Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa: New Zealand will use ANZSCO Version 1.3 to assess the skill level of your jobs.

Want to know when exactly ANZSCO Version 1.3 comes into affect in 2020?

To stay up to date with the implementation of Version 1.3 of ANZSCO, simply sign up to our newsletter or follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook and LinkedIn, where we post immigration news as and when it happens.

Today we’re going to compare the four English language test most migrants take – the IELTS General and Academic, the PTE Academic, and the TOEFL iBT. We’re going to do the comparison by taking a side-by-side look at three sections of the tests:

• Test overview.
• The parts of the test.
• How long it takes to get your test results.

This comparison will not only help you understand the differences between the tests, it will also familiarise you with each of these four tests.

Let’s get started:

Test overview

In the test overview, we give you a short description of what each test assess and how it’s done.

1 and 2. IELTS General and IELTS Academic:

The IELTS tests assess your abilities in listening, reading, writing and speaking – in less than three hours. The Listening, Reading and Writing sections of all IELTS tests are completed on the same day, with no breaks in between them. The Speaking section, however, can be completed up to a week before or after the other tests. Your test centre will advise.

3. PTE Academic

PTE Academic assesses listening, reading, speaking and writing all via computer in a single three hour test session. To complete a PTE Academic test, you will need to attend a secure Pearson test center. You will use a computer and headset to listen to, read and respond to questions.

4. TOEFL iBT

The TOEFL iBT test measures your ability to use and understand English at the university level. It also evaluates how well you combine your reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills to perform academic tasks. The TOEFL iBT test is given in English and administered via the internet. It takes about 3 hours total for the 4 sections of the test (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing).

Test format

All four English language tests assess your speaking, writing, reading and listening skills. However, the PTE Academic test assess your speaking and writing skills in one session while the other English tests assess each skill in an individual session.

Part 1:

1 and 2. IELTS General and IELTS Academic: Listening (30 min)

You’ll listen to four recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of questions. Assessors will be looking for evidence of your ability to understand the main ideas and detailed factual information, the opinions and attitudes of speakers, the purpose of an utterance and evidence of your ability to follow the development of ideas.

3. PTE Academic: Speaking & Writing (77 – 93 min)

• Personal introduction.
• Read aloud.
• Repeat sentence.
• Describe image.
• Re-tell lecture.
• Answer short question.
• Summarize written text.
• Essay (20 mins).

4. TOEFL iBT: Reading: (54 – 72 min)

You’ll read three or four passages from academic texts and answer 30 to 40 questions.

Part 2

1 and 2. IELTS General and IELTS Academic: Reading (60 min)

The Reading section consists of 40 questions, designed to test a wide range of reading skills. These include reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognising writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose.

• General: Reading material includes extracts from books, magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks and guidelines. These are materials you’re likely to encounter on a daily basis in an English-speaking environment.
• Academic: Reading material includes three long texts which range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. These are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers.

3. PTE Academic: Reading (32 – 40 min)

• Reading & writing: Fill in the blanks.
• Multiple choice, choose multiple answers.
• Re-order paragraphs.
• Reading: Fill in the blanks.
• Multiple choice, choose single answer.

4. TOEFL iBT: Listening (41 – 57 min)

You’ll listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer 28 – 39 questions.

Part 3

1. IELTS General: Writing (60 min)

Topics are of general interest. There are two tasks:

• Task 1: You’ll be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information, or explaining the situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style.
• Task 2: You’ll be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The essay can be fairly personal in style.

2. IELTS Academic: Writing (60 min)

Topics are of general interest to, and suitable for, test takers entering undergraduate and postgraduate studies or seeking professional registration. There are two tasks:

• Task 1: You’ll be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event.
• Task 2: You’ll be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Responses to both tasks must be in a formal style.

3. PTE Academic: Listening (45 – 75 min)

• Summarise spoken text.
• Multiple choice, choose multiple answer.
• Fill in the blanks.
• Highlight correct summary.
• Multiple choice, choose single answer.
• Select missing word.
• Highlight incorrect words.
• Write from dictation.

4. TOEFL iBT: Speaking (41 – 57 min)

Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks. You’ll complete four tasks in total.

Part 4

1 and 2. IETLS General and IELTS Academic: Speaking (11 – 14 min)

The speaking section assess your use of spoken English. Every test is recorded.

• Task 1: The examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between four and five minutes.
• Task 2: You will be given a card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner will then ask one or two questions on the same topic.
• Task 3: You will be asked further questions about the topic in Task 2. These will give you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts between four and five minutes.

3. TOEFL iBT: Writing (50 min)

You’ll have to write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks, and support an opinion in writing.

When do you get your results?

Waiting for the results on such an important test is nerve-racking! It helps to know for how long you’ll have to wait. Here we break down the time frames:

1 and 2. IELTS General and IELTS Academic:

If you’ve taken a paper-based test, your Test Report Form will be available 13 days after you complete the test, but if you’ve taken a computer-delivered test, your results will be available between 5 and 7 days after your test.

3. PTE Academic

Typically, PTE Academic results are available within five business days.

4. TOEFL iBT

Score reports are available and can be viewed online in your TOEFL iBT account approximately six days after your test date. If you requested a paper copy, it will be mailed to you approximately 11 days after your test date.

For even more information on each test, go to the individual websites:

• TEFL General and Academic
• PTE Academic
• TOEFL iBT

Want to know which test you should take?

Our immigration consultants advise on English language tests during the assessment process. You’ll find out if you have to take an English test and which English test is best for your situation.

The first step is an initial assessment to see if you are eligible for immigration to New Zealand. Should this assessment show that you are eligible, you can proceed with a comprehensive assessment. It is during this assessment that our advisors give advice on English tests.

To book your initial assessment, simply complete and submit this short form. You’ll hear from one of our consultants within 24 hours to get started on your immigration journey.