Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Points for a skilled partner vs Points for a partner with competent English, or for being single
The points test gives ten points to an applicant whose partner is included and has a skills assessment in a listed occupation, competent English and is under 45; five points where the partner is included and has competent English only; and ten points where the applicant has no partner, or the partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident. A couple where the partner can get the assessment earns the full ten; a couple where the partner can pass the English test earns five; and a couple who cannot do either are five behind an applicant with no partner at all. The arithmetic decides whether the partner sits a test, seeks an assessment, or is included as a secondary applicant with no claim.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Skilled partner
- 10 points: skills assessment in a listed occupation, competent English, under 45, included in the application · Not applicable
- Partner with competent English
- Not applicable · 5 points: competent English, included in the application
- No partner, or an Australian partner
- Not applicable · 10 points: single, or the partner is a citizen or permanent resident
- Partner with neither
- 0 points, and the partner is still included · 0 points
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Points for a skilled partner | Points for a partner with competent English, or for being single | |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled partner | 10 points: skills assessment in a listed occupation, competent English, under 45, included in the application | Not applicable |
| Partner with competent English | Not applicable | 5 points: competent English, included in the application |
| No partner, or an Australian partner | Not applicable | 10 points: single, or the partner is a citizen or permanent resident |
| Partner with neither | 0 points, and the partner is still included | 0 points |
| Evidence | The partner’s assessment and English result at invitation | The partner’s English result at invitation, or the partner’s citizenship |
| Watch out | The partner’s assessment can take months; both must be true at invitation | A partner left off the application to claim single points is false information |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
The points test gives ten points to an applicant whose partner is included and has a skills assessment in a listed occupation, competent English and is under 45; five points where the partner is included and has competent English only; and ten points where the applicant has no partner, or the partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident. A couple where the partner can get the assessment earns the full ten; a couple where the partner can pass the English test earns five; and a couple who cannot do either are five behind an applicant with no partner at all. The arithmetic decides whether the partner sits a test, seeks an assessment, or is included as a secondary applicant with no claim.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
Points for a skilled partner or Points for a partner with competent English, or for being single — which is better?
The points test gives ten points to an applicant whose partner is included and has a skills assessment in a listed occupation, competent English and is under 45; five points where the partner is included and has competent English only; and ten points where the applicant has no partner, or the partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident. A couple where the partner can get the assessment earns the full ten; a couple where the partner can pass the English test earns five; and a couple who cannot do either are five behind an applicant with no partner at all. The arithmetic decides whether the partner sits a test, seeks an assessment, or is included as a secondary applicant with no claim.
What is the main difference between the Points for a skilled partner and the Points for a partner with competent English, or for being single?
Skilled partner: Points for a skilled partner — 10 points: skills assessment in a listed occupation, competent English, under 45, included in the application; Points for a partner with competent English, or for being single — Not applicable. Partner with competent English: Points for a skilled partner — Not applicable; Points for a partner with competent English, or for being single — 5 points: competent English, included in the application. No partner, or an Australian partner: Points for a skilled partner — Not applicable; Points for a partner with competent English, or for being single — 10 points: single, or the partner is a citizen or permanent resident.
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