When Nadia Mofrad arrived in Australia from Tehran in July 2018, she had big dreams.
The seed was planted at the age of 12 when it became apparent that STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and maths – were deemed a pursuit for the boys.
"I took part in a physics tournament. I put all my heart into it and I had to do this tournament and compete for weeks and weeks in a row," she said.
"But right when I was about to be announced as the winner, the principal of the other school talked to the judges and changed the results to favour my competitor.
"So it was right then the injustice made me feel like my future is definitely somewhere else."
Nadia wanted a future in that field, and growing up hearing about her father's trip to Australia before she was born, she was intrigued to see if she could be successful overseas.
Despite a steady and sustained diet of English-language TV shows and songs, she found it took a few months to get used to Australian English.
"I was in the airport grabbing my luggage and I said 'thank you'; the other person told me 'cheers,'" she said.
"And I was thinking, 'We are not drinking right now, I don't know why you said cheers.'"
Nadia Mofrad said her English skills have helped her with job offers and making friends since coming to Australia. Source: Supplied / Nadia Mofrad
"And I would say the first three months was not easy at all."
Four years after arriving in Australia, after completing a master's degree in international business, she applied for a permanent resident visa.
An English language test became necessary. She undertook the Pearson's Test of English Academic (PTE) exam a few times before achieving a score of 84 — within the highest percentile.
That helped to smooth the way for her visa application and helped with job offers.
She said it was also instrumental in making social connections.
"It wasn't just for finding [a] job. English helped me a lot to find friends here from all over the board," she said.
"The diversity in Australia is amazing, and it helped me to have the confidence to go ahead and say hi to new people, the strangers that now are my best friends and they are like my family — the family that I don't have here in Australia."
Employment outcomes and 'filling the gaps'
That trajectory has also been reflected in a report compiled by Pearson of 3,000 visa applicants who took their English language test in the six years until 2023.
Those individuals reported higher salaries and employment outcomes, including earning an additional $20,000 per year to the median Australian salary six months after arriving in Australia.
Sasha Hampson coordinates global stakeholder relations for Pearson's English language test.
She said the report is the first time the company has examined the aspirations and outcomes of migrants before and after taking the test.
"Our data showed that we had significantly more people in age and disability care, and in nursing, and highly skilled areas like IT programming," she said.
Hampson said the report's release — timed to coincide with Harmony Day and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — highlights the benefits of skilled migration.
"There may be an existing view that migrants are not providing value to Australia, but our data is certainly showing that they're making contributions to address the challenges that we have with ageing populations and with skilled shortages, and that they are filling the gaps where they're most needed."
'It actually boosted my confidence'
Eric John de Guzman is originally from the Philippines, and said his teaching qualifications were not recognised in Australia.
This put him on a path to entering childcare and then pursuing a master's degree in secondary education.
Taking the PTE test with a score of 85-plus allowed him to eventually get a job offer with a secondary college before completing his master's.
"It actually boosted my confidence in my English skills," he said.
Eric John de Guzman said taking the PTE exam boosted his confidence and helped him secure a job. Source: Supplied / Eric John de Guzman
"So I was able to get a job in different childcare centres, and also with my school right now."
He said he was initially warned against coming to Australia by some who believed he would encounter racism — but that was not his experience.
"I've seen things like that happen in the media — but coming here now, not at all," he said.
"Actually when it comes to culture and diversity, this is the melting pot ... there are just many different people here.
"Having that realisation actually makes me feel more comfortable."
How important is English proficiency for skilled migrants?
Abul Rizvi is a former deputy secretary of the Department of Immigration and a scholar on immigration policy.
He said while English language proficiency is not the only determinant of success for skilled migrants in securing a job, it's certainly a factor.
"There are many migrants who have limited English, but still make a really great life in Australia, so it's not an across-the-board thing," he said.
"But on average, better English increases your prospects of success both in the labour market and in Australian society. So to the extent that we can help migrants improve their English, that can only help."
A report by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia found that English language proficiency was a significant factor in explaining lower wages for recent migrants.
On average, they found migrants who have been in Australia for up to six years earned over 10 per cent less than Australian-born workers.
It found that weaker language proficiency reduced wages for recent migrants by around 9 per cent, on average.
The federal government announced in December 2023 that it would be increasing the English language test requirement from early this year.
For example, the English language standard for the student visa will lift to 6.0 (up from 5.5) in the International English Language Testing System test — or to 51.6 (from 45.4) in the PTE score.
Rizvi says there are ways to further reduce friction and skills mismatch with skilled migrants, including English language test requirements for more visa types, other ways of better recognising the international qualifications of migrants, and employers playing a bigger role.
