If your current points score is below the competitive threshold, there are concrete steps you can take to build it. Here are the most impactful options, ranked by effort and return.
How to Increase Your Points Score for Australian Immigration
The most common question we get after an initial assessment is: "My score is not competitive — what can I do?" The good news is that the Australian points test has several levers you can pull. Here are the most effective strategies, ranked roughly by impact and practicality.
1. Improve Your English Score (+10 to +20 points)
This is the single most impactful change most applicants can make. The English bonus works on a tiered scale:
Competent English (IELTS 6.0 in all bands): 0 points
Proficient English (IELTS 7.0 in all bands): +10 points
Superior English (IELTS 8.0 in all bands): +20 points
Moving from 0 to 10 points, or from 10 to 20 points, requires sustained preparation — but it is entirely achievable with the right study approach. Many applicants underinvest in English preparation because they feel their English is already good enough. "Good enough to communicate" is very different from "good enough for Superior IELTS".
PTE Academic is an alternative to IELTS and many applicants find it more achievable. Both are accepted for Australian immigration.
2. Get a Skills Assessment for Your Partner (+10 points)
If your spouse or de facto partner has relevant qualifications and work experience in an MLTSSL occupation, a positive skills assessment from the relevant Australian authority — plus Competent English — earns you 10 partner skills points. This requires investment of time and money but is one of the most certain ways to add points.
3. Wait for More Overseas Work Experience (+5 to +15 points)
Work experience points scale with time:
3–4 years: 5 points
5–7 years: 10 points
8–10 years: 15 points
If you are at 4 years of experience, getting to 5 years is worth 5 points. This costs nothing except time — and if your score is borderline, strategic waiting is sometimes the right answer.
4. Complete a Professional Year in Australia (+5 points)
An accredited Professional Year Programme in Australia is available to international graduates in accounting, engineering, or IT who studied at an Australian institution. Completing the 12-month programme earns 5 points. It also develops Australian workplace skills and connections. This is only available if you are already in Australia on a student or graduate visa.
5. Study at a Regional Australian Institution (+5 points)
Completing at least two academic years of study at an eligible regional Australian institution earns 5 points. This applies to postgraduate study as well as undergraduate degrees. Combined with a regional pathway like the 491, study in regional Australia can stack multiple benefits.
6. Obtain NAATI Accreditation (+5 points)
The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) offers a Community Language credential that earns 5 points. If you speak a language other than English, particularly languages with demand in Australian services, this is achievable with preparation.
7. Gain Australian Work Experience (+5 to +20 points)
Working legally in Australia on any eligible work visa contributes Australian work experience points — separate from overseas experience and scaled generously:
1–2 years Australian experience: 5 points
3–4 years: 10 points
5–7 years: 15 points
8–10 years: 20 points
For applicants already in Australia on a 482 or student visa, building Australian work experience is a natural and highly efficient way to grow their score over time.
A Realistic Plan
Most applicants have 2–3 of these options available to them. New World Immigration builds a personalised points strategy for every client — identifying which levers are available, how long each takes, and what the projected score will be after each step.