Single vs Married: The Partner Skills Points Breakdown

The Immigration Marriage Penalty

In 2019, the Australian government radically overhauled the points system to prevent "unskilled" partners from dragging down the quality of the migration intake.

They introduced the Partner Skills Points. The result? For many applicants, falling in love and getting married to the wrong person mathematically destroys their chances of getting Permanent Residency.

The Point Allocations

Here is how the Department of Home Affairs scores your relationship status:

1. The Single Advantage (+10 Points) If you are single (or your partner is an Australian citizen/PR), you automatically get 10 points. The government loves single applicants because they can contribute to the economy without bringing dependents who might need welfare or schooling.

2. The 'Competent English' Partner (+5 Points) If you are married or in a de facto relationship, you lose the 10 "single" points. To get 5 points back, your partner must pass an English test (e.g., IELTS 6.0 in all bands or PTE 50). The Result: You are still 5 points behind a single person.

3. The 'Skilled' Partner (+10 Points) To get the full 10 points (putting you back on par with a single person), your partner must be a highly qualified migrant themselves. They must:

Be under 45 years old.

Have Competent English.

Crucially: Hold a positive Skills Assessment in an occupation on the same skilled occupation list* as you.

4. The 'Deadweight' Partner (0 Points) If you are married to someone who cannot pass the English test, or refuses to take it, you get ZERO points for your relationship.

The Heartbreaking Reality

Imagine you are a single Engineer with 85 points. You are competitive. You get married to someone studying a generic diploma with poor English. Your score instantly drops to 75 points.

You have just sacrificed your PR invitation for your relationship.

The 'De Facto' Trap

Some students think they can just claim to be "single" on their EOI, despite living with their partner for three years. This is visa fraud (PIC 4020). If you claim single points, get invited, and then later try to add your partner to your PR visa or sponsor them for a Partner Visa (Subclass 820), the case officer will look at your history. If they realize you were in a de facto relationship when you claimed "single" points, your PR will be cancelled and you will face a 3-year ban from Australia.

Before you update your relationship status on Facebook, update it on our Visa Points Calculator to see the exact impact on your SkillSelect rank.