Settlement Services International welcomes the Federal Government’s announcement today that it will expand access to the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP).
In a National Press Club address, Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said among new measures to enhance social cohesion the government would remove the cap of 510 hours of free language tuition, allow students to strive for “vocational English” rather than only “functional English”, and remove time limits for enrolment and completion.
He said, “From today, this means that any permanent resident or citizen who doesn’t yet have functional English — that is, the basic language skills to enable participation in society — will be able to attend classes free of charge until they acquire this language capability.
