Is Australian Permanent Residency Worth a Million Dollars?
Hello! Living in Korea's highly competitive society often makes people wonder, 'What would life be like in another country?' Australia, with its strong economy and welfare system, is a country where many people dream of obtaining permanent residency. The 'million dollars' in the title is not a calculated figure — it's a common way of saying how valuable PR feels.
Beyond the image of simply being a 'good place to live,' let's look at the concrete benefits Australian permanent residency offers, and why preparing for the PTE Academic test matters.
1. What's So Great About Australian Permanent Residency?
Obtaining permanent residency means gaining the right to live in Australia indefinitely. An even bigger benefit is access to the 'national safety net.'
Less Worry About Healthcare : Permanent residents can enrol in Medicare, Australia's public healthcare system, so most treatment in public hospitals is free. Under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), general patients pay at most $25 per PBS prescription from January 2026.
Opportunities for Children's Education : Public primary and secondary schooling is free. At university, permanent residents can get a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP), where the government pays part of the fees as it does for domestic students. However, HECS-HELP loans are generally only for citizens, so permanent residents usually have to pay their student contribution upfront each study period.
Reliable Living Assistance : The government (Centrelink) offers payments for unemployment, illness, and raising children. For children born or adopted from 1 July 2026, government Parental Leave Pay has increased to up to 26 weeks (130 days). Note that not every payment starts the day you become a permanent resident: if you got your PR visa on or after 1 January 2019, most payments and concession cards have a waiting period of up to 4 years (the Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period).
2. Advantages Over Korea, Compared Using 'Real Indicators'
Many people ask, "Will my quality of life really improve if I move to Australia?" Let's start with what official figures can show.
A Thicker Paycheck : Australia's national minimum wage is AUD 26.44 per hour from 1 July 2026. Korea's 2026 minimum wage is KRW 10,320 per hour, so Australia's is roughly double, depending on the exchange rate.
Work-Life Balance Written into Law : Australia's National Employment Standards set maximum weekly hours at 38 (plus reasonable additional hours), and full-time and part-time employees get 4 weeks of paid annual leave a year. Enjoying a barbecue with family in the park after work is not just a dream.
Clean Air as the Best Welfare : While people in Korea reach for masks on high fine-dust days, Australia was one of only a handful of countries whose annual average PM2.5 met the WHO guideline in IQAir's 2024 World Air Quality Report. Is there a greater value than an environment where children can run and play freely under clear skies?
3. Why Prepare for the 'PTE Academic' Test?
Australian skilled permanent residency uses a Points Test. Unlike age or work experience, which are hard to change, your English score is the item you can most directly improve through effort: Proficient English adds 10 points and Superior English adds 20. So why do many people choose PTE Academic over IELTS?
Consistent Scoring : PTE Academic is mainly scored by AI, and since August 2025 human raters also score the content of 7 of the 22 question types alongside AI. Each question type has clear scoring criteria, which makes it easier to see where you lose points and fix it.
Score-Boosting Structure : For example, 'Repeat Sentence' is a listen-and-speak task, so it counts toward both your Listening and Speaking scores. Preparing for one skill helps your score in another.
Fast Results : Results usually arrive within 2 business days, and occasionally take up to 5. That's good news for anyone about to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). Keep in mind that for visa purposes only tests taken at a test centre are accepted — at-home online tests are not.
4. 2026 Permanent Residency Strategy: Remember These Points!
The subclass 189 invitation round held on 4 June 2026 (10,000 invitations) shows how much invitation scores vary by occupation.
Skilled Trades : Some building trades, such as plumbers, received invitations at the minimum score of 65 points.
Nursing : Registered nurses were mostly invited at 75 points, some at 80. The highest occupations went up to 95–100 points.
In the 2026–27 Migration Program planning levels, places for the 189 visa rose to 21,090 (from 16,900), while regional visas (491/494) fell sharply to 14,110. How much your English score matters depends on the score your occupation is being invited at.
For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, English is assessed skill by skill. Superior English (20 points) requires Listening 69, Reading 70, Writing 85 and Speaking 88; Proficient English (10 points) requires Listening 58, Reading 59, Writing 69 and Speaking 76. Results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 are assessed under the old requirements (Superior was 79 in every skill) and can be used until 6 August 2028. The May 2026 Budget also announced a redesign of the points test, but the details and start date have not been confirmed yet.
Start Preparing for Australian PR with PTE360
Feeling stuck with self-study, or has your score plateaued? Here's how you can prepare with PTE360.
AI Scoring and Feedback for All Four Skills : AI scores all 22 question types across Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening, and shows you where you lost points.
17,000+ Practice Questions and Mock Tests : Build real-test timing with practice questions for every question type and full mock tests.
Try It Free First : After signing up you get 3 free AI scorings every day, and a free 10-question level test (about 10–15 minutes) shows your current level in each skill. Results are shown after sign-up.
Start by checking with our points calculator (in Korean) whether you really need the extra 10 or 20 English points, then focus on the skills that need it most.