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English for new arrivals

The Adult Migrant English Program, or AMEP, is the Department of Home Affairs’ free English program for eligible migrants and humanitarian entrants. Adults who speak little or no English can join if they are permanent residents, hold an eligible temporary visa, or are citizens who held an eligible visa in the past.

General information, as at October 2026. The program’s own pages, from the Department of Home Affairs, have the final word.

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Who can join

Home Affairs sets out the rule in this order. If you are 18 or older and speak little or no English, you can join when one of these is true:

  • you are a permanent resident, or
  • you hold an eligible temporary visa (Home Affairs keeps a list of the eligible temporary visas), or
  • you are now a citizen and held an eligible visa before.

Young people aged 15 to 17 may also be able to join, and Home Affairs suggests talking to a provider about it.

The program has run for more than 75 years, and Home Affairs says it helps around 70,000 people each year.

How long you have

Your time in the program depends on when your eligible visa started.

If it started on or before 1 October 2020

There are no time limits for starting or finishing. You can keep learning in the program until your English reaches a vocational level.

If it started after 1 October 2020

Three deadlines run from the day your eligible visa started. Home Affairs says you must:

  1. Your visa startsThe clock for all three deadlines starts here.
  2. Within 6 monthsRegister with an AMEP provider.
  3. Within 12 monthsStart your course.
  4. Within 5 yearsFinish your course.

Sometimes a learner can register later or stay longer. Your AMEP provider can tell you whether that applies to you.

Ways to learn

Home Affairs describes several ways to learn, from a classroom to a phone.

In a class

Face-to-face classes run at around 300 places across Australia, in cities and regional areas. Depending on the place, there may be full-time, part-time, evening and weekend classes.

With a volunteer tutor

A trained volunteer can help you as well. Volunteers give a learner one to two hours a week.

By distance learning

Learning from home with a teacher’s support. TAFE NSW is the national provider, for people more than 50 kilometres from an AMEP site, or who can’t get to classes for physical, cultural, religious, caring or other reasons.

Online, at your own level

AMEPOnline is free, on a computer or as an app, and Home Affairs says anyone can use it, wherever they are in the world.

To find a class near you, Home Affairs has a page of AMEP locations.

Childcare while you learn

While you are in an AMEP class, your children who are not yet at school can have free childcare. Your provider can help you find out about it.

If you receive Centrelink payments

Learning English in the AMEP earns points that count toward your mutual obligation requirements. A Workforce Australia provider can refer you to the program.

The AMEP and SEE

People on a provisional or temporary visa with working rights who are eligible for the AMEP can also be eligible for the Skills for Education and Employment program, but no one can be in both at the same time.

Help in your language

Home Affairs publishes AMEP fact sheets in 53 languages. For questions, its page suggests calling the department or contacting your nearest AMEP service.

Department of Home Affairs

131 881

Callable from anywhere in Australia at local call cost, as Home Affairs’ AMEP page gives it.

Two other free government services sit next to the AMEP. People settling permanently in Australia can have documents translated for free through the Free Translating Service. TIS National, the Translating and Interpreting Service, provides interpreting for people who don’t speak English.

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