The Australian government is considering accepting rival exams for assessment of would-be immigrants' English language skills

The Australian government's reliance on the Ielts test to assess the English language skills of would-be immigrants looks likely to come to an end with reports that rival exams, such as Toefl, are being considered as alternatives.

The Australian newspaper quoted an immigration and citizenship department spokesman as saying that the minister in charge, Chris Evans, had written to ETS, the US company that produces Toefl, and other test providers to tell them of "his in-principal support for the acceptance of more than one English language test under the migration regulations".

"We're very hopeful. There's really no objective reason why Toefl could not be confidently used in the Australian [immigration] context,'' Eileen Tyson, an ETS representative in Australia, told the newspaper.

In 2008 immigration officials launched a review of the Ielts monopoly by inviting other test providers to make their case for recognition.

Last month Evans also revealed a new, scaled-down list of occupations that will be accepted under the skilled migration programme, a major route to settlement for foreign nationals. The number of eligible jobs has been reduced as part of a move by the government to match workers to higher-skilled and in-demand employment.

The new Skilled Occupation List has been compiled by Skills Australia, an independent body established by the government to assess workforce needs. "This list is designed to target occupations of longer-term economic value and will deliver highly skilled migrants while breaking the nexus between permanent residency and low-value education courses," Evans said.

'Spanglish' translations raise health concerns

A study published in the US last month suggests that prescription information translated by pharmacists from English into Spanish for Hispanic patients often provides inaccurate or confusing instructions that could be potentially hazardous.

The Chicago Tribune newspaper reported that the study, published in the journal Paediatrics, found that half of medicine labels translated by popular computer programmes produced errors.

Dosage information provided in "Spanglish", a mix of English and Spanish, is a frequent problem, the report said. For example, the instruction to take iron "once" a day, meaning one time. In Spanish once means 11. Misspellings also created errors. The study found that boca, which means "mouth", was confused with poca, meaning "little".

UK brings forward language test for spouses' visas

Citizens of non-EU countries wanting to join their partners in the UK for settlement will be required from September to prove that they can speak basic English.

The rules, which require partners to take a designated test of English, were scheduled to be introduced in July 2011 but have been brought forward by the new coalition government.

All spouses, same-sex and unmarried partners of UK citizens or people settled in Britain will need to speak English to A1 level on the Common European Framework of Reference, equivalent to beginner level. According to the government's immigration information website this includes "being able to understand and use everyday expressions and very basic phrases".

The home secretary, Theresa May, said the rule was part of a review of English language requirements across the visa system. "I believe that being able to speak English should be a prerequisite for anyone who wants to settle here. The new English requirement for spouses will help promote integration, remove cultural barriers and protect public services," she said.