Apsara Raj cannot understand why she has had to repeatedly prove her English skills even though it is her first language.

"I've spent almost three grand just doing English tests," she said, estimating that she had taken about half a dozen. Ms Raj's experience navigating Australia's visa system has been complicated and affected by her personal circumstances.

But the need to repeatedly take English tests is largely due to the fact that language certification documents can "expire", just like other visa documents like health reports and police checks.

Dominic Dagbanja, a Curtin University Associate Professor of Law, has written extensively about Australia's migration system and provided evidence to a Senate inquiry.

"[The tests] put a lot of financial strain on migrants. They stretch them. They exclude them from being able to enter professions," he said.

Meanwhile, these tests become a source of economic gain for industry players who are involved in conducting the test.

Varun Dhawan, a language tutor and influencer, welcomes the changes to the PTE marking system.

"I've seen people who had an excellent command over the language but were not able to get the scores," he said.

Some migrants say they prefer PTE because it is computer-based and marked by artificial intelligence, which can reduce the risk of human bias.

Allegations that there are techniques to manipulate the marking system have been levelled at one of the most popular tests, Pearson Test of English (PTE).

Many migrants say they prefer PTE because it is computer-based and marked by artificial intelligence, which can reduce the risk of human bias.

Dr Dagbanja remains concerned that people who have completed degrees at Australian universities or worked in the country often have to re-take tests.

"Asian countries where English is the official language of teaching instruction and everything else, you still have to do a test irrespective of the fact that all of your education and working experience will have been in English," he said.

The Department of Home Affairs says language tests help reduce "immigration risk".

Chintan Ray, an Indian international student, understands the need for language tests but is confused by some of the requirements.

"There might be anywhere from 12 to 20 people," he said. "It might be that you're just distracted by all the noise that's in the testing room and you're not able to focus properly on the test."

For a test that costs $475, Mr Ray says the headphones are really bad.

Oscar Ibarra, who runs tutoring business Best English Coach, said most migrants needed to take the test several times before they passed.

"One of the main reasons students struggle to pass the exam is last-minute preparation," he said.

Sometimes they may not have been aware of the exam requirement, or the government may have changed the rules regarding the timing and scores needed for different visas.

Dr Dagbanja would like to see further reform.

"Australian values around fair play, equality of treatment, egalitarianism and all of that ought to reflect in the way that Australia treats migrants who are making a significant contribution to the Australian economy," he said.