The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) assesses one’s English language ability through third party test. Up until the end of 2014, IELTS was the only test accepted for immigration purposes. Since, a few new test have made their way on to the list of accepted tests.
- IELTS: General or Academic
- PTE: Academic
- TOEFL iBT
- Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)
- Occupational English Test (OET)
These tests play a rather significant role in your application. A majority of visas have a minimum English level requisite. If you are applying for a points tested visa, a high English test score will definitely be a boost to your application. Otherwise, they could affect your skills assessment. If applying for state sponsorship, certain states may only impose additional requirements on English language ability for your nominated occupation.
It is important to note that for the IELTS, PTE, TOEFL iBT and CAE tests, an applicant can only supply a single test result to the DIBP to demonstrate their English ability. This means that if you are trying to achieve a certain level you must obtain that level in a single test sitting. Unlike the other tests, OET is a module-based test of discrete modules and is the only test where visa applicants can provide OET results achieved in more than on test.
English Proficiency Levels
Competent English
Competent English is the bare minimum required for your General Skilled Migration visa. To demonstrate this you will need to:
- Be a citizen of and hold a valid NZ, UK, USA, Canada, Republic of Ireland passport, OR
- Achieve test results that are at or above the scores in each category in the following table:
| Test | Listening (Minimum) | Reading (Minimum) | Writing (Minimum) | Speaking (Minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| PTE: Academic | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| OET | B | B | B | B |
| TOFEL iBT | 12 | 13 | 21 | 18 |
| CAE: Advanced | 169 | 169 | 169 | 169 |
Proficient English
Proficient English awards you 10 points is you are applying for a points tested visa. To demonstrate this you will need to achieve test results that are at or above the scores in each category in the following table:
| Test | Listening (Minimum) | Reading (Minimum) | Writing (Minimum) | Speaking (Minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| PTE: Academic | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
| OET | B | B | B | B |
| TOFEL iBT | 24 | 24 | 27 | 23 |
| CAE: Advanced | 185 | 185 | 185 | 185 |
Superior English
Superior English awards you 20 points if you are applying for a points tested visa. To demonstrate this you will need to achieve test results that are at or above the scores in each category in the following table:
| Test | Listening (Minimum) | Reading (Minimum) | Writing (Minimum) | Speaking (Minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| PTE: Academic | 79 | 79 | 79 | 79 |
| OET | B | B | B | B |
| TOFEL iBT | 28 | 29 | 30 | 26 |
| CAE: Advanced | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
Vocational English
To demonstrate a vocational level of English, you will need to:
- Be a citizen of and hold a valid NZ, UK, USA, Canada, Republic of Ireland passport, OR
- Achieve test results that are at or above the scores in each category in the following table:
| Test | Listening (Minimum) | Reading (Minimum) | Writing (Minimum) | Speaking (Minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| PTE: Academic | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
| OET | B | B | B | B |
| TOFEL iBT | 4 | 4 | 14 | 14 |
| CAE: Advanced | 154 | 154 | 154 | 154 |
Functional English
Functional English is for secondary applicants who are looking to avoid an English Language charge. Unlike the others, this test must be completed within 12 months of application lodgement. To demonstrate functional English, you will need to:
- Be a citizen of and hold a valid NZ, UK, USA, Canada, Republic of Ireland passport, OR
- Have a positive assessment from an Adult Migrant English Program, OR
- Completed all years of Primary education and at least 3 years of Secondary education in an educational institution in or outside Australia, where all instructions were in English, OR
- Completed at least 5 years of Secondary education in an educational institution in or outside Australia, where all instructions were in English, OR
- Successfully completed at least 1 year of full-time study or equivalent part-time study towards a degree, higher degree, diploma or associate diploma in an institution in Australia where all instructions were in English, OR
- Have a positive functional level result through the Australia Assessment of Communicative English Skills (ACCESS) test, certified by the relevant testing body, OR
| Test | Listening (Minimum) | Reading (Minimum) | Writing (Minimum) | Speaking (Minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | Overall band score of 4.5 | |||
| PTE: Academic | Overall band score of 30 | |||
| TOEFL iBT | Overall band score of 32 | |||
| CAE: Advanced | Overall band score of 147 | |||
English Requirement Changes for Subclasses 485, 476 and 482
On 18 April 2015 the migration regulations were modified to reflect new lowered English level requirements for visa subclasses 485, 476 and 482. Please refer to the tables below for the minimum results on each of the five approved tests, that you will need to obtain to meet these requirements. (Please note that the Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) has been replaced by the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482 visa effective 18 March 2018)
- For visa subclasses 485 and 476, tests must have been undertaken within 3 years preceding the date of application.
- Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) tests must have been taken on or after 1 January 2015
- The IELTS, PTE:Academic, CAE and TOEFL iBT test results must achieve the minimum requirements in a single sitting
It remains that if you hold a passport from the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or New Zealand, you will not need to provide English test results.
Visa subclasses 485 and 476
The minimum requirements are as follows:
| Test | Minimum Overall Score | Total Overall Score | Listening (Minimum) | Reading (Minimum) | Writing (Minimum) | Speaking (Minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 6 | 64 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| PTE: Academic | 50 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | |
| OET | B | B | B | B | B | |
| TOFEL iBT | 4 | 4 | 14 | 14 | ||
| CAE: Advanced | 169 | 154 | 154 | 154 | 154 |
Visa subclass 482
The minimum scores you will need to achieve are as follows:
| Test | Minimum Band Score | Listening (Minimum) | Reading (Minimum) | Writing (Minimum) | Speaking (Minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | Overall score of 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| PTE: Academic | Overall score of 36 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| OET | B | B | B | B | |
| TOFEL iBT | Total score of 36 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 12 |
| CAE: Advanced | Overall score of 154 | 147 | 147 | 147 | 147 |