Are online English tests accepted for Australian visas?

The rule from 7 August 2025

On 7 August 2025, the Department of Home Affairs changed its English language requirements. The key change: from 7 August 2025 onwards, only results from secure, in-person test centres are recognised. Any test taken online, remotely proctored, or at home does not count for visa purposes.

This rule applies to all English tests:

- IELTS Online — not accepted
- OET@Home — not accepted
- TOEFL iBT Home Edition — not accepted
- IELTS on Paper (in-person test centre) — accepted ✓
- IELTS Computer-delivered (in-person test centre) — accepted ✓
- PTE Academic (in-person test centre) — accepted ✓
- TOEFL iBT (in-person test centre) — accepted ✓

The key distinction is where you sat the test, not the test provider.

Why the rule changed

Home Affairs introduced this rule to ensure test security and prevent fraud. In-person test centres use identity verification, secure proctoring, and standardised conditions. Online at-home tests, even with remote proctoring, carry higher fraud risk and are harder to verify.

If you took an online English test

If you sat IELTS Online, OET@Home, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, or any other at-home test, your result cannot be used for an Australian visa. This applies even if you took the test shortly before 7 August 2025.

Options:

1. Sit the test at a secure test centre — contact your test provider and book an in-person test at an approved centre in your location (or travel to one). The in-person version of your test will give you a result that Home Affairs accepts.

2. Sit a different test at a test centre — if you want to try another test provider, all accepted tests have in-person versions. IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, Cambridge, OET, CELPIP, LANGUAGECERT, and MET are all available at secure centres.

3. Use a test taken before 7 August 2025, at a test centre — if you have a result from an in-person test centre taken any time before 7 August 2025, you can use it (subject to the three-year validity rule and the grace period until 6 August 2028).

Finding an in-person test centre

IELTS: Book through the British Council, IDP, or Cambridge in your region. Test dates are typically monthly in major Australian cities. IELTS on Paper is the traditional format; IELTS Computer-delivered is also available at some centres and is delivered on a computer but in a secure test centre, not at home.

PTE Academic: Pearson has test centres across Australia. Booking an in-person test often offers dates weekly.

TOEFL iBT: ETS offers test dates throughout the month at secure centres. Book via ets.org and select an Australian test centre. Make sure to select "Taking TOEFL for Australia" when you register.

OET: Book the in-person OET test through your healthcare regulatory body (nursing board, medical council, etc.) or an approved centre.

Cambridge, CELPIP, MET, LANGUAGECERT: All available at approved test centres. Contact your test provider for locations.

Cost and timing

In-person tests cost roughly the same as online versions (AUD $300–400 depending on the test). The main additional cost is travel if no test centre is near you.

Timing: IELTS test dates book up 4–8 weeks in advance in some locations. PTE dates are more frequent. Plan ahead if you're on a tight visa timeline.

I took IELTS Online in July 2025 — can I use it for my visa?

No. IELTS Online is not accepted for visas from 7 August 2025 onwards. You must sit IELTS on Paper or IELTS Computer-delivered at an in-person test centre. The date you sat the test (July 2025) is before the rule change, but the test format (online) is what disqualifies it.

What if I took an online test before 7 August 2025?

If your test was taken before 7 August 2025, Home Affairs has a grace period. You can use a result from an online test taken on or before 6 August 2025 until 6 August 2028. However, if you lodge your visa application after 6 August 2028, that result will no longer be valid. Plan to sit an in-person test centre test if your online test is approaching expiry.

Do all in-person tests cost the same as online tests?

Generally yes, though some variation exists. IELTS on Paper and IELTS Computer-delivered are similar in cost; PTE in-person is about the same as online would have been; TOEFL iBT at a test centre is equivalent to the previous online price (TOEFL no longer offers at-home testing in most regions). Check your test provider for current pricing.

If there's no test centre near me, what are my options?

Travel to the nearest centre if possible. Many regional Australian towns have approved test centres (check IELTS, PTE, and TOEFL websites for locations). If you're international, you can sit a test at an in-person centre in your country and use that result. Home Affairs doesn't require you to sit the test in Australia.

Can I sit IELTS Computer-delivered instead of IELTS on Paper?

Yes. IELTS Computer-delivered is offered at approved test centres and is accepted by Home Affairs. It's the same test, delivered on a computer instead of paper, with identical scoring. The key requirement is that it must be at an in-person, secure test centre.

If I need to sit an in-person test now, will my result be valid in time for my visa application?

Yes, assuming you're not years away. Test results are valid for three years from the test date. If you sit an in-person test now, your result will be valid until three years from now, which is sufficient for most visa timelines.