English requirements by visa subclass: the score each Australian visa needs

How to read the table

• Every skill counts. Where the table shows four numbers, each is a separate minimum for listening, reading, writing and speaking, in that order. LIN 25/016 calls them the minimum test scores required for each of the English test components, so one skill under the line means the level isn't met.
• Overall scores appear only where an instrument sets one: the 485, the 500 and functional English.
• The test date matters. The scores shown are for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025 (13 September 2025 for the 482). Older results are judged against older tables, set out on the score conversion page.
• Test centres only. Home Affairs says the test "must take place in a secure testing centre" and doesn't accept at-home versions such as IELTS Online or TOEFL iBT Home Edition.
• Main applicant only. The table is about the person who has to meet the visa criteria. Family members aged 18 or over are covered below under the second instalment.

Points-tested skilled visas: 189, 190 and 491

All three need competent English at the time of invitation. Clauses 189.223, 190.213 and 491.215 of Schedule 2 use the same words, and regulation 1.15C(1)(ba) adds that the test must have been taken in the 3 years immediately before the invitation date.

Competent English earns no points. Higher levels earn points under Schedule 6D, also counted at the time of invitation:

• Proficient English (IELTS 7 in each skill, PTE Academic 58/59/69/76): 10 points, item 6D22.
• Superior English (IELTS 8 in each skill, PTE Academic 69/70/85/88): 20 points, item 6D21.

Your partner's English can count too. A partner applying with you who had competent English at invitation adds 5 points (item 6D113). A partner who also nominated a skilled occupation, was under 45 and held a suitable skills assessment adds 10 (item 6D111).

Employer-sponsored visas: 186 and 494

The 186 Temporary Residence Transition and Direct Entry streams (clauses 186.222 and 186.232) and the 494 Employer Sponsored stream (clause 494.226) need competent English at the time of application, from a test taken in the 3 years before you apply (regulation 1.15C(1)(bb)). Neither visa has a points test, so a higher score adds nothing for them.

Each clause lets the Minister name classes of people who don't need competent English. The instrument that does this, LIN 19/216, names an English exemption only for the 187 visa; it has none for the 186 or the 494. Home Affairs' 186 Temporary Residence Transition page says: "From 16 November 2019, there is no exemption to the English language requirement for this stream of the visa." A citizen holding a valid Canadian, New Zealand, Irish, UK or US passport still meets the criterion, because under regulation 1.15C(2) that passport is competent English.

The Labour Agreement streams of both visas leave English to the agreement between the employer and the Commonwealth (clauses 186.243 and 494.234), so the score is whatever that agreement specifies.

Skills in Demand visa (482)

The Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams use LIN 25/082, which started on 13 September 2025 (clauses 482.222 and 482.232). For tests from that date, the minimum in each skill (listening/reading/writing/speaking) is:

• IELTS Academic or General Training: 5.0 in each
• CELPIP General: 5 in each
• PTE Academic: 33/36/29/24
• TOEFL iBT: 8/8/9/14
• OET: 220/240/200/270
• LANGUAGECERT Academic: 41/44/45/54
• Michigan English Test: 49/47/45/38

C1 Advanced isn't on the 482 list. The test day must be no more than 3 years before you give the evidence, and the instrument accepts one skill re-sat on a later day. Tests taken before 13 September 2025 count against the old table if every score came from one sitting within 3 years before you apply: IELTS 5.0 overall and 5 in each skill, OET B in each, TOEFL 35 total with 4 in listening and reading and 14 in speaking and writing, PTE Academic 36 overall and in each, or Cambridge (CAE) 154 overall and in each.

LIN 25/082 lists five kinds of exempt applicant:

1. citizens holding a valid Canadian, New Zealand, Irish, UK or US passport;
2. people who completed at least 5 years of full-time study at a secondary or higher education institution where instruction was in English;
3. people nominated to work at a foreign diplomatic or consular mission, or an Office of the Authorities of Taiwan in Australia;
4. people in an occupation that needs a licence, registration or membership, who hold it and had to show English at least as good as the 482 score to get it;
5. employees of an established overseas business, nominated by that business or an associated entity, with annual earnings of at least AUD 96,400.

The Labour Agreement stream uses whatever English requirement the work agreement sets (clause 482.243).

Temporary Graduate visa (485)

Clause 485.212 requires the application to come with evidence of a test score set by LIN 25/089, or a passport of a type it names. For most applicants the score, achieved within 1 year before applying, is:

• IELTS Academic or General Training: 6.5 average, at least 5.5 in each skill
• PTE Academic: 55 overall, with 40/42/41/39
• TOEFL iBT: 81 total, with 12/12/14/17
• OET: 1310 overall, with 260/280/260/310
• CELPIP General: 8 overall, at least 6 in each skill
• LANGUAGECERT Academic: 67 overall, with 49/54/56/62
• Michigan English Test: 58 overall, with 53/51/51/43
• C1 Advanced: not accepted

Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders have a lower table (for example IELTS 6.0 average with 5.0 in each skill, or PTE Academic 47 overall with 33/36/29/24). Citizens holding a Canadian, New Zealand, Irish, UK or US passport don't need a test score. Applicants for a second 485 on the regional grounds in clauses 485.232 to 485.235, and Replacement stream applicants, are outside the English criterion (clause 485.212(2)).

Student visa (500)

Clause 500.213 applies only if Home Affairs asks for evidence, and LIN 25/090 sets an overall score rather than one per skill. The minimums are:

• Standard: IELTS 6.0, PTE Academic 47, TOEFL iBT 67, OET 1210, CELPIP General 7, LANGUAGECERT Academic 61, MET 53, C1 Advanced 161.
• With at least 10 weeks of ELICOS packaged with the main course, or a standard or extended foundation program, or a listed pathway program: IELTS 5.5, PTE 39, TOEFL 51, OET 1090, CELPIP 6, LANGUAGECERT 54, MET 49. C1 Advanced isn't accepted at this level.
• With at least 20 weeks of ELICOS packaged with the main course: IELTS 5.0, PTE 31, TOEFL 37, OET 1020, CELPIP 5, LANGUAGECERT 46, MET 44. C1 Advanced isn't accepted at this level.

The test must fall within the 2 years before you apply, or before the decision if the evidence is asked for later. Exempt groups include citizens holding a valid passport from the five countries, students whose only course is ELICOS, a school course, a postgraduate research course or a course taught in another language, and people with at least 5 years of study in English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, the UK or the US.

Visas with no English test for the main applicant

Compilation 289 of the Regulations has no English criterion for the main applicant in partner visas (820/801 and 309/100), contributory parent visas (143 and 173), the 858 National Innovation visa, the 887 Skilled Regional visa or the 888 Business Innovation and Investment visa. English can still cost money for the family.

The second instalment for adults without functional English

In many skilled, employer and business visas, an applicant aged 18 or over who is assessed as not having functional English pays a second instalment of the visa application charge before the visa is granted. Schedule 1 of the Regulations sets it at:

• $4,885 for a 189 or 190 applicant;
• $4,890 for a 491 applicant;
• $4,890 for a secondary applicant in a 186 or 494, and $9,800 for the primary applicant;
• $4,890 for an 858 applicant;
• $4,890 for an 887 applicant who hasn't already paid it for the visa they hold.

Partner and contributory parent visas have no English-based second instalment.

Functional English: who needs it and how to show it

Functional English is the lowest level. It is defined in section 5(2) of the Migration Act, with the evidence set by regulation 5.17 and LIN 25/014. The 407 Training visa (clause 407.212) and the 462 Work and Holiday visa (clause 462.215) require it, and it decides whether the second instalment above is payable. It can be shown by:

1. a test taken in the 12 months before applying, or after: IELTS 4.5 average, PTE Academic 24 overall, TOEFL iBT 26 total, OET 1020 overall, CELPIP General 5, LANGUAGECERT Academic 38 or MET 38;
2. all years of primary and at least 3 years of secondary education, or at least 5 years of secondary education, taught in English;
3. at least 1 year of full-time study in Australia towards a degree, higher degree, diploma or associate diploma, taught in English;
4. a degree, higher degree, diploma or trade certificate that needed at least 2 years of full-time study or training, taught in English (regulation 5.17(c));
5. citizenship and a valid passport from Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK or the US.

Passport holders

Citizens holding a valid passport from Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States have competent and vocational English by law (regulations 1.15B(2) and 1.15C(2), LIN 25/016 Schedule 3). They're also exempt under the 482, 485 and 500 instruments and have functional English. The passport doesn't give proficient or superior English, so it earns no points; those need a test taken within 3 years before the invitation.

When these rules last changed

The general tables changed on 7 August 2025 and the 482 table on 13 September 2025. The Minister can replace any of these instruments at any time, as happened in both months. The figures on this page were checked against the instruments and Compilation 289 of the Regulations (in force from 2 October 2026) on 30 October 2026.

What IELTS score do I need for a 189 or 190 visa?

Competent English: IELTS 6 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking, from a test taken within 3 years before the invitation. IELTS 7 in each earns 10 points and 8 in each earns 20.

What PTE score do I need for a 482 visa?

For a PTE Academic test taken from 13 September 2025: listening 33, reading 36, writing 29 and speaking 24, from a test no more than 3 years before you give the evidence. Passport holders from the five listed countries and four other groups are exempt.

Does a partner visa need an English test?

No. The 820/801 and 309/100 visas have no English criterion for the applicant in Schedule 2, and no English-based second instalment.

What English score does the 485 need in 2026?

For most applicants: IELTS 6.5 average with 5.5 in each skill, or PTE Academic 55 overall with 40/42/41/39, achieved within 1 year before applying. Hong Kong and BNO passport holders have a lower table, and Canadian, New Zealand, Irish, UK and US citizens with their passport don't need a score.

Do employer-sponsored visas give points for better English?

No. The 186 and 494 need competent English when you apply and have no points test. Points for proficient and superior English apply to the 189, 190 and 491.

Which visas need no English test at all?

Partner (820/801, 309/100), contributory parent (143, 173), 858, 887 and 888 visas have no English criterion for the main applicant. Adults in an 858 or 887 application who can't show functional English pay a second instalment of the visa charge instead.

Does the English requirement change by occupation?

Not for the 189, 190, 491, 186 or 494. The 482 exempts people in licensed occupations where the licence needed English at least as good as the test score, and labour agreements can set their own requirement. Registration bodies such as AHPRA set separate English standards for their professions.

Where are the scores for TOEFL, OET, CELPIP and the other tests?

On the English test score conversion page, which gives every accepted test at every level from LIN 25/016 and LIN 25/014.