English tests for Australian visas 2026: the 8 approved tests and the rules that changed

Which English tests Australia accepts for a visa from 7 August 2025, why online and at-home formats no longer count, what Competent, Proficient and Superior English mean for the skilled points test, and OET's new numeric scoring. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 Sat an online English test for your visa?
  2. 0:14 The accepted tests
  3. 0:31 Not accepted, from any provider
  4. 0:44 Three levels — each band must individually hit the mark
  5. 1:00 Superior English adds the maximum 20 points
  6. 1:12 Tested on or before 6 August 2025?
  7. 1:25 Passport exemption skips the test, not the points
  8. 1:40 OET went numeric on 7 August 2025
  9. 1:56 Grade B only counts for tests on or before 6 August 2025
  10. 2:08 Subclass 482 is often 5.0 overall, 5.0 in each component
  11. 2:21 Where to read more

Transcript

Sat an English test for your Australian visa at home, on your computer? Since 7 August 2025, that result might not be accepted at all.

Home Affairs accepts these tests, taken at a secure, in-person test centre. IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET, Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic, and MET.

Remote-proctored and at-home versions are explicitly excluded. IELTS Online, OET at home, and the TOEFL iBT Home Edition don't count, no matter who administers them.

Home Affairs uses three proficiency levels. Competent is IELTS 6.0 in each of the four components. Proficient is 7.0 in each. Superior is 8.0 in each. Each band, not an average.

On the skilled points test, Competent English earns you nothing extra. Proficient adds 10 points. Superior adds 20 — the maximum available for English.

Test results are generally usable for up to three years. And if you sat your test on or before 6 August 2025, that result can still be used until 6 August 2028.

UK, US, Canadian, New Zealand, and Irish passport holders are generally exempt from sitting a test at all. But that exemption doesn't earn you the 10 or 20 skilled-migration points — for that, you still have to sit one.

OET changed its scoring from A-to-E letter grades to numbers on 7 August 2025. Competent English on the new scale is 290 in listening, 310 in reading, 290 in writing, 330 in speaking.

That old Grade B result? Only good for a test taken on or before 6 August 2025. After that date, OET's numbers are what count.

The Skills in Demand visa, subclass 482, is often expressed as IELTS 5.0 overall with 5.0 in each component — but the exact threshold depends on the stream and occupation.

The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description.

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