Australia asks for evidence of English for some visas, and the list of approved tests changed in August 2025. This article summarises the Australian Department of Home Affairs pages “English language visa requirements”, “Competent English” and “Vocational English”. It concerns Australian visa applications only; the UK and Canadian systems are covered elsewhere on this site, including the article on language tests for Canadian Express Entry. The department says applicants must check the level of English and evidence required for the specific visa they want, and this article is general information, not migration advice.
Why the tests matter
The department says it requires evidence of English proficiency for some visa applications, to manage immigration risk and to ensure visa holders can participate fully in the Australian community. Evidence comes from several approved tests, which may be computer-based or paper-based and must take place in a secure testing centre. For visa-specific scores and evidence rules, it points applicants to the “getting a visa” pages for each subclass.
Tests accepted from 7 August 2025
On 7 August 2025 the approved tests changed. For tests taken on or after that date, the department accepts test scores from:
- Cambridge C1 Advanced;
- CELPIP General (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program);
- IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, including One Skill Retake;
- LANGUAGECERT Academic;
- Michigan English Test (MET), including Single Section Retake;
- Occupational English Test (OET);
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic;
- TOEFL iBT.
The department says that for TOEFL iBT to be valid for Australian visa purposes, the applicant must select “Taking TOEFL for Australia” when registering; results not registered under that pathway are not eligible. It also warns that PTE Academic keeps the same name as the earlier version, but the test and its scores are different. OET moved from an alphabetical to a numerical scoring format on 7 August 2025, and the department says OET does not currently give overall results on score reports, so an overall score must be requested from OET.
Tests taken before that date
For tests taken on or before 6 August 2025, the department says results may still be used until 6 August 2028, inclusive, depending on the visa. Its Competent and Vocational English pages say a result from before 7 August 2025 may still be valid for up to 3 years, depending on the visa subclass. The department lists the earlier accepted tests as Cambridge English (CAE, also known as C1 Advanced), IELTS, PTE Academic, OET and TOEFL iBT.
The five English levels
The department groups requirements into Functional, Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior English and publishes a page for each. Which level applies depends on the visa. It says English requirements are set in instruments made under the Migration Regulations 1994, including the Migration (Evidence of Functional English Language Proficiency) Instrument 2025 and the Migration (Specification of Language Tests, Test Scores and Passports) Instrument 2025, which are available from the Federal Register of Legislation.
Sample scores
For Competent English, the department lists minimum scores in each of four components (listening, reading, writing, speaking) for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training require at least 6 in each component. CELPIP General requires 7 in each. For PTE Academic the minimums are 47 for listening, 48 for reading, 51 for writing and 54 for speaking; for TOEFL iBT they are 16, 16, 19 and 19; for Cambridge C1 Advanced, 163, 163, 170 and 179.
For Vocational English the required IELTS score is 5 in each component, and for CELPIP General 5 in each; PTE Academic minimums are 33, 36, 29 and 24 for listening, reading, writing and speaking, and TOEFL iBT minimums are 8, 8, 9 and 14. The pages state that scores are needed in each of the four components, so a strong result in one skill cannot offset a weak one.
Passports and the three-year window
Both pages say that, alternatively, an applicant can show they are a citizen of, and hold a valid passport issued by, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the United States of America. Otherwise the applicant must have achieved the required test score in the 3 years before the visa application, depending on the visa subclass.
Why at-home tests are refused
The department says it does not accept evidence from English tests delivered completely online, also known as remote-proctored or at-home. Its examples of tests it does not accept are CELPIP Online, IELTS Online, LANGUAGECERT Academic Online, MET Digital (taken at home), OET@Home and TOEFL iBT Home Edition. An applicant should therefore book a place at a secure test centre rather than an online version of the same brand.
Common questions
Does an old IELTS result still work?
The department says results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 may be used until 6 August 2028, inclusive, depending on the visa.
Can I take the exam at home?
No. The department says tests must take place in a secure testing centre and it does not accept completely online tests.
Do British citizens need to take a test?
The pages list a passport from the United Kingdom as one way to show Vocational and Competent English, but requirements vary by visa, so the visa page should be checked.
The bottom line
For Australian visas, the approved tests changed on 7 August 2025, at-home versions are not accepted, TOEFL results must be registered under “Taking TOEFL for Australia”, and scores are needed in every component at the level the visa sets. Older results can still be used until 6 August 2028 for some visas. The visa page for the relevant subclass is the authority.
Sources
- Australian Department of Home Affairs, “English language visa requirements” (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au)
- Australian Department of Home Affairs, “Competent English” (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au)
- Australian Department of Home Affairs, “Vocational English” (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au)