English Tests for Australia: Visas, Study, Health Registration and Citizenship

Tests accepted for Australian visas

For visa applications made on or after 7 August 2025, the Department of Home Affairs accepts these tests:

• IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training (including One Skill Retake)
• PTE Academic
• TOEFL iBT (select Taking TOEFL for Australia when you register)
• Cambridge C1 Advanced
• OET
• CELPIP General
• LanguageCert Academic and the Michigan English Test (MET)

Remote or at-home tests are not accepted. This includes IELTS Online, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, CELPIP Online, OET@Home and the at-home versions of LanguageCert and MET. Results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 can still be used until 6 August 2028. We do not offer practice for LanguageCert or MET. Our other practice tests follow the same format as the centre-based exams.

English levels for different visas

Home Affairs describes English ability as Functional, Vocational, Competent, Proficient or Superior. Each level has its own minimum scores for each test. Skilled visas usually need at least Competent English, and a higher level can earn points in the points test. Check the page for your visa before you book.

For some visas, you can show English in other ways. For example, holders of passports from certain English-speaking countries can meet the Competent English level without a test.

Studying in Australia

Universities set their own admission scores, and a student visa can also require English evidence. The safest choice is a test that is on the visa list. IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and C1 Advanced work for both admission and the visa.

Remember that the visa needs a result from a centre-based test. An at-home result will not count for the visa, even if your university accepted it for admission.

Health practitioners and citizenship

Ahpra, which registers doctors, nurses and other health practitioners, accepts IELTS Academic, OET, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency, taken at a test centre. Updated minimum scores apply to tests taken from 23 April 2026.

For citizenship there is no separate English exam. The citizenship test is taken in English and checks basic English as well as knowledge of Australia. It has 20 multiple-choice questions, and you need at least 15 correct.

One test for study and a later visa

Many students later apply for a graduate or skilled visa. If that might be you, choose a test that universities and Home Affairs both accept, such as IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT or C1 Advanced, and take it at a test centre. IELTS General Training is accepted for visas but is not usually accepted for university admission. Our practice tests follow the same format as the centre-based exams, so you can prepare for either route.

New Zealand: English tests for visas, study and nursing

New Zealand uses much the same tests as Australia, but its own immigration and nursing rules. Here is what is different.

Tests accepted for New Zealand visas

For visas such as the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and skilled residence visas, Immigration New Zealand accepts:

• IELTS General Training or Academic, including IELTS One Skill Retake
• TOEFL iBT
• PTE Academic
• Cambridge B2 First and B2 First for Schools
• OET

You must sit every part of the test in person at a test centre. At-home tests are not accepted. From 13 July 2026, OET with a remote speaking section is no longer accepted either. For the AEWV, English evidence is needed for jobs at skill levels 3 to 5. Some working holiday schemes have their own lists, so check the page for your visa.

Minimum scores depend on the visa. The AEWV sets its own minimums for each test, and skilled residence visas set theirs, so check the page for your visa before you book.

Studying in New Zealand

NZQA sets the English entry rules for international students at non-university providers. Its table includes IELTS, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge English Qualifications, OET, PTE Academic, LanguageCert, Trinity ISE and NZCEL. Universities set their own scores. The new TOEFL iBT scoring introduced on 21 January 2026 does not match the NZQA table, so NZQA says non-university providers cannot accept it. ETS advises that NZQA-governed institutions accept its TOEFL iBT Australia option. Ask your provider before you book. We do not offer practice for LanguageCert, Trinity or NZCEL.

Universities publish their own lists of accepted tests, which may differ from the NZQA table.

Nurses

The Nursing Council of New Zealand accepts only OET or IELTS Academic, with minimum scores in each skill. PTE is not accepted. Computer-based tests are fine if you take them at an approved centre.

Citizenship

To get citizenship by grant, you must be able to hold a basic conversation in English. There is no set English exam. If English is not your first language, you can use evidence such as school or university records, employer references or IELTS results. A separate civics test has been announced for citizenship applicants from the second half of 2027.

Choosing one test for several purposes

If you need English for both a visa and professional registration, choose a test that works for both. A nurse, for example, can use IELTS Academic or OET, because Immigration New Zealand and the Nursing Council both accept them. Students planning to stay and work later should choose a test that suits their provider and is also on the visa list, such as IELTS Academic or PTE Academic. Book an in-person sitting at a test centre in every case.

English tests in other countries

Canada · United Kingdom · United States