New English Test Rules for Visa Applicants – What Changed in August 2025?

• More accepted tests (now nine): C1 Advanced (Cambridge), CELPIP General, IELTS Academic & General Training, LanguageCert Academic, MET (Michigan English Test), OET, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT.
• Score benchmarks updated across providers to align levels (Vocational, Competent, Proficient, Superior). C1 Advanced is not accepted for Vocational English, and MET is not accepted for Superior English.
• Passport exemptions remain for UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland (no test needed in many cases).
• No fully online/at-home tests are accepted. Tests must be taken at secure centres.
• IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR) is accepted except for subclasses 476, 482 and 485 (those require scores from one sitting).

Scores below must be met in one sitting (OET has its own rules) and the test must be within 1 year before you apply.

When a visa asks for Functional, Vocational, Competent, Proficient or Superior English, the new benchmark table applies.
Competent English – Minimum Score Requirements
To satisfy the Competent English level, applicants must achieve the following minimum scores:

Functional English

Purpose: Demonstrate basic English proficiency through education or testing.
Test score requirements (valid for 12 months):

The test must be taken within the 12 months immediately before the relevant nomination or visa application is lodged, or on or after the date the application is lodged.

Vocational English

Required for certain skilled and employer-sponsored visas.
**Minimum score in each component (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking):

Proficient English

General Skilled Migration (GSM) applicants claiming 10 points for English.
Minimum score in each component (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking):

Superior English

Purpose: For GSM applicants claiming 20 points for English.
Minimum score in each component (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking):

From 14 December 2022, IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR) became available for eligible test takers. OSR allows candidates to retake one component for reading, writing, speaking, or listening once only. For Australian visa applications, the Department accepts IELTS results that include an OSR, except for subclasses 476, 482, and 485, which require scores from a single sitting

Who doesn’t need a test?

Holders of valid passports from UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland are generally exempt from English testing (visa-specific rules still apply for claiming points, etc.). To claim Proficient or Superior English points under GSM, you must sit an English test, regardless of your nationality.