Australia keeps drawing students and skilled professionals from around the world, with its laid-back city life and a globally competitive job market.
When choosing to work in Australia, you might not be at the stage of deciding whether to settle permanently in Australia yet. However, you will still have to prove that you can meet a minimum English language standard.
IELTS is the preferred test for work and migration to Australia accepted by almost all professional entities.
You can book either the IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training test. However, you will need the IELTS Academic test for professional registration in occupations such as medicine, nursing, accounting and engineering.
One detail worth knowing early is that most Australian visas now evaluates your individual IELTS test component scores comprising Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, instead of just the overall band score. This means that you should know which visa(s) you are aiming at, and the target score for every test section while you prepare for IELTS.
Getting Australia permanent residency
To become an Australian Permanent Resident, you have to apply for a visa that best suits your needs and eligibility. The visa type may allow a temporary, provisional or permanent status.
Here are several visa subclasses which can set you up for a successful migration pathway:
Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) - Post-Higher Education Work stream
Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)
Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887)
The Australian government updates its Permanent Migration Program yearly. The 2026-27 Permanent Program has kept its total allocation at 185,000 places, unchanged from the 2024-25 planning level.
Overall, they are prioritising applicants already living in Australia, and places have increased this year especially for the Skilled Independent visa, state and territory nominated visas (subclasses 190 and 491), as well as employer nominated visa (subclass 186).
How your IELTS score converts into points
Several visa pathways to PR are points-tested to meet their eligibility, particularly subclass 189, 190 and 491 visas.
There are several criteria in the point-based immigration system you must be aware of:
Age
English language skills
Work experience (in and outside of Australia)
Level of education (including study in Australia)
Specialist education
Spouse skill points
Any state nomination
To be eligible to receive an invitation to apply to those visas, you need a minimum of 65 points.
You can calculate your points using the official calculator from the Australian government’s Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
There are three bands of IELTS scores (competent, proficient and superior) which correspond to the number of points allocated.
English proficiency level | IELTS score | Points allocated |
|---|---|---|
Competent | 6.0 in each test component | 0 |
Proficient | 7.0 in each test component | 10 |
Superior | 8.0 in each test component | 20 |
It is important to note that for Australia universities, including the top-ranked institutions, most undergraduate or postgraduate courses already require you to attain an overall band score of 6.0 to 6.5 for your IELTS test.
Score requirements for Australian PR language tests
IELTS remains the most widely used test for Australian work and migration.
IELTS One Skill Retake, which lets you resit any one test component within 60 days of your full test, is accepted for all Australian visa subclasses.
The Home Office also accepts several alternative tests such as TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and OET. OET is only approved for medical and allied health professionals.
IELTS Academic and General Training required test scores have remained the same, after English language requirements have been updated from 7 August 2025.
Other tests like PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT have most of their scores changed across all four test sections, like an increase in minimum scores for Writing and Speaking.
English language proficiency | Section | IELTS Academic / General Training | PTE Academic | TOEFL iBT | OET |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Competent | Listening | 6 | 47 | 16 | 290 |
Reading | 6 | 48 | 16 | 310 | |
Writing | 6 | 51 | 19 | 290 | |
Speaking | 6 | 54 | 19 | 330 | |
Proficient | Listening | 7 | 58 | 22 | 350 |
Reading | 7 | 59 | 22 | 360 | |
Writing | 7 | 69 | 26 | 380 | |
Speaking | 7 | 76 | 24 | 360 | |
Superior | Listening | 8 | 69 | 26 | 390 |
Reading | 8 | 70 | 27 | 400 | |
Writing | 8 | 85 | 30 | 420 | |
Speaking | 8 | 88 | 28 | 400 |
IELTS requirements for visas to work and attain Australian PR in 2026
IELTS validity for Australian work and PR visas
Your IELTS test results are valid for three years for most visas (such as the Skills in Demand subclass 482 visa), with the exception of the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), which requires a more recent English test: you must have taken the test in the 12 months prior.
1. Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) - Post-Higher Education Work stream
This visa authorises you as an international higher education graduate to live, study and work in Australia between 2 to 3 years, after you complete bachelor’s degree or higher, in an eligible, CRICOS-registered course with at least 2 academic years study.
From 1 July 2026, other visa rules include:
You must be aged 35 years or under
You have held a student visa in the last 6 months
Show the required proficiency level of English: an overall IELTS score of at least 6.5 with a minimum score of 5.5 for each of the 4 test sections
New visa application fee of AUD 5,750
Depending on your level of study in Australia, your post-study work visa entitles you to a stay period of:
2 years for all bachelor’s degrees
2 years for master’s degrees by coursework
3 years for master’s degrees by research
3 years for all doctoral degrees
Only current Temporary Graduate visa holders who have studied, worked and lived in an eligible designated regional area for at least 2 years are eligible to apply for a Second Temporary Graduate visa, which may grant them a stay period between 1 to 2 years.
For instance, in the state of Victoria, all areas outside Melbourne are considered regional.
This extension in the duration of the post-study work period requires you to have completed a CRICOS-registered course in the eligible designated regional area as well.
2. Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
This visa grants employer-sponsored workers who possess skills considered in demand in Australia a stay period of up to 4 years.
Applications for this visa are prioritised for processing under Ministerial Direction 119, which effected on 25 July 2026.
The first visa stream aligns with the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), which outlines over 450 jobs deemed necessary to tackle local skill shortages in critical sectors and is reviewed periodically. It aims to attract skilled migrants across industries like agriculture, construction, cybersecurity, health and education.
The Core Skills stream requires you to be nominated for a role on CSOL, have at least 1 year of relevant work experience, pass a skills assessment and meet minimum level of English language proficiency.
A second stream of the Skills in Demand pathway, Specialist Skills stream targets high-paying and highly skilled professions.
For both Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams, you will need:
Minimum salary threshold of AUD 79,423 and AUD 146,576 respectively, for nomination applications lodged up to 30 June 2027
Minimum IELTS score of 5.0 in each of the 4 test sections (no overall score requirement)
You can transition from the Skills in Demand visa to the permanent Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186).
3. Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
This points-tested visa with priority processing allows workers with eligible skilled occupations to work and live permanently anywhere in Australia. You are required to fulfill a skills assessment that will check if you meet the standards set to work in a relevant occupation such as an actuary or engineer or nurse practitioner. You should also:
Score at least 65 points to be invited to apply for the visa
Submit an expression of interest (EOI) in SkillSelect (you can see your indicative points score here)
Minimum IELTS score of 6.0 in each of the 4 test sections (no overall score requirement)
4. Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
This permanent visa with priority processing allows state or territory-nominated skilled workers to work and study anywhere in Australia. The relevant occupations include hospitality managers, registered nurses and biomedical engineers.
Other requirements are:
Get a suitable skills assessment for the relevant occupation
Score at least 65 points to be invited to apply for the visa
Minimum IELTS score of 6.0 in each of the 4 test sections (no overall score requirement)
5. Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
This provisional visa with priority processing and points-testing is for skilled workers who want to live and work in a designated regional area of Australia. You’ll be able to stay for 5 years with a nomination or sponsorship for the visa. However, you’ll need to work in relevant skilled occupations like accountants, civil engineers and dentists.
English test evidence is also required: show at least an IELTS score of 6.0 in each of the 4 test sections.
This pathway can also lead you to the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) subclass 191 visa.
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