Which English tests are accepted for Australian visas?

Home Affairs does not accept tests delivered completely online, also called remote-proctored or at-home tests. Its examples are CELPIP Online, IELTS Online, LANGUAGECERT Academic Online, MET Digital taken at home, OET@Home and TOEFL iBT Home Edition. The Duolingo English Test and PTE Core are not on the accepted list at all; see Duolingo for Australian visas and is PTE Core accepted in Australia.

Functional English needs a test score from the 12 months before your visa application (functional English). Competent, proficient and superior English need a score from the 3 years before the application, depending on the visa subclass (competent, proficient, superior).

Results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 still count until 6 August 2028 inclusive, depending on the visa, but only for C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS, PTE Academic, OET and TOEFL iBT. Those older results use the old score tables, not the ones below.

Each cell is the minimum for listening / reading / writing / speaking, for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, from the competent, proficient and superior English pages. Points are those of the skilled points test. Check a PTE score against every level in the PTE PR points calculator.

Home Affairs treats all nine tests as equal evidence; it does not rank them. Pick the one whose format you score best in and that has dates near you. Note that PTE Academic speaking minimums are high relative to its other skills: Proficient English is speaking 76 against listening 58.

Take a full PTE Academic mock test for Australia or a free IELTS mock test to see where you stand before you book.

Checked on 25 October 2026 against: Home Affairs, English language visa requirements (last updated 2 February 2026); Home Affairs, functional, competent, proficient and superior English. This guide restates the department's pages; it is not migration advice. Confirm your visa's own English rule before you book.