What IELTS score do you need for the 482 Skills in Demand visa?

These apply to the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams. If your test offers a single skill retake, Home Affairs may accept the retake result for that skill. For TOEFL iBT tests from 21 January 2026 you must select 'Taking TOEFL for Australia' when you register. Cambridge C1 Advanced is not in this table (Home Affairs).

Older results use a different table, and you must reach the scores in one sitting; single skill retake results are not accepted. IELTS needs an overall band of at least 5.0 with at least 5 in each component. PTE Academic needs at least 36 overall and 36 in each component. TOEFL iBT needs a total of at least 35, with at least 4 in listening and reading and 14 in speaking and writing. OET needs at least B in each component, and Cambridge C1 Advanced at least 154 overall and in each component.

Tests delivered entirely online (IELTS Online, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, OET@Home, CELPIP Online, LanguageCert Academic Online, MET Digital taken at home) are not accepted.

You do not need to prove English if you hold a passport from Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States; if you completed at least 5 years of full-time study at secondary level or above where most classes were in English; if the job will be performed at a foreign diplomatic or consular mission or an Office of the Authorities of Taiwan; if your occupation needs a licence, registration or membership that required English at or above the table level; or if you are an employee of an overseas business nominated to work in Australia with guaranteed annual earnings of at least AUD96,400 (Home Affairs).

In the Labour Agreement stream, you need English suitable for your nominated occupation, and the labour agreement between your employer and the Commonwealth may set the requirement.

Home Affairs changes these rules, sometimes at short notice. Confirm the current scores on the Home Affairs 482 English proficiency page before you book a test or lodge an application. This guide restates the department's pages; it is not migration advice.