What IELTS score do you need for a Provincial Nominee Program?

Read on each province's own site on 6 October 2026. Ontario says its new Ontario Workforce Priority stream has launched "and all other streams are now closed" (OINP). For BC, see the BC PNP for workers page; for Saskatchewan, the SINP language requirements and each sub-category page.

Ontario Workforce Priority: no language test is needed if you graduated in the last 3 years from an eligible Ontario institution with a 2-year diploma or degree, an Ontario College Graduate Certificate, a master's or a PhD (TEER 0 to 3 jobs). The test must be taken within 2 years before you apply. Ontario accepts IELTS General Training only (not Academic or One Skill Retake), CELPIP General and PTE Core (not PTE Academic). Its expression-of-interest score gives 15 points at CLB 9 or higher, 12 at CLB 8, 8 at CLB 7, 4 at CLB 6 and 0 at CLB 5 or lower, based on your lowest ability.

British Columbia lists CLB 4 for both Skills Immigration streams and notes there are exceptions, set out in its program guide. Saskatchewan says native speakers who are citizens or permanent residents of an English- or French-speaking country do not need a test unless they apply through Express Entry, and that regulated occupations may require more (SINP). Its Employment Offer, Health Talent, Tech Talent and Saskatchewan Express Entry pages set the levels in the table.

Each ability converts separately, and IELTS overall bands do not count. These are the lowest scores in each band of IRCC's equivalency charts (the same data as our CLB calculator; for PTE use the PTE Core CLB calculator). Saskatchewan's own CLB 4 table matches the IELTS row: listening 4.5, reading 3.5, writing 4 and speaking 4.

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Confirm the current requirement on the IRCC provincial nominee language page before you book a test or apply. This guide restates that page as read on 6 October 2026; it is not migration advice.