IELTS for work does not always mean General Training. Canada’s Express Entry requires General Training. Australia and New Zealand accept Academic or General Training for the routes described below. UK Skilled Worker applicants using IELTS as a secure English test need IELTS for UKVI. Nursing regulators can require Academic even though you are applying to work.
Start with the named visa or professional register. The tables below give actual skill scores, accepted tests and important exceptions. “Overall” is your total band. “Each skill” means Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking separately.
IELTS for work: choose your route and score
| Destination and route | IELTS option | English score or rule |
|---|---|---|
| Canada, Federal Skilled Worker Program | General Training | At least 6.0 in every skill, equivalent to CLB 7. |
| UK, new Skilled Worker application using IELTS as a SELT | IELTS for UKVI, Academic or General Training | At least 5.5 in every skill, equivalent to CEFR B2. Other English-proof routes exist. |
| Australia, competent English standard | Academic or General Training | At least 6.0 in every skill when using IELTS. |
| New Zealand, principal applicant for skilled residence | Academic or General Training | At least 6.5 overall when using IELTS. |
| New Zealand, Accredited Employer Work Visa, skill levels 3 to 5 | Academic or General Training | At least 4.0 overall when using IELTS. Alternative evidence and specified repeat-application exemptions apply. |
| Ireland, Critical Skills or General Employment Permit | No IELTS band listed in permit criteria | Employer and professional-registration rules remain separate. |
| Germany, EU Blue Card | No IELTS condition for the residence title itself | Qualification, job and salary rules apply. Employer and professional-language requirements are separate. |
Sources: IRCC, Express Entry Language Test Results. GOV.UK, Skilled Worker Knowledge of English. IELTS, UKVI Test Requirements. Australian Department of Home Affairs, English Language Standards. Immigration New Zealand, skilled residence and AEWV English requirements. Ireland’s employment-permit criteria. Make it in Germany, EU Blue Card FAQs.
SELT means Secure English Language Test, taken under approved security rules. CLB means Canadian Language Benchmarks. CEFR is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Canada: Express Entry and graduate work permits use different rules
Express Entry minimum scores
Express Entry manages permanent-residence applications. Its English test options include IELTS General Training. IELTS Academic and IELTS One Skill Retake do not meet its IELTS requirement.
| Programme | Required CLB | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker, first official language | 7 in every skill | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Canadian Experience Class, TEER 0 or 1 | 7 in every skill | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Canadian Experience Class, TEER 2 or 3 | 5 in every skill | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Federal Skilled Trades | 5 in Listening and Speaking. 4 in Reading and Writing. | 5.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
TEER is Canada’s job-classification system based on training, education, experience and responsibilities. Your occupation group determines the Canadian Experience Class language level.
For a higher target, CLB 9 means Listening 8.0 and 7.0 in the other 3 skills. It is not the same as IELTS 7.0 overall. Your Express Entry results must be less than 2 years old at profile completion and permanent-residence application.
The IELTS band score calculator calculates your overall band. For these Canadian routes, compare each skill with its required score separately.
Source: IRCC, Express Entry Language Test Results.
Post-Graduation Work Permit, or PGWP
For applications from 1 November 2024, language evidence is generally required. The minimum depends on your Canadian study programme:
- Bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree: CLB 7 in every skill.
- Other university programme: CLB 7 in every skill.
- Other college, polytechnic or non-university programme: CLB 5 in every skill.
- Graduates of a PGWP-eligible flight school: no language requirement under that exception.
If you use IELTS, take General Training. CLB 7 means 6.0 in every skill. CLB 5 means Listening 5.0, Reading 4.0, Writing 5.0 and Speaking 5.0. Your course must also meet the PGWP’s other eligibility rules. Language scores alone do not make a course eligible.
Sources: IRCC, Post-Graduation Work Permit Eligibility and Find Your Language Level.
Practical example: An Academic result used for university admission does not meet the IELTS General Training requirement for a later PGWP application. Plan the later test type separately.
UK: B2 English for new Skilled Worker applicants
The current Skilled Worker requirement is B2 in reading, writing, speaking and understanding English. If you use IELTS as your SELT, that means at least 5.5 in each skill. Book IELTS for UKVI at an approved centre. A standard IELTS result is not the SELT version.
You may prove English another way. Examples include qualifying UK school qualifications and a degree taught in English. A non-UK-awarded degree needs the relevant Ecctis assessment. Listed nationalities and accepted professional English assessments can also remove the need for a separate test.
Who can still use the earlier B1 rule?
If you held this visa before 8 January 2026, extension or update applications use B1. You do not need to prove English again under that stated rule. Switching from a Health and Care Worker visa also does not require proof again. Switching from a different visa requires B2.
Sources: GOV.UK, Skilled Worker Visa Knowledge of English and Secure English Language Tests. IELTS, Tests for UK Visas and Immigration.
Doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and vets who passed a professional body’s accepted English assessment have a specific exemption. This can prevent an unnecessary second English test. Vets have additional Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons evidence conditions.
Australia: 6, 7 and 8 mean different English levels
Home Affairs accepts Academic or General Training for these IELTS standards. Every listed skill must meet the score.
| English level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | English points in the subclass 190 table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competent | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0 |
| Proficient | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 10 |
| Superior | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 20 |
Example: Listening 8.0, Reading 8.0, Writing 6.5 and Speaking 8.0 does not meet proficient English. Writing is below 7.0. An overall band cannot replace the component requirement.
Home Affairs accepts IELTS One Skill Retake for eligible visas. IELTS Online is not accepted for Australian visa purposes. The English-standard pages generally describe a 3-year test window, with the precise timing determined by the visa subclass.
For competent English, a separate route covers citizens holding valid passports from Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK or USA. That passport route does not establish proficient or superior English for extra points. The IELTS thresholds above remain 6, 7 and 8 each under the tables before and after 7 August 2025.
Sources: Australian Department of Home Affairs, Competent English, Proficient English, Superior English, and subclass 190 Points Table.
New Zealand: separate temporary work from skilled residence
Accredited Employer Work Visa, or AEWV
The current English requirement covers ANZSCO and National Occupation List skill levels 3 to 5. IELTS Academic or General Training needs at least 4.0 overall. Skill levels 1 and 2 do not have this AEWV English requirement.
The test must be taken in person and be no more than 2 years old when you apply. IELTS One Skill Retake is accepted. You do not need to show English again if you already did so for a previous AEWV application. A further exemption covers qualifying skill-level-3 applications when the existing AEWV expires on or before 1 December 2026.
Source: Immigration New Zealand, English Language Requirements for an Accredited Employer Work Visa.
Skilled residence
The principal applicant is the main person applying. If using IELTS, they need at least 6.5 overall. Academic or General Training is accepted, including One Skill Retake. The test must be in person and no more than 2 years old when applying. Included partners and dependent children aged 16 or older have a different standard: IELTS 5.0 overall, or another permitted route.
Both routes also allow specified citizenship, work and education evidence. For example, a qualifying bachelor’s degree gained in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or USA can qualify with at least 2 years living there during study. A qualifying postgraduate award at level 8 or higher needs at least 1 year of study residence there. An English-medium letter from any country is not the same condition.
Source: Immigration New Zealand, skilled residence and AEWV English-language requirements.
Professional registration: Ireland and UK nursing compared
A regulator decides whether you can join a professional register. Its test rules can be stricter than immigration rules.
| Requirement | Ireland, NMBI | UK, NMC |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS test | Academic or Academic for UKVI | Academic, including Academic for UKVI, at a test centre |
| Scores | 7.0 overall. At least 7.0 in any 3 skills and 6.5 in the other. | Listening, Reading and Speaking at least 7.0. Writing at least 6.5. |
| Combining 2 complete tests | Not accepted | Permitted under the conditions below |
| One Skill Retake or IELTS Online | Not accepted | Not accepted |
Sources: NMBI, English Language Requirements. UK Nursing and Midwifery Council, IELTS Academic and Accepted English Language Tests.
For NMC combining, take 2 complete IELTS tests within 12 months of each other. Both must be no more than 2 years old when NMC assesses the complete application. Across them, achieve at least 7.0 in Listening, Reading and Speaking, and 6.5 in Writing. In both tests, Listening, Reading and Speaking must each be at least 6.5. Writing must be at least 6.0 in both.
A nurse with 6.5 in Speaking and 7.0 in the other skills can meet NMBI’s score pattern. That single result falls short of NMC’s Speaking minimum. This is why “IELTS 7 for nurses” is not a complete answer.
Ireland and Germany: routes without a fixed IELTS band
Ireland’s Critical Skills and General Employment Permit criteria do not set an IELTS band. A nurse can still need NMBI English evidence. An unregulated role can have its own employer language standard.
Germany’s EU Blue Card has no language requirement in law for the residence title. This does not remove language requirements for a regulated profession.
Germany’s Opportunity Card has 2 routes. The recognised-skilled-worker option does not require language proof. The points option requires at least A1 German or B2 English, an eligible qualification, funding and at least 6 points. IELTS is recognised English evidence. Its language certificates are generally subject to a 1-year exam-age rule.
Sources: Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, employment-permit criteria. Make it in Germany, EU Blue Card FAQs, Job Search Opportunity Card, and Opportunity Card Questions and Answers.
Build a score plan before booking
Name your route
Name your visa programme and any professional register.
Choose the test version
Record the required IELTS version and all 4 skill scores.
Plan the evidence date
Record the evidence date: application, course start or assessment.
Check the format
Use only a test format accepted for each intended purpose.
Practise to your target
Practise under timed conditions, then focus on skills below your target.
For Canada’s Express Entry or PGWP IELTS route, use General Training practice tests. For a nursing register requiring Academic, use Academic practice tests.
You may need different tests for different stages. For example, Canada’s Express Entry uses General Training. UK nursing registration uses Academic. Choosing a test because both plans involve “work” can lead to the wrong booking.
Frequently asked questions
Should I take Academic or General Training for work?
Canada Express Entry requires General Training. The Australian and New Zealand routes covered here accept either. NMBI and NMC nursing registration use Academic. Choose by the receiving authority.
Is IELTS 6.0 enough for Canada?
A General Training result with at least 6.0 in every skill meets the Federal Skilled Worker first-language minimum. A 6.0 overall with a lower skill score does not. Programme eligibility has other conditions.
What IELTS score does a new UK Skilled Worker applicant need?
If using IELTS as a SELT, take IELTS for UKVI and achieve at least 5.5 in every skill. Other accepted English-proof routes can avoid the need for this test.
Does Australia need 6.0 or 7.0?
Competent English uses 6.0 in every IELTS skill. Proficient uses 7.0 each. Superior uses 8.0 each. Your visa and points claim determine the relevant level.
Can I use One Skill Retake for work or migration?
New Zealand’s listed skilled residence and AEWV routes accept it. Canada Express Entry, Ireland’s NMBI and the UK’s NMC do not.
How long can I use my result?
Timing differs. Express Entry needs results less than 2 years old at profile completion and application. NMBI uses Stage 2 submission. NMC uses complete-application assessment. Germany’s Opportunity Card guidance generally limits language exams to 1 year.