IELTS Accepting Countries- Complete Guide for Transnational Migration

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Countries Accepting IELTS for Immigration
Australia and IELTS for Immigration
Canada and IELTS for Immigration
New Zealand and IELTS for Immigration
The United Kingdom and IELTS for Immigration

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Read the blog to know the countries accepting IELTS Scores. Know all the rules and regulations in the major IELTS accepting countries around the world.

IELTS Study abroad

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Moving to another country can be tedious work, too, when the migrant has to be fluent in English. The International English language testing system or the IELTS helps authorities assess an individual’s ability to read, write, speak, and comprehend in English. Since most of the migration is work-related, it becomes imperative for an individual to prove their proficiency in the English language. Working in a particular country means interacting with different people from different walks of life. It becomes difficult for an individual if the person is not well-spoken in the language spoken in the country.

Companies and immigration authorities use IELTS scores for migration to English-speaking countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, etc. IELTS scores are valid for a period of two years, so it's always in the best interest of people to take the test at the earliest so that they can produce the result the moment they get their visa approved to an English-speaking country. The test is simple and needs two to three months of dedicated preparation. There are a lot of myths around the test, but sincere aspirants clear the test in their first or second attempt and clear the score it means to get in the score band needed for a particular country.

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IELTS issues score bands as a result, and most of the country usually needs a certain minimum score band for clearing the immigration and getting entry into the country. For instance, immigration to Canada needs a minimum score band of 6.0. While for other countries, it may be different that we will be discussing in the latter part of the article.

Countries Accepting IELTS for Immigration

Several countries put criteria for immigration, and for English-speaking countries, the need to be a fluent English speaker is necessary for the requirement of IELTS scores. All the countries accepting IELTS scores for checking the proficiency of an individual have different score band requirements. One must prove their ability to read, write, speak and understand the language to work with ease in a predominantly English-speaking country.

The score band requirements also vary on the type of work an individual wants to do and the type of visa they want for immigrating to another country. Now we will be discussing the details of each country that accepts IELTS scores for immigration.

Australia and IELTS for Immigration

Australia is one of the most sought-after locations for working as its cities have world-class infrastructure and a decent standard of living for the residents. Every year thousands of Indians apply for Australian visas and migrate for work. Indians are accepted for different types of work in Australia. Mostly Engineers, MBA, Research, Medicine related Indians prefer jobs as they are not only high-paid jobs but also ensure the security of the job. For an Australian visa, one needs to score a minimum score band of 6.0, and one needs to score more than this band if their organization has minimum score criteria for working. Different organizations put different standards, and it depends on the organization where the individual wishes to work. One needs to take the IELTS General training test for migration. However, these rules are dynamic, and one needs to keep track of the recent developments on the Department of Home Affairs website.

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Australia’s department of home affairs accepts the IELTS scores for permanent residence too. The Permanent Residence (PR) is given based on IELTS scores; thus, one must take care of the score band before taking the test as it will have future consequences if one intends to apply for PR. When it comes to IELTS accepting organizations, the score requirements are usually more stringent, with considerable public interaction involved. For instance, people applying for work in sales, nursing, medicine, the law must have a high IELTS score band as they have to interact with more people than others.

However, it doesn’t imply that others can take the score requirement lightly as people working in Engineering, accounting, energy, finance, etc., also need a decent IELTS score for immigration. It’s always better to confirm the exact requirement for IELTS with the concerned employer to gain some clarity on the score requirement. Another noteworthy aspect is that certain employers might ask for IELTS academic scores, so one should see these details carefully before applying for the IELTS.

Canada and IELTS for Immigration

For a Canadian visa, one must prove their proficiency in the English language to the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Professionals across the globe take the test to explore job opportunities in Canada. Canada is one of the best countries to work and live in, but one needs to be able to speak, read, write and understand the English language. Since English is one of the predominant languages in Canada apart from French, it becomes important for a person to know the language.

Canadian immigration usually requires a minimum score band of 6.0. One must be in a higher score band to be fully assured of getting clearance from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Almost all Canadian organizations accept IELTS scores for immigration, but the criteria may differ slightly depending on the type of job and visa type for which an individual has applied.

Express Entry: It is a system that accepts and manages applications from highly skilled workers seeking permanent residence in Canada. The Express Entry is also the fastest way to get clearance for permanent residence. Canadian authorities offer three migration programs for immigration, and an applicant can choose one of them depending on the need and eligibility:

Federal Skilled Trades Program
Canadian Experience Class
Federal Skilled Program

Canada also has the Canadian Language Benchmark that helps the authorities in assessing the proficiency of immigrants. It enables the authorities to decide if an individual has the required understanding of the English language for working or permanently residing in Canada.

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Here is a comparison table for calculating the IELTS score against the CLB.


Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB)	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
CLB1	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
CLB2	2.0	1.5	2.0	2.0
CLB3	3.5	2.5	3.0	3.0
CLB4	4.5	3.5	4.0	4.0
CLB5	5.0	4.0	5.0	5.0
CLB6	5.5	5.0	5.5	5.5
CLB7	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0
CLB8	7.5	6.5	6.5	6.5
CLB9	8.0	7.0	7.0	7.0
CLB10	8.5	8.0	7.5	7.5
CLB11	9.0	8.5	8.0	8.0
CLB12	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0

New Zealand and IELTS for Immigration

New Zealand immigration needs a minimum overall score of 6.5 for skilled workers to migrate. If an applicant wishes to move with the family, they also need to have an understanding of the English language and must pass the IELTS or any other test required by the New Zealand government. For the applicant, the minimum score is 6.5, while the score band is 5.0 or more for dependents. The requirement of an IELTS score is not restricted to work and study but also for businesses and residence. The IELTS score has way more utility than what it appears to be at any point in time.

There are different categories for migration to New Zealand, and they are listed as follows:

Skilled Category Migrants

For skilled migrants, an overall score band of 6.5 or more is needed, while for the dependent, it is 5.0 or more. The skilled category migrants are supposed to interact with people in general, and their communication skills also reflect on the organization where they work. So for this category, most of the organizations keep the score bands high so that they don’t have to compromise on the qualitative aspect of a potential employee. The business and other category migrants have relatively lesser score band requirements.

Business Category Migrants

Workers of a business that is relocating: In the general or in the academic professional’s score band of 5.0 or more is req for immigration. The criteria might change, so one must refer to New Zealand’s immigration website for the latest score band requirements.

Investors willing to invest in businesses in New Zealand: One of the lowest score bands is required for investors, and they are allowed for immigration even with a score band of 3.0 or more.

Entrepreneurs immigration: They need a minimum score band of 4.0 or more if they wish to migrate to New Zealand.

Parents Category Migrants

For the parents’ category, the New Zealand government provides leniency and they have to have a minimum score band of 4.0 or more with at least two competencies.

Read Also:

What Is IELTS? Know all the Relevant Details

IELTS Indicator: A Brief Overview

How to Prepare for IELTS - Section-wise Study Guide

IELTS vs TOEFL vs Other English Exams

Mechanics of the IELTS Exam

The United Kingdom and IELTS for Immigration

Test Type	Applicability
IELTS Academic	Study at Undergraduate or Postgraduate levels in the UK. Seek professional registration in the UK.
IELTS General Training	Migrate to the UK under certain visa categories. Train or study below degree level.
IELTS Life Skills A1	Apply for ‘family of settled person’ visas.
IELTS Life Skills A2	Apply for an extension to family, spouse, or partner visa.
IELTS Life Skills B1	Apply for indefinite leave to remain or citizenship.

One must take the IELTS as IELTS for UKVI(UK Visa and Immigration) test to apply for any visas in the UK. Irrespective of the reason for seeking a visa, one needs to take the IELTS. However, IELTS itself doesn’t guarantee a visa. UKVI accepts all the IELTS tests. One can take the General Training or the Academic test. The minimum score band is 4.0 or more but the organization where an individual wishes to work may put higher criteria of IELTS requirement depending on the nature of work.

For instance, for doctors, the minimum score band is 7.0 in speaking while for other sections a minimum of 6.0 is required. For nurses, the score band is 7.0 in all the sections. Since the level of interaction for medical professionals is way more than other jobs and also keeping in mind the critical nature of work, the score band is kept high. The minimum score band keeps on changing and there is no fixed rule regarding it. So, one must see the government website of the concerned country for the recent set of rules on immigration.

Also, after Brexit, the UK authorities are negotiating the immigration issues with all the countries so the rules keep on changing due to ongoing negotiations.

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