In December 2019, UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) made an announcement that IELTS will continue to be accepted for all those UK visas that have a stipulation for applicants to demonstrate their proficiency in the English language.
Consequent to a tender process, IELTS came to be reappointed as official test provider for visas that come under UK Immigration applications.
Welcoming the announcement by UKVI, Christine Nuttall, the Managing Director IELTS at Cambridge Assessment English, said that they were delighted that IELTS continues providing a gateway for people for successfully fulfilling their aspirations in the UK.
This reappointment of IELTS by UKVI highlights the crucial role that IELTS plays where it comes to language testing for immigration purposes.
Which countries accept IELTS for migration?
IELTS is the only standardized test for migration purposes that is accepted by the governments of –
- UK
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
While other tests are also considered, IELTS is the most common test for migration purposes to the 4 above-mentioned countries.
Which test should I give – General Training or Academic?
| IELTS Academic | For people appearing for – • Professional registration • Higher education |
| IELTS General Training | For people migrating to – • New Zealand • Australia • Canada • UK |
What are the 9 IELTS bands?
| Band | Skill of the User |
| 9 | Expert |
| 8 | Very good |
| 7 | Good |
| 6 | Competent |
| 5 | Modest |
| 4 | Limited |
| 3 | Extremely limited |
| 2 | Intermittent |
| 1 | Non-user |
| 0 | Did not attempt the test |
IELTS scores are given on a scale of 1 to 9.
Bands are awarded individually to each of the 4 sections – Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.
An overall band score, the average of the 4 individual scores in each of the test sections – is also given.
What is the IELTS requirement for different UK visas?
Given below are the general requirements for some of the commonly applied for UK visas.
If you are applying for a Tier 4 Student Visa for UK, always confirm the IELTS requirement directly with the educational institution concerned.
| Visa Description | IELTS for UKVI required |
| Tier 1 (General) visa | 7.0 overall, and in each of four skills |
| Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa | 4.0 overall, and in each of four skills |
| Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa | 4.0 overall, and in each of four skills |
| Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa | 4.0 overall, and in each of four skills |
| Tier 2 (General) visa – in most cases | 4.0 overall, and in each of four skills |
| Tier 4 (General) student visa. [Below degree level & pre-sessional courses] | 4.0 overall, and in each of four skills |
| Tier 4 (General) student visa. [Degree level & above] | 5.5 overall, and in each of four skills |
To ensure that all test makers are treated at par with each other and cultural bias avoided, all standard varieties of English are accepted by IELTS.
IETS is available at 1,600+ locations across the world.
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