IELTS General Training for immigration: Canada, Australia, the UK, New Zealand (2026)

Study needs IELTS Academic; immigration almost always needs General Training, and the requirements are written not as an average band but as a minimum in each section. This guide collects the thresholds of the four main destinations as of September 2026, explains how General Training differs from Academic, and shows how to plan the exam so the result has not expired by the time you apply.

Important: immigration rules change more often than exam rules. The thresholds below come from the programmes' official sites as of September 2026, as reference points; check the requirement on the immigration authority's site or with a licensed adviser before you apply. This page does not replace the official source.

How General Training differs from Academic

Listening and Speaking are identical. The difference is in Reading (everyday and workplace texts instead of academic ones) and Writing Task 1 (a letter instead of a graph description). The General Training Reading scale is stricter: a 7.0 needs about 34 correct answers out of 40 against 30 in Academic. The full comparison is in the Academic vs General Training guide, and the letter in the Writing Task 1 General guide.

Canada: the conversion to CLB

Canadian programmes (Express Entry, provincial nominations) count language in Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and accept IELTS General Training for it (Academic is not accepted), as well as CELPIP and PTE Core.

Your CLB equals your lowest section: Listening 8.0 with Writing 6.0 gives CLB 7, not 9. Federal Skilled Worker requires at least CLB 7; the noticeable Express Entry point gains start at CLB 9, so the target set for many is Listening 8.0, the rest 7.0. Model it in the band calculator.

Australia: three levels of English

Australia's skilled visas accept IELTS (Academic or General Training) and several other tests, and divide English into levels where every section counts:

The average band plays no role: 7.5 in three sections and 6.5 in the fourth is Competent, not Proficient. Result validity for visa purposes is Australia's own, often up to 3 years for some visas; check the Department of Home Affairs site.

United Kingdom: IELTS for UKVI

British visas need a Secure English Language Test (SELT); IELTS for UKVI is the same IELTS (Academic or General Training) taken at a centre certified for UKVI, with enhanced identity checks. A regular IELTS does not qualify for the visa, although universities most often accept regular IELTS Academic for degree-level students.

Reference points by route (in the CEFR terms the Home Office uses): Skilled Worker B1 (IELTS for UKVI 4.0 in every section), the student route below degree level B1, degree level B2 (5.5 in every section), settlement B1 plus the Life in the UK test. There is also IELTS Life Skills (Listening and Speaking only) for some family routes.

New Zealand

The Skilled Migrant category and several work visas accept IELTS Academic or General Training; a common requirement is overall 6.5, lower for some visas. The requirements have been revised several times in recent years; check the Immigration New Zealand site.

How to plan the exam around the application

1. Requirement first, exam second: write down the level needed in each section.
2. The weak section decides. Immigration thresholds are counted by the lowest section, so prepare the weakest; it is often Writing.
3. Validity. The result usually must be no older than 2 years at the date of application; count from the test date, including the time to gather the other documents.
4. Retaking one section. If one section fell short, a One Skill Retake gives a new Test Report Form within 60 days; confirm that your programme accepts a post-OSR TRF (Canada and Australia do as of September 2026).
5. Where to sit. If you are in Russia, the exam is only available abroad; the options are in where Russian citizens can take IELTS.

Alternative tests

Canada: CELPIP General and PTE Core alongside IELTS GT. Australia: PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced and OET for some professions. UK: the other SELTs on the Home Office list. If IELTS does not suit you, the comparison with TOEFL is in the IELTS or TOEFL guide; but for Canada the choice is between IELTS GT, CELPIP and PTE Core, as TOEFL is not accepted there.