You can sit the CELPIP-General Test (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program — General) in Australia at eight test centres across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, and for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025 the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) accepts CELPIP-General as evidence of English for Australian visa purposes. Registration is online only, the test is computer-delivered in a single sitting, and results appear in your CELPIP account within 3–4 business days.
That second fact is new, and most Australian guidance has not caught up with it. Below are the centre addresses, the exact scores Home Affairs requires at each English level, and the one CELPIP number that quietly decides whether the test is worth booking at all.
What changed on 7 August 2025
Home Affairs publishes two lists of accepted English tests, split by when you sat the test.
| Test taken | Tests Home Affairs accepts |
|---|---|
| On or after 7 August 2025 | Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP-General, IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, LANGUAGECERT Academic, Michigan English Test (MET), Occupational English Test (OET), PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English Academic), TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test) |
| On or before 6 August 2025 | Cambridge English (CAE, also known as C1 Advanced), IELTS including One Skill Retake (OSR), PTE Academic, OET, TOEFL iBT — usable until 6 August 2028, inclusive |
Two things follow from that table.
CELPIP only counts from 7 August 2025 onward. It is not on the older list. If you sat CELPIP before that date — for a Canadian application, say — that result is not on the list Home Affairs accepts for the earlier period.
The test must be sat at a secure testing centre. Home Affairs states this explicitly, which rules out any at-home or remotely proctored variant.
The eight CELPIP test centres in Australia
Every Australian centre listed by CELPIP offers both the four-skill CELPIP-General Test and the two-skill CELPIP-General LS Test (Listening and Speaking).
| Centre | Address | City / State |
|---|---|---|
| Vision Language Experts Pty Ltd | 5/71a Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW | Sydney, NSW |
| JTC International | Suite 19, Level 2, 301 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000 | Sydney, NSW |
| Yukon Consultants – Sydney AU | Suite 204, 272 Pacific Highway, Crows Nest NSW 2065 | Sydney, NSW |
| Melbourne International Graduate College | Level 4/382 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000 | Melbourne, VIC |
| ILSC Brisbane | Level 1/232 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City QLD | Brisbane, QLD |
| ILSC Perth | 150 Saint Georges Terrace, Perth WA | Perth, WA |
| Elpis Education Pty Ltd | 350 Albany Highway, Victoria Park | Perth, WA |
| Adelaide Test Center | Level 3, 29 King William Street, Adelaide | Adelaide, SA |
CELPIP’s Australia page lists test dates in five states — New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia — and six city filters: Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Parramatta, Perth and Sydney. There is no centre in Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, the Gold Coast or any regional centre at the time of writing, so for most of the country CELPIP means travel or a flight.
Registration is handled centrally: CELPIP states the centres themselves do not process registrations, and the only way to book is through the online CELPIP account.
The scores Home Affairs requires
These are the minimum scores for each of the four components, for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. CELPIP reports each component on a scale of 0 to 12, where the CELPIP level equals the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level — a CELPIP 7 is CLB 7.
| English level | CELPIP-General (L/R/W/S) | IELTS (L/R/W/S) | PTE Academic (L/R/W/S) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational | 5 / 5 / 5 / 5 | 5 / 5 / 5 / 5 | 33 / 36 / 29 / 24 |
| Competent | 7 / 7 / 7 / 7 | 6 / 6 / 6 / 6 | 47 / 48 / 51 / 54 |
| Proficient | 9 / 8 / 10 / 8 | 7 / 7 / 7 / 7 | 58 / 59 / 69 / 76 |
| Superior | 10 / 10 / 12 / 10 | 8 / 8 / 8 / 8 | 69 / 70 / 85 / 88 |
L = Listening, R = Reading, W = Writing, S = Speaking. IELTS figures are identical for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training at all four levels. Home Affairs also accepts Cambridge C1 Advanced, OET, MET, LANGUAGECERT Academic and TOEFL iBT at these levels; the full tables are on the department’s pages linked under Sources.
The writing number decides everything
Look down the CELPIP column and notice that it is not flat. At Vocational and Competent the requirement is the same number four times. From Proficient upwards, writing pulls away from the rest:
- Proficient needs Writing 10 while Reading and Speaking need only 8.
- Superior needs Writing 12 — and 12 is the top of the CELPIP scale.
So if you are chasing Superior English for the extra points, CELPIP asks you to hit the maximum published level in writing, while Listening, Reading and Speaking sit two levels below it. IELTS, by contrast, asks for 8 across the board, and PTE Academic asks 85 in writing against 69 in listening.
The practical reading: CELPIP is at its most competitive at Competent and Vocational level, where the requirement is an even 7 or an even 5. For Superior, check the writing number against the other options before you book anything.
Cost, timing and test-day rules
| Item | What CELPIP publishes |
|---|---|
| CELPIP-General Test fee | $299 plus taxes where applicable |
| CELPIP-General LS Test fee | $199 plus taxes |
| Results | Online in your CELPIP account, 3–4 business days after the test |
| Delivery | Computer-delivered, one sitting |
| Arrival | 45 minutes before your test; check-in closes 15 minutes before start |
| Transfer to another session (7+ days ahead) | $50.00 CAD plus applicable taxes |
| Cancellation (7+ days ahead) | Refund of 50% of the fee |
CELPIP publishes those fees without naming a currency on its overview page, and its own transfer fee is quoted in Canadian dollars. The amount charged for an Australian sitting is the one shown at checkout for your chosen centre and date, so confirm it there before paying.
Component timings for CELPIP-General, as published: Listening 46–55 minutes, Reading 43–56 minutes, Writing 53 minutes, Speaking 15 minutes — about three hours in total, in one sitting, with an on-screen timer, word counter and spell-check.
CELPIP-General or CELPIP-General LS?
CELPIP-General LS tests Listening and Speaking only. Home Affairs names CELPIP General on its accepted-test list, and every score table above requires a result in all four components. A two-skill LS result cannot produce those four numbers. If the test is for an Australian visa, book CELPIP-General.
What this means for you
If you need Competent English (a straight 7 in each skill): CELPIP is now a genuine option from Australia and is worth comparing against IELTS and PTE on availability and travel, not just on price. All four numbers are the same, which makes preparation planning simple — there is no single skill dragging the rest.
If you need Superior English: run the writing number first. CELPIP Writing 12 is the ceiling of the scale.
If you sat CELPIP before 7 August 2025: that result sits outside the list Home Affairs published for the earlier period. Check your subclass’s current requirement on the department’s own pages before assuming it can be used.
If you live outside Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide: there is no local centre. Factor travel into the comparison — a cheaper fee stops being cheaper after a flight and a night’s accommodation.
How to prepare online from Australia
Start with what the test maker gives away, because it is the only material guaranteed to match the current format:
- Free practice tests on celpip.ca, unlocked by completing a short form.
- Guidebook for Test Takers — a downloadable PDF covering test format, availability, pricing and study materials.
- Webinars and workshops, the official CELPIP podcast, and the CELPIP blog.
- Paid Study Materials and Prep Programs sold by CELPIP itself.
Only after you have sat one full free practice test does a course become worth buying, because that is the point at which you know which of the four components is actually costing you the level — and for most Australian candidates aiming at Proficient or Superior, that component is writing.
Green School runs online CELPIP and PTE preparation from Australia, in Australian time zones, with tutoring built around the component your practice test says is weakest rather than a fixed syllabus. If you have a practice-test breakdown already, bring it to the first conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Is CELPIP accepted for Australian visas?
For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, yes — the Department of Home Affairs lists CELPIP-General among the nine tests it accepts, sat at a secure testing centre. Always confirm the requirement for your specific visa subclass on the department’s own pages, as requirements change.
Where can I sit CELPIP in Australia?
At eight centres: three in Sydney, two in Perth, and one each in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Addresses are in the table above.
Can I take CELPIP at home?
Home Affairs requires the test to take place in a secure testing centre, so for Australian visa purposes the answer is no.
What CELPIP score equals Competent English?
7 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking, for a test taken on or after 7 August 2025.
How long are my results valid?
Home Affairs states that a test taken on or after 7 August 2025 can be used as evidence of competent English for up to 3 years, depending on the visa subclass. Separately, results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 may be used until 6 August 2028 inclusive. Check your subclass.
How fast do CELPIP results come out?
They appear online in your CELPIP account 3–4 business days after the test date.
Is CELPIP easier than IELTS or PTE?
Nobody can answer that for you, and the score tables do not say “easier” — they say different things are required. CELPIP asks for an even 7 at Competent level where IELTS asks for an even 6 and PTE asks for four different numbers between 47 and 54. At Superior level CELPIP asks for the top of its own scale in writing. Sit one free practice test of each and compare your own results.
Sources
All figures above were read from the primary sources on 11 September 2026. Requirements change; check the source before you book or apply.
- Department of Home Affairs — English language requirement and accepted tests
- Department of Home Affairs — Vocational English
- Department of Home Affairs — Competent English
- Department of Home Affairs — Proficient English
- Department of Home Affairs — Superior English
- CELPIP — Test overview, fees, results and test-day rules
- CELPIP — Test format and scoring
- CELPIP — Test locations
- CELPIP — Australia test dates by state and city
- CELPIP — Find a test date
- CELPIP — Free practice tests and official preparation resources
- CELPIP centre pages for Vision Language Experts, JTC International, Yukon Consultants – Sydney AU, Melbourne International Graduate College, ILSC Brisbane, ILSC Perth, Elpis Education Pty Ltd and Adelaide Test Center, all under celpip.ca/centre/
Last verified: 11 September 2026.
This page is general information about published test and visa rules, not immigration advice about your own application. For your specific circumstances, rely on the Department of Home Affairs pages for your visa subclass.