For a Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa in the Specialist Skills or Core Skills stream, the English requirement is IELTS 5.0 in each of the 4 components — or the equivalent on 1 of the 7 other approved tests — unless you are an exempt applicant. The numbers are not on a web page that you have to interpret: they sit in a registered legislative instrument, F2025L01066, which says in section 2 “This instrument commences on 13 September 2025.”
That matters because the subclass 482 English requirement is routinely described second-hand. Below is the instrument’s own table, the separate table for tests sat before it commenced, the 5 categories of exempt applicant, and how the 482 bar compares with Competent English. Every figure was checked against the primary source on 13 November 2026 and is listed under Sources.
The scores the instrument requires
Section 6(3) lists 8 approved tests and section 6(4) sets the minimum for each component. There is no overall score in this table: each of the 4 components has to be met on its own.
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CELPIP General | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| IELTS Academic | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| IELTS General Training | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | 41 | 44 | 45 | 54 |
| MET | 49 | 47 | 45 | 38 |
| OET | 220 | 240 | 200 | 270 |
| PTE Academic | 33 | 36 | 29 | 24 |
| TOEFL iBT | 8 | 8 | 9 | 14 |
Source: Migration (English Language Test Requirements for Subclass 482 Visas) Instrument 2025, F2025L01066, sections 6(3) and 6(4), checked 13 November 2026.
A useful cross-check: this table is identical, test by test and component by component, to the Department of Home Affairs table for Vocational English for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. So if you have already worked out your Vocational English position, you have already worked out your subclass 482 position for these 2 streams. We set out all the levels side by side in the 5 English levels and their scores.
One sitting, and a 3-year window
2 conditions decide whether a result counts, and both are easy to fall foul of after the fact.
The components have to come from the same test day. The instrument frames the requirement as applying “if the applicant achieved the required test scores in all the applicable test components in one sitting on a particular day”. Mixing your best listening from March with your best writing from July does not produce a qualifying result here.
The result also has to be recent, and the clock is tied to evidence rather than to the application: under section 6(2)(c), “the test day is not more than 3 years before the day on which the applicant provided evidence” of the scores.
If you sat the test before 13 September 2025
Section 7 keeps earlier results alive on a separate, shorter list. It requires the scores to have been achieved “in a single attempt at that test”, with a test day “in the period of 3 years immediately before the day on which the relevant visa application was made”, and with the test “undertaken before the day on which this instrument commences”.
| Test sat before commencement | Overall score | Component scores |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 5.0 | 5.0 in each component |
| OET | Not specified | B in each component |
| TOEFL iBT | 35 | 4 for listening and reading, 14 for speaking and writing |
| PTE Academic | 36 | 36 in each component |
| CAE (Cambridge C1 Advanced) | 154 | 154 in each component |
Source: F2025L01066, section 7(2), checked 13 November 2026.
Note what is missing from that second list: CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic and MET appear only on the current table. A CELPIP result sat before 13 September 2025 does not have a row in section 7(2).
The 5 categories of exempt applicant
The instrument defines “exempt applicant” in 5 paragraphs. If you fall inside one of them, no test score is required at all:
- Passport holders of 5 countries. A citizen of, and holder of a valid passport issued by, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States of America.
- Study in English. An applicant who has completed “at least 5 years of full-time study in a secondary education institution or higher education institution” where the instruction was in English.
- Diplomatic and consular occupations. An applicant nominated by a standard business sponsor for an occupation performed at a foreign diplomatic or consular mission in Australia, or at an Office of the Authorities of Taiwan in Australia.
- Licensed or registered occupations. An applicant nominated for an occupation requiring a licence, registration or membership, where that licence, registration or membership was granted after the applicant demonstrated equivalent English proficiency.
- High earners posted from an overseas business. An applicant employed by a company operating an established business overseas, nominated by that company or an associated entity, who “will receive annual earnings of at least AUD 96,400”.
The salary exemption is the one most often missed, and it is a figure written into the instrument rather than a rule of thumb.
Which streams the instrument covers
Section 6(1) specifies the requirements for subclauses 482.222(1) and 482.232(1) of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 — the Specialist Skills and Core Skills streams. The Labour Agreement stream is a different matter: there, English can be varied by the terms of the agreement itself, and the templates carry their own concessions. We went through those separately in labour agreements and the subclass 186 English requirement.
Subclass 482 against Competent English
Most skilled visa pathways in Australia are built on Competent English, and the gap between that and the subclass 482 floor is wide. The comparison is worth having in front of you before you book a test, because it changes how long preparation takes.
| Test | Subclass 482, Specialist Skills and Core Skills (L / R / W / S) | Competent English (L / R / W / S) |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic or General Training | 5.0 / 5.0 / 5.0 / 5.0 | 6 / 6 / 6 / 6 |
| PTE Academic | 33 / 36 / 29 / 24 | 47 / 48 / 51 / 54 |
| CELPIP General | 5 / 5 / 5 / 5 | 7 / 7 / 7 / 7 |
| OET | 220 / 240 / 200 / 270 | 290 / 310 / 290 / 330 |
| TOEFL iBT | 8 / 8 / 9 / 14 | 16 / 16 / 19 / 19 |
Sources: F2025L01066, section 6(4); Department of Home Affairs, Competent English, Last updated 21/09/2026. Both checked 13 November 2026.
Look at the speaking column for PTE Academic: 24 for subclass 482 against 54 for Competent English. On paper that is the same test and the same scale, but they are different preparation projects. Choosing a test on the basis of which one your colleague used is how people end up preparing for the wrong target; our hub page sets out what each test is actually good for in the best English tests in 2026.
What this means for you
- Check the exemptions before you book anything. A passport from 1 of the 5 listed countries, 5 years of study in English, or the AUD 96,400 earnings route removes the test entirely.
- Plan for 1 sitting, not a collection of best results. The instrument asks for the required scores in all applicable components “in one sitting on a particular day”.
- Watch the 3-year window against the day you provide evidence, which can be later than the day you start the process.
- If your result predates 13 September 2025, check it against the shorter section 7(2) list — and note that CELPIP, LANGUAGECERT Academic and MET are not on it.
- If permanent residence is the real goal, prepare for Competent English rather than the 482 floor, so that one sitting serves both.
This page describes published rules only. For advice about your own nomination or application, check with your own registered migration agent.
FAQ
What IELTS score do I need for a 482 visa?
For the Specialist Skills and Core Skills streams, IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training 5.0 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking. There is no separate overall score requirement in the instrument: each component has to be met on its own.
Which tests are accepted for subclass 482?
Section 6(3) of the instrument lists 8 tests: CELPIP General, IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, LANGUAGECERT Academic, MET, OET, PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT.
Can I combine my best scores from different test sittings?
No. The requirement applies where the applicant achieved the required scores in all the applicable components, in the instrument’s words, “in one sitting on a particular day”.
How old can my test result be?
Under section 6(2)(c), the test day must be not more than 3 years before the day on which you provided evidence of the scores. For results from before the instrument commenced, section 7 requires a test day within the 3 years immediately before the visa application was made.
Who does not need an English test for a 482 visa?
The instrument defines 5 categories of exempt applicant: passport holders of Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States of America; applicants with at least 5 years of full-time study in English at a secondary or higher education institution; certain diplomatic and consular occupations; applicants whose licence, registration or membership was granted after demonstrating equivalent English; and applicants posted from an overseas business who will receive annual earnings of at least AUD 96,400.
Is the 482 requirement the same as Vocational English?
The score table in the instrument matches the Department of Home Affairs Vocational English table for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, test by test and component by component. They are set out in different documents, so check both when your case depends on it.
Does the Labour Agreement stream use the same scores?
Section 6(1) specifies the requirements for subclauses 482.222(1) and 482.232(1), which are the Specialist Skills and Core Skills streams. English for the Labour Agreement stream depends on the agreement and its template concessions.
Preparing for the score with Green School
Green School (formerly Green English), an online school in Australia, has taught exam English since 2018 and worked with more than 3,500 students across the exams it covers. Teaching for IELTS, PTE Academic and CELPIP runs in small groups and in private lessons, and the sensible first step is finding out which component is furthest from your target.
Prices on the Green School store on 13 November 2026:
- Exam Preparation group course (IELTS, PTE, CELPIP) — A$397 a month. The course page lists 2 interactive group classes per week plus 1 private 30-minute tutorial each month. Groups are 3–6 people, classes run 90 minutes in Zoom, and students get the recordings and a Telegram chat with the teacher. The page also lists A$1,191 for 3 months and A$2,382 for 6 months. See Exam Preparation (IELTS, PTE, CELPIP).
- Private lessons — from A$65 a week at 1 lesson per week, with a 60-minute lesson, which is the faster option when only 1 component is holding you back. See Private Lessons. We compared the 2 formats on cost, contact hours and cost per hour in group classes or private lessons for IELTS, PTE and CELPIP.
- Deep Diagnostics Session — A$29, 30 minutes. A teacher checks where your 4 components currently sit and which one decides your timeline. Book it at Deep Diagnostics Session, or ask a question first on the consultation page.
- A first private lesson is A$29 instead of A$65. See Private Lesson Easy Entry.
Classes run during the day and in the evening on Brisbane time, which is UTC+10 all year with no daylight saving, so the timetable suits students in Australia and across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Russian Far East. Until 30 November 2026 there is also a Black Friday offer on the store — the detail is in Black Friday 2026 at Green School.
Sources
- Migration (English Language Test Requirements for Subclass 482 Visas) Instrument 2025, F2025L01066 — made 8 September 2025, registered 10 September 2025, commences 13 September 2025 by section 2; as-made text checked 13 November 2026: legislation.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, “Vocational English” — Last updated 21/09/2026, checked 13 November 2026: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, “Competent English” — Last updated 21/09/2026, checked 13 November 2026: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, “English language” — Last updated 2/02/2026, checked 13 November 2026: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Green School course and product pages, prices as shown on 13 November 2026: greenschool.au