IELTS Score for Visa: UK, Canada, Australia & New Zealand

It depends on the route. Skilled Worker and most work visas need IELTS for UKVI at CEFR B2 (5.5 in every component). Below-degree study needs B1 (4.0 each). Family and settlement routes run on a separate Life Skills scale (A1 to B1), not the 4-skills score, and most settlement applications from 26 March 2027 need B2. University-level study is often set by the sponsor itself, not a fixed GOV.UK number.

For the Skilled Worker route, 5.5 in every component is exactly the CEFR B2 minimum GOV.UK currently asks for. Other routes set a different bar, so 5.5 is not a universal answer, check your specific visa.

IRCC only accepts IELTS General Training, not Academic, for Express Entry. CLB 7 (6.0 in every skill) is the minimum for the Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class (TEER 0/1) routes, but most competitive applicants target CLB 9 (Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, Speaking 7.0) for the extra CRS points.

A 5.5 does not reach CLB 7, the usual Express Entry minimum for skilled routes. It can be enough for the Canadian Experience Class TEER 2/3 pathway, which asks for a lower CLB 5 threshold, or for some Provincial Nominee Programs. Always check your specific programme's CLB requirement.

Yes. 7.0 in every component is the Department of Home Affairs' Proficient English tier, which earns 10 migration points on top of simply being eligible. Most nursing, medical, and engineering registration bodies also ask for around 7.0.

Either IELTS Academic or General Training is accepted for the 189 Skilled Independent visa. What matters is your score tier: Competent English (6.0 each) makes you eligible, Proficient English (7.0 each) adds 10 points, and Superior English (8.0 each) adds 20 points.

The Skilled Migrant Category resident visa is commonly cited at around 6.5 overall, though Immigration New Zealand updates its policy settings more often than the UK, Canada, or Australia figures above. Treat this as a starting estimate and confirm the live requirement on immigration.govt.nz before booking your test.

There is no single easiest route, the right comparison is between routes for the same purpose. Among the major routes here, the UK's below-degree Student visa (B1, 4.0 each) and Canada's CEC TEER 2/3 pathway (CLB 5) ask for a lower score than the Skilled Worker or Express Entry TEER 0/1 routes, but each comes with different eligibility rules beyond the score itself.