IELTS requirement for Canada Student Visa

Canada Student Visa IELTS Band Requirements

IELTS Exam

The International English Language Testing System, also known as the IELTS Exam is an exam undertaken to measure the English language proficiency of students who want to study in a country with English as a primary language of communication. So, if you are looking forward to studying, work or migrate to Canada, you’ll need to prove your proficiency in the English language through your IELTS Canada scores.

IELTS exam is jointly owned and conducted by IDP Education Australia, British Council, and Cambridge English Language Assessment. The IELTS exam measures your proficiency in English in the areas of listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The scores of these IELTS results will also be applicable for countries like the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and many more. In addition, it is accepted in more than 3,400 institutions in the US and thousands of institutions in English speaking countries.  Before going for the actual IELTS test, you can also take IELTS practice tests.

There are two types of IELTS Tests available, namely the IELTS Academic Test and IELTS General Test.

IELTS Academic

The IELTS Academic Test is applicable for people who wish to study in foreign countries with English as a primary language. So, if you are an international student applying to study in Canada, you’ll need to apply for the IELTS Academic Test.

IELTS General

But, if you wish to travel to Canada for secondary education, training programs, or work, you’ll need to take the IELTS General Training test.

IELTS Registration

To take an IELTS test, you’ll need to register for your test in advance. While booking a test for your IELTS test, make sure that you have enough time to prepare for your test prior to taking the test. Before booking your IELTS Canada test date, make sure that you are eligible to take the test. Ielts requirement for a Canada student visa is briefly described above.

Eligibility Criteria for IELTS Test

The best part about the IELTS Test is that anyone above 16 years of age can take the test. There are no specific eligibility criteria for the IELTS test. However, the minimum score to be obtained may differ according to the type of visa you are applying for. There are also no specific documents required for IELTS exam registration, except for your valid passport.There are a total of 48 dates available for the IELTS test per year. This means the IELTS tests are taken four times a month all over the world. Also, there is no limitation on the number of IELTS test you can take.

For example, if you don’t get the desired result in your first test, you can easily take another test until you succeed. However, the applicants must pay the IELTS fee for each test.

How to Register for the IELTS test?

Before going for the actual IELTS test, you can also take IELTS practice tests.

Required IELTS Score For Canadian Immigrations

If you are thinking of moving to Canada as an immigrant, you’ll also have to submit your IELTS test score. Every year thousands of people from around the world apply for Canadian immigration. For the same, as a part of the application process, they appear for IELTS General Test. The applicants for the Canada immigration program have to go through the Express Entry immigration selection system. Here are the immigration options in Canada:

  • Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC)
  • Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)
  • Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

 

Here are the IELTS score and Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirements for FSWC

Federal Skilled Worker Program

For applicants with English as your official language:

If you get CLB 4 or lower, no points are awarded. If you get CLB 10 or higher, you will gain the maximum number of points, which is 34 or 32(if you are married).

 

CLB Level and IELTS Scores

CLB Level Points per subcategory Listening Reading Speaking Writing
7 4 6.0-7.0 6.0 6.0 6.0
8 5 7.5 6.5 6.5 6.5
9 6 8.0 7.0 7.0 7.0
10 and above 6 8.5-9.0 8.0-9.0 7.5-9.0 7.5-9.0

 

If English is your second language, you get 4 points in total if you meet the following per-section requirements.

 

CLB Level Total Points Listening Reading Speaking Writing
5 and above 4 5.0-9.0 4.0-9.0 5.0-9.0 4.0-9.0

Federal Skilled Trades Program

Here are the per section score requirements for each CLB Level.

CLB Level Listening Reading Speaking Writing
4 4.5 3.5 4.0 4.0
5 5.0 4.0 5.0 5.0
6 5.5 5.0 5.5 5.5
7 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0
8 7.5 6.5 6.5 6.5
9 8.0 7.0 7.0 7.0
10 and above 8.5-9.0 8.0-9.0 7.5-9.0 7.5-9.0

Canadian Experience Class

 

For NOC A jobs, the minimum language requirement is CLB 7. For NOC B jobs, the requirement is CLB 5.

Here are the CLB levels that correspond to per-section IELTS scores.

NOC CLB Level Listening Reading Speaking Writing
A 10 and above 8.5-9.0 8.0-9.0 7.5-9.0 7.5-9.0
A 9 8.0 7.0 7.0 7.0
A 8 7.5 6.5 6.5 6.5
A 7 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0
B 6 5.5 5.0 5.5 5.5
B 5 5.0 4.0 5.0 5.0

IELTS Band Requirement For Canada

As per the recent updates, the IELTS band requirement for Canada PR Visa through the Express entry program is 6 per band. So, if an applicant is able to score 6 per band in IELTS, they are eligible to apply for the express pool as well as the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). As many PNP has an IELTS requirement of fewer than 6 bands as well. However, we always advise our Candidates to get 8,7,7,7 score. To increase the chances of getting an ITA, because getting an 8,7,7,7 score in IELTS increases the total Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

CanTEST

This test is similar to the IELTS test as it tests your English language proficiency in listening, writing, reading, and speaking. The only difference is that it is not a computerized test and does not include face to face speaking exam. Also, it has a longer listening teat and shorter writing test.

Post-Secondary Program

If you are applying for the Canada immigration program, you must show that your foreign credential is valid and equal to a completed Canadian secondary school (high school) or post-secondary credential. If your credential isn’t equal to a completed Canadian credential or the foreign educational institution is not recognized:

  • you won’t meet the education requirement under the Federal Skilled Workers Program
  • you won’t get any points for it

IELTS Results

Your IELTS score is a major factor determining your admission to the desired learning institute in Canada. The Overall Band Score for Universities and colleges in Canada is 6.5 with no band less than 6.0. Some Diploma and certificate level programs may accept a lower score, but it is highly recommended that you score 6.5 or equivalent.

IELTS scores are used by a vast number of institutions and organizations to figure out whether or not your English is “good enough” for eligibility—in immigration, admissions, hiring, etc. So what is a good IELTS score?.If you are taking the IELTS for immigration, what constitutes a good IELTS score will depend on the kind of visa you need (e.g. work, business, for investors, for students, etc.

If you’re taking the IELTS as an international student, both the government and the institution may have a say about what IELTS results are acceptable. In this post, we’ll help you figure out whether you have a good IELTS score or an average IELTS score, explain what the IELTS scores mean, and which universities and countries will accept your IELTS results.

IELTS BAND SCORE SKILL LEVEL
9 Expert
8 Very good
7 Good
6 Competent
5 Modest
4 Limited
3 Extremely limited
2 Intermittent
1 Non-user

 

Whether you are considering to study, work, or live in Canada, you’ll have to take an IELTS test and IELTS requirement for Canada student visa. If you have any other queries regarding the IELTS test, please feel free to contact us.