CELPIP in Australia: the complete 2026 guide

CELPIP Australia at a glance

What changed: CELPIP launched in Australia in August 2025

On 6 August 2025, Prometric announced that the Australian Government had approved CELPIP. The new Home Affairs English instrument took effect the next day, 7 August 2025. It added three tests: CELPIP General, LanguageCert Academic and the Michigan English Test (MET). IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and Cambridge C1 Advanced stayed on the list. The same update raised the PTE Academic thresholds.

Before this, CELPIP was a Canada-only test. Most of the “CELPIP Australia news” you will see refers to this one change, plus the test centres that have opened since. The CELPIP thresholds below are the ones set in August 2025. Home Affairs can update its instrument at any time, so check its English language page before you lodge.

Which CELPIP test is accepted for Australia?

Only CELPIP General taken in person at a secure test centre. Two versions are not accepted:

• CELPIP Online. Home Affairs does not accept any at-home or remotely proctored English test, for any provider.
• CELPIP General LS. It tests only Listening and Speaking. Australian visas need all four skills.

Not sure which version you are booking? See CELPIP General vs General LS.

CELPIP scores for Australian visas and PR points

Home Affairs sorts English ability into five levels. Each visa needs a minimum level, and the points-tested visas (189, 190, 491) give extra points for Proficient or Superior English. You must meet the score in every skill, not as an average.

Writing is the hardest threshold for most people: Proficient needs CELPIP Writing 10, and Superior needs 12, the maximum. For a visa-by-visa breakdown, see CELPIP scores for Australian PR and visas.

CELPIP test centres in Australia

CELPIP General is currently offered in five cities:

• Sydney (New South Wales): Yukon Consultants, St Leonards; JTC International, Castlereagh St (CBD)
• Melbourne (Victoria): Melbourne International Graduate College, Lonsdale St (CBD)
• Brisbane (Queensland): ILSC Brisbane, Adelaide St (CBD)
• Perth (Western Australia): ILSC Perth, St Georges Terrace; Elpis Education, Albany Hwy, Victoria Park
• Adelaide (South Australia): Adelaide Test Center, King William St

No centre is listed for Hobart, Darwin or Canberra yet. Venues and dates change often, so confirm on celpip.ca before you book. For travel tips and options by state, see CELPIP test centres in Australia.

How to book CELPIP in Australia

1. Go to the official site, celpip.ca, and create a CELPIP account. Use your name exactly as it appears on your passport.
2. Choose CELPIP General, not General LS and not Online.
3. Select Australia, then your city and test date. Sydney and Melbourne have the most sessions.
4. Pay the fee (AUD 355 + GST) by card.
5. On test day, bring the same passport you registered with and arrive 30 minutes early.

Book 3–4 weeks ahead if you can. Smaller cities may run only a few sessions a month. Results usually arrive online within about 3–5 business days.

CELPIP test format (computer based)

CELPIP General is fully computer-delivered and takes about three hours in one sitting: Listening (46–55 min), Reading (43–56 min), Writing (53 min) and Speaking (15 min). You type your writing tasks and record your speaking answers into a headset. There is no face-to-face examiner. See the full CELPIP test format.

Canadian accent vs Australian accent

CELPIP was built for Canada, so the Listening recordings use mostly Canadian voices and Canadian situations: renting an apartment, talking to a neighbour, a community news story. Most Australian test takers find the accent easy to follow after a few practice tests. In Speaking, your accent does not cost you marks as long as you are clear. Raters score content, vocabulary, fluency and how easy you are to understand. They do not check whether you sound Canadian.

Why choose CELPIP for Australia?

• Human raters for Speaking and Writing. PTE Academic is scored by AI. If you have struggled with PTE's oral fluency or pronunciation scores, CELPIP is a real alternative. Compare CELPIP vs PTE.
• Everyday English. Tasks use daily-life situations, not academic lectures.
• One test for two countries. The same CELPIP General result works for Canadian Express Entry and Australian visas. See how.
• Lower fee. AUD 355 + GST is lower than most IELTS and PTE fees in Australia.

The trade-offs: CELPIP has fewer centres and dates than PTE or IELTS, the test is longer (about 3 hours), and results take a few days rather than the 48 hours PTE often manages.

CELPIP preparation from Australia

You do not need a local CELPIP class. The test format is the same everywhere, so online practice works just as well from Sydney as from Toronto. Start with a free full mock test to find your level, then train your weakest skill with the 30-day study plan. Most Australian candidates aiming for Proficient spend extra time on Writing, because it needs 10.

Frequently asked questions