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English Requirements for NZ Resident Visas

INZ sets different English standards by visa. Skilled residence visas need the higher standard (IELTS 6.5 overall for the main applicant), the Parent Resident Visa a lower one (IELTS 5), and the Accredited Employer Work Visa applies English rules only at skill levels 3 to 5. Read from INZ on 10 October 2026.

"English" appears in the requirements of many New Zealand visas, but the standard is not the same for all of them. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) uses a higher standard for skilled residence visas than for other residence visas, a lower one for the Parent Resident Visa and the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), and no English test at all for some visas. A reader who searches "nz residency english requirements" is usually trying to find which of these standards sits behind the visa they are reading about.

This article sets out the rules as INZ publishes them: which visas carry an English requirement, which tests INZ accepts, the minimum score for each, the other ways a person can show English, and what lessons cost when a partner or child does not reach the score. It does not say whether any individual meets a standard. How a person's study, work or test results measure against the rules is a question for a licensed immigration adviser.

All figures were read from INZ's English language requirements pages on 10 October 2026. Scores and lists can be revised, so check INZ before booking a test.

Which visas have an English requirement

INZ's skilled residence page says an applicant must show that they, their partner and any dependent children can speak and understand English when applying for these visas:

  • Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa
  • Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
  • Straight to Residence Visa
  • Transport Work to Residence Visa
  • Work to Residence Visa.

INZ's note on that page reads: "A higher standard of English is required for a skilled residence visa than for other residence visas." The same logic shows up elsewhere. The Parent Resident Visa has its own page and a lower score. The Dependent Child Resident Visa has a requirement that depends on the category the child's parent obtained residence under. Business visas and residence-from-work visas have their own pages. INZ also lists AEWV rules for jobs at skill level 3 to 5.

For anything not on these lists, INZ's family lessons page says: "There are no English language requirements for partners or dependent children for visas not listed here." That sentence is about family members. For a principal applicant, the requirement is whatever the individual visa page states, which is why the visa page itself should be read alongside this article.

There is no requirement for children under 16. INZ says: "There are no English language requirements for children younger than 16."

Skilled residence visas: two ways for the main applicant

For the main applicant on a skilled residence visa, INZ says there are two ways to show English: "through your English ability from citizenship, working and studying" or "by taking an English language test." Paying for lessons is not available to the main applicant: INZ says "Principal applicants for these visas cannot use the English lesson option as a way to meet our English language requirements."

The first route works through three situations, any one of which can satisfy the rule when evidence is provided:

  • Citizenship. The applicant is a citizen of Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States and has spent at least 5 years working or studying in one of those countries, or in Australia or New Zealand.
  • Bachelor's degree. The applicant holds a qualification comparable with a New Zealand level 7 bachelor's degree gained in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States, and lived in one of those countries for at least 2 years while studying.
  • Postgraduate qualification. A qualification comparable with a New Zealand postgraduate qualification at level 8 or above gained in one of the same six countries, with at least 1 year living there while studying.

INZ says it can confirm citizenship from the passport details. For qualifications it needs a copy of the certificate and an academic transcript, and an International Qualification Assessment may be needed to show the qualification can be used in New Zealand.

INZ states that an English-speaking background cannot be used for skilled residence visas or the AEWV: "If you are applying for an AEVW or a skilled residence visa, you cannot use an English-speaking background as evidence of your English language ability." That route is for other visas, described below.

Approved tests and the minimum scores for skilled residence

INZ accepts these tests: IELTS General or Academic, IELTS One Skill Retake, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge B2 First, Cambridge B2 First for Schools, and the Occupational English Test (OET), which INZ describes as "designed for health care professionals". The test is chosen by the applicant. It must be sat "in person at a test centre", the result must be "no more than 2 years old at the time you apply", and INZ says "Tests taken remotely outside of a test centre, such as 'at home' tests are not acceptable."

INZ's table for skilled residence visas sets a higher result for the principal applicant than for a partner or dependent child aged 16 or older.

  • IELTS: main applicant overall 6.5 or more; partner or child overall 5 or more.
  • TOEFL iBT: main applicant overall 79 or more; partner or child 35 or more.
  • PTE Academic: main applicant overall 58 or more; partner or child 36 or more.
  • B2 First and B2 First for Schools: main applicant overall 176 or more; partner or child 154 or more.
  • OET: the table shows grade C+ or higher in all four skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking) for the main applicant, and grade C or higher in all four for a partner or child.

One timing rule applies to people with an occupational registration. INZ says that if the applicant or someone in the application has a registration that is eligible for points under the Points-based pathway, the English test results "can be up to 5 years old", and the registration must be a full registration, not provisional or limited. Both the test result and the registration certificate must be provided. INZ's SMC page says this can be done even when applying under another pathway.

INZ also says the applicant cannot "provide evidence of a future booking." The result has to exist when the application is submitted.

Partners and children: tests, background and paid lessons

A partner and dependent children aged 16 or older have three ways to meet the requirement on a skilled residence application: English ability from citizenship, working and studying (as above), a test, or paying for lessons in New Zealand. INZ's page explains the third option: "You choose the lesson option when you apply and pay for the lessons if we approve your visa. This lets your partner and dependent children improve their English after they come to New Zealand."

The cost depends on the family member's score. INZ's table for people who took IELTS shows the total fee, made up of class fees and an administration fee:

  • IELTS 4.5 or more but less than 5.0: NZD 1,735 in total (class fees NZD 1,531.82, administration NZD 203.18).
  • 4.0 or more but less than 4.5: NZD 3,420.
  • 3.5 or more but less than 4.0: NZD 5,100.
  • Less than 3.5: NZD 6,795.

For other tests INZ shows equivalent bands that lead to the same four totals: TOEFL iBT 32 to 34, 31, and below 31 for the top three bands in the table; PTE Academic 30 to 35, 29, and below 29; B2 First 153 to 157, 142 to 146 and below 142; OET grade C, grade D and below D. INZ says that if your partner or children are not able to speak English at all or do not take the test, "you must pay the maximum charge for their English language tuition."

The lessons are arranged by the Tertiary Education Commission, which INZ describes as the agency that arranges ESOL tuition. INZ says "your family has 5 years to complete their ESOL classes". If the family never enters New Zealand on the resident visa, INZ says it "can refund the money you paid for ESOL classes" if the applicant contacts it within 6 months of the visa expiring.

Parent Resident Visa: a lower score, and lessons for the main applicant

The Parent Resident Visa has the lowest standard of the visas covered here, and it is the only one where the main applicant can pay for lessons. INZ says the principal applicant and the partner each have three ways: "through your English-speaking background", "by taking an English language test", or "by paying for lessons in New Zealand." INZ's page also says that anyone with dependent children cannot apply for this visa: "If you have any dependent children, you can not apply for this visa."

The test thresholds on the parent page are the same for the principal applicant and the partner. A person can meet them with an overall score or with scores in two skills:

  • IELTS: overall 5 or more, or 4 or more in at least 2 of the 4 skills.
  • TOEFL iBT: overall 35 or more, or at least two of listening 2 or more, reading 2 or more, writing 11 or more, speaking 11 or more.
  • PTE Academic: overall 36 or more, or 29 or more in at least 2 of the 4 skills.
  • B2 First and B2 First for Schools: overall 154 or more, or 142 or more in at least 2 of the 4 skills.
  • OET: grade D or higher in at least 2 of the 4 skills, or grade C or higher in all 4.

For the lesson option on a Parent Resident Visa, INZ says: "You only pay the lowest fee even if you do not speak or understand English at all." On the totals above that lowest fee is NZD 1,735. Our article on the parent ballot covers the EOI process for this visa, which sits before any English evidence is needed.

English-speaking background: where it can be used

INZ lets applicants use an English-speaking background for some visas, but not for the ones covered earlier. Its page lists the visas where it can be used: business visas (the Active Investor Plus Visa for applications made before 1 April 2025 that have not been transitioned, the Employees of Relocating Business Resident Visa and the Entrepreneur Resident Visa), residence-from-work visas (Religious Worker, Long Term Skill Shortage List, Talent Accredited Employer and Talent Arts, Culture, Sports) and the Parent Resident Visa and Dependent Child Resident Visa. INZ adds a limit: "A dependent child cannot use an English-speaking background if their parent holds a skilled residence visa."

Evidence of an English-speaking background can include education and qualifications, or use of English in work, family and everyday life. For education, INZ lists:

  • certificates showing the person was taught in English for all the years at primary school and at least 3 years of secondary school
  • certificates showing 5 years of secondary school taught in English
  • a tertiary qualification taught in English that took 3 or more years to complete
  • certificates for listed qualifications at a stated result, such as an International Baccalaureate full diploma taught in English, or a South African Matriculation Certificate with a minimum D pass in English at higher grade.

For work, family and everyday life, INZ says evidence can include the countries lived in and for how long, whether the person or family speak English, whether English was needed in current and past work, and qualifications that needed skill in English. INZ adds that it "may ask you to provide us with an English language test result if we need further evidence that you meet the minimum standard."

AEWV: English applies at skill levels 3 to 5

The AEWV is a work visa, not a residence visa, but it appears in the same searches. INZ says a person applying for an AEWV must show they can speak and understand English for a job at skill level 3 to 5 (ANZSCO or National Occupation List). Roles at skill level 1 or 2 have no English requirement.

INZ extended the requirement to skill level 3 from 1 June 2026, and announced it on 25 May 2026. The announcement says people "already on an AEWV that expires on or before 1 December 2026 who want to apply for a new AEWV will not have to meet the new requirements" at skill level 3, and that people who have already provided English evidence for a previous AEWV application are also exempt. Global Workforce Seasonal Visa and Peak Seasonal Visa applications are not required to meet the standard, and the requirement does not apply to Job Change applications.

The AEWV has two routes, the same citizenship, work and study route used for skilled residence, or a test. The minimum scores are lower: IELTS overall 4 or more, TOEFL iBT 31 or more, PTE Academic 29 or more, B2 First or B2 First for Schools 142 or more, and OET grade D or higher in all four skills. Partners and children of AEWV holders who are eligible for a visa as a supported family member have no English requirement, per INZ.

Whether a given job sits at skill level 3, 4 or 5 is determined from the ANZSCO or NOL listing, and INZ links a tool for finding it. Where a job sits is a fact about the job, but how it affects a particular person's application is a matter for a licensed immigration adviser.

Questions people ask

What IELTS score does NZ residence need?

For skilled residence visas INZ's table shows IELTS overall 6.5 or more for the main applicant and overall 5 or more for a partner or dependent child aged 16 or older. The Parent Resident Visa uses overall 5 or more, or 4 or more in at least 2 of the 4 skills, for both the main applicant and partner.

How old can an English test result be for an NZ visa?

INZ says the result cannot be more than 2 years old (from the issue date) when the application is submitted. For an applicant with an eligible occupational registration, INZ allows the English result to be up to 5 years old, if the registration is a full registration.

Can I take the English test at home for NZ immigration?

INZ says no. It requires the test to be sat in person at a test centre, and says tests taken remotely outside a test centre, such as at-home tests, are not acceptable.

What happens if my partner does not reach the English score?

On a skilled residence application INZ lets a partner and dependent children aged 16 or older pay for English lessons in New Zealand instead. For people who took IELTS, INZ's totals run from NZD 1,735 to NZD 6,795 depending on the score; the maximum applies if they do not take the test.

Do children need to meet an English requirement?

INZ says there are no English language requirements for children younger than 16. Dependent children aged 16 or older are covered by the rules for the visa in question.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

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