ScoreFluentUK work and family visa English tests
The approved SELT list and the level each route asks for.
Read the guide →Which English tests can you take at home, and who accepts the result?
TOEFL iBT, IELTS and LanguageCert Academic all have an at-home version. Governments and regulators often refuse the result, so check who will read your score before you book.
Short answer: TOEFL iBT, IELTS and LanguageCert Academic have an at-home version. Michigan has paused at-home MET indefinitely, with the last at-home sitting on 30 September 2026. PTE Academic has no at-home version, and Cambridge describes only in-venue delivery. Australia and the UK refuse at-home results for visas, and most nursing regulators refuse them too. Universities decide for themselves. See the Home Affairs online test restrictions and the GOV.UK approved test centre lists.
Which English exams offer an at-home version?
The table gives each provider's own wording, checked 16 October 2026. “At home” usually means remote proctoring: you sit the test on your own computer while a person or software monitors you. Two further at-home options appear on the Home Affairs list of tests it refuses, CELPIP Online and OET@Home. We found no CELPIP Online page on celpip.ca on 16 October 2026, so we do not describe it here; check celpip.ca for the current position. The NMC accepts OET@Home, and its OET page sets the terms.
| Exam | What the provider says | Conditions it states | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT Home Edition | ETS: "the same TOEFL iBT test you would take at a test center, just taken from the privacy of your own home and monitored online by a human proctor." | Offered 24 hours a day, 4 days a week; register at least 24 hours before your appointment. ETS asks you to check its environment and equipment requirements before you register. | ETS: testing options |
| IELTS Online | IELTS: Academic only, with the same content and features as IELTS on computer. The Speaking test is still with a human examiner, by video call. Test takers must be 18 or over. | IELTS: "IELTS Online is not currently accepted for immigration purposes." It advises checking with your institution directly before booking. | IELTS: IELTS Online |
| LanguageCert Academic Online | LanguageCert: "An at-home, secure test experience", with live proctors monitoring the exam. A valid passport is required. | LanguageCert: "Test Centre is the only acceptable option for Australian visa purposes." The UKVI approved Test Centre option is the one that gives the Unique Reference Number a UK visa application uses. | LanguageCert Academic |
| PTE Academic | Pearson: "PTE Academic cannot be taken at home." It is taken at an authorised PTE test centre, on a computer. | No at-home version to check. Pearson sells PTE Home separately; it is a different product for A1 to B1 and is also taken at test centres. | Pearson: PTE Academic |
| Cambridge English Qualifications, including C1 Advanced | Cambridge: both the digital and paper-based tests are taken at an authorised exam centre, a school or an external venue, under exam conditions. Speaking stays face to face. | Cambridge does not describe an at-home version on this page. | Cambridge English: ways to take the exam |
| MET | Michigan: "Michigan Language Assessment is indefinitely pausing remote (at home) testing." Registration for MET Remote closed on 17 September 2026, with final at-home testing on 30 September 2026. Testing at approved MET test centres is unaffected. | Michigan’s October 2025 handbook, written while at-home MET was offered, said "Others do not accept remote tests" and that the score report shows whether you tested at a centre or remotely. That still matters for results already issued. | Michigan: MET |
A provider saying a test is “the same” at home and in a centre describes the content. It does not make every organisation accept it, which is the next question.
Who refuses at-home English test results?
These rules come from the authorities that decide, not from the exam providers. Quotations are the authority's own words, checked 16 October 2026.
| Authority | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Australian visas (Home Affairs) | The department "does not accept evidence from English language tests that are delivered completely online (also known as ‘remote-proctored’ or ‘at-home’)." Named examples: CELPIP Online, IELTS Online, LANGUAGECERT Academic Online, MET Digital (taken at-home), OET@Home and TOEFL iBT – Home Edition. | Home Affairs: English language |
| UK visas, settlement and citizenship (Home Office) | GOV.UK: for your results to be accepted, your test must have "been sat at an approved test location". For settlement, the Immigration Rules say "taken at a test centre approved by the Secretary of State as a Secure English Language Test Centre". For citizenship, GOV.UK says "The test must be taken at a Home Office approved test centre." | GOV.UK: approved SELTs; HC 1691; Form AN guidance |
| Australian nurse registration (Ahpra) | At-home or "indicative" versions, and any version with remote proctoring, "are not approved by National Boards and are not accepted", except the OET computer-based test at a test centre. | Ahpra: accepted tests |
| UK nurse registration (NMC) | Does not accept IELTS Online or the IELTS Indicator. Accepts OET on Paper, OET on Computer and OET@Home. | NMC: IELTS Academic; NMC: OET |
| New Zealand nurse registration (NCNZ) | "The Nursing Council of New Zealand does not currently accept online computer-based tests." Computer-based tests at an approved testing centre are accepted. | NCNZ: English language requirements |
| New Zealand non-university providers (NZQA rules) | The 2026 rules set test-centre conditions: IELTS "at an official IELTS test centre", LanguageCert "at a LanguageCert approved test centre", PTE "at a PTE test centre", TOEFL iBT "entirely at an authorised TOEFL iBT test center". Universities set their own rules. | NZQA: Programme Approval, Recognition and Accreditation Rules 2026, Schedule 1 |
The pattern is that an authority making a legal or safety decision wants the test taken at a secure centre. The detail differs, as the NMC's acceptance of OET@Home shows, so read the rule for your regulator rather than generalising. For the visa and registration guides, see UK work and family visas and nursing registration.
Do universities accept at-home English tests?
There is no single answer, because each university sets its own policy and many publish it per course. What the providers say:
- TOEFL iBT: ETS says “Nearly all universities that use the TOEFL iBT test accept scores equally for the test center test and the Home Edition.” (ETS Home Edition acceptance page, updated 14 February 2025.)
- IELTS Online: IELTS tells you to check with your chosen institution directly before booking, and says recognising organisations use the same online verification system as for in-centre results.
- MET: Michigan says some institutions accept both centre and remote tests and others do not, and that the MET score report shows how you tested.
- LanguageCert Academic: LanguageCert says a degree-level applicant to a UK higher education institution can take it at a test centre or online, and tells you always to check the institution's own English requirements.
None of these statements replaces the university's own page. If the page names a test but not the delivery mode, treat that as unconfirmed and ask.
What should you check before you book an at-home test?
- Find every organisation that will read the score. A university, a visa authority and a regulator can each have a different rule. List them all.
- Search each requirement page for the delivery mode. Look for “at home”, “online”, “remote”, “test centre” and the exact product name, such as “IELTS Online” or “TOEFL iBT Home Edition”.
- If the page is silent, ask in writing. Email the admissions or registration team the exact product name and keep the reply with your application.
- Book the safer option when the stakes are legal. For a visa, settlement or professional registration, a test-centre sitting is the format the rules above name. An at-home sitting you cannot use costs a second fee and a second wait.
This guide reports published rules; it does not confirm that any score will be accepted. ScoreFluent is independent and is not affiliated with ETS, IELTS, LanguageCert, Pearson, Cambridge, Michigan, CELPIP, OET or any authority named here.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take TOEFL iBT at home?
Yes. ETS offers TOEFL iBT Home Edition, which it describes as the same test as the test-centre version, monitored online by a human proctor. It runs 24 hours a day, 4 days a week, and you register at least 24 hours before your appointment.
Can you take IELTS at home?
Yes, but only IELTS Academic, as IELTS Online. The Speaking test is with a human examiner by video call, and test takers must be 18 or over. IELTS says IELTS Online is not currently accepted for immigration purposes.
Can you take PTE Academic at home?
No. Pearson says PTE Academic cannot be taken at home and is taken at an authorised PTE test centre on a computer.
Can you take LanguageCert Academic at home?
Yes. LanguageCert offers an Online option with live proctors and requires a valid passport. LanguageCert says Test Centre is the only acceptable option for Australian visa purposes, and the UKVI approved Test Centre option is the one that gives the Unique Reference Number for a UK visa application.
Can you take Cambridge C1 Advanced at home?
Cambridge describes only in-venue delivery. Both its digital and paper-based tests are taken at an authorised exam centre, a school or an external venue under exam conditions, and the Speaking test stays face to face.
Are at-home English tests accepted for UK visas?
No. UK visa and settlement rules require a secure English language test taken at a test centre approved by the Home Office. An at-home version, even of an approved provider’s test, does not meet that rule.
Are at-home English tests accepted for Australian visas?
No. Home Affairs says it does not accept tests delivered completely online, naming CELPIP Online, IELTS Online, LANGUAGECERT Academic Online, MET Digital taken at home, OET@Home and TOEFL iBT Home Edition. The test must take place in a secure testing centre.
Do universities accept at-home English tests?
Each university decides. ETS says nearly all universities that use TOEFL iBT accept scores equally for the test-centre test and Home Edition, while IELTS and Michigan both tell you to check with your institution before booking an at-home version. Ask the admissions team in writing.
Can nurses use an at-home English test for registration?
Mostly not. Ahpra refuses at-home versions except the OET computer-based test at a test centre. The NMC accepts OET@Home but not IELTS Online. NCNZ does not accept tests conducted completely online.
Can you take MET at home?
Not now. Michigan says it is indefinitely pausing remote (at-home) MET testing, with final at-home testing on 30 September 2026, and testing at approved test centres is unaffected. Home Affairs did not accept MET taken at home in any case.
Does ScoreFluent offer at-home English tests?
No. ScoreFluent is a practice platform, not an exam provider, and is not affiliated with any exam owner. You book official tests with the provider; ScoreFluent practice scores are estimates, not official results.
Official sources
- ETS: TOEFL iBT testing options →
- ETS: TOEFL iBT Home Edition acceptance →
- IELTS: IELTS Online →
- LanguageCert: LanguageCert Academic →
- Pearson: PTE Academic →
- Cambridge English: ways to take the exam →
- Michigan Language Assessment: MET →
- Michigan Language Assessment: MET Test Taker Handbook (PDF) →
- Department of Home Affairs: English language →
- GOV.UK: Form AN guidance (naturalisation) →
- GOV.UK: statement of changes to the Immigration Rules, HC 1691 →
- GOV.UK: approved SELTs and test centres →
- Ahpra: accepted English language tests →
- NMC: IELTS Academic requirements →
- NMC: OET requirements →
- Nursing Council of New Zealand: English language requirements →
- NZQA: Programme Approval, Recognition and Accreditation Rules 2026 (PDF) →
Requirements change. Check the immigration authority and the receiving institution or programme again before booking a test or submitting an application.
Related destination guides
Nursing registration English tests
What Ahpra, the NMC and NCNZ accept, and at what score.
Read the guide →English tests for an Australian visa
Home Affairs scores for each approved test, taken at a secure test centre.
Read the guide →Practise at home, then sit the test the requirement names.
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