English language skills registration standard

The standard must be met by an applicant for registration with one of the 13 Boards for the first time; by an applicant (including one moving from non-practising to another registration type) who has not used English as their main language for more than five years; and by a holder of limited registration granted on an ELS exemption who applies for another registration type. It need not be met again by a person who has already met a National Board ELS standard without conditions and applies in another profession (additional evidence may be required where the new profession needs a higher test score) or applies for a different category or division in the same profession.

• Applicant's self-assessment against the applicability rules with supporting dates of English-medium practice
• Evidence of an earlier ELS standard met without conditions where relied on
• Employer onboarding checklist confirming the ELS basis for overseas-qualified hires

• Returning practitioners not checking whether English was their main language for the last five years
• Reliance on an earlier profession's test pathway where the new profession requires higher scores

The applicant shows at least two years of secondary education taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, together with the professional qualification(s) taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country. Recognised countries are listed in the standard and on the Board's website.

• Secondary school transcripts showing two years in a recognised country with language of instruction
• Qualification transcript and institution letter confirming English-only teaching and assessment

• Schooling in a country not on the recognised list
• Qualification partly taught in another language

English is the applicant's main language and they completed at least ten years of primary and secondary schooling taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, and their professional qualification(s) were taught and assessed solely in English (in any country).

• School records covering ten years of English-medium schooling in recognised countries
• Declaration that English is the applicant's main language
• Qualification evidence of English-only teaching and assessment

• Gaps in school records for the counted years
• Primary years counted from a non-recognised country

The applicant completed at least six years full-time equivalent of education taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, including the professional qualification(s) and advanced (tertiary) education at AQF level 7 or higher requiring reading, writing, listening and speaking in English; fully online programs are not accepted; at most two years' break is allowed while obtaining them; and the last period of education ended no more than two years before applying.

• Transcripts showing full-time equivalent load and dates for each counted program
• Evidence that the advanced education was not delivered fully online
• Completion date of the most recent program relative to the application date

• Concurrent or accelerated study counted as more than one full-time year
• Application lodged more than two years after the last education ended

An applicant not meeting another pathway passes an approved English test (the source lists the accepted tests by name; the names are left out here: see the Board's standard) in an accepted modality, achieving the overall and component minimum scores published by Ahpra for the date the test was taken (updated from 23 April 2026), from one sitting or at most two sittings no more than 12 months apart from the same provider, with no component below the floor set for two-sitting results. The score figures are those in the current Ahpra table, read 2026-09-30; they are not reproduced here.

The source names the bodies or products here; the names are left out.

• Official test report forms for each sitting relied on, with test dates and modality
• Ahpra score table applicable to the test date retained with the application
• Test provider verification reference

• Results combined from two different test providers
• Two sittings more than 12 months apart
• At-home or online modality that the Boards do not accept

Test results are accepted if obtained within two years before the application is lodged, or earlier if since the test the applicant has continuously worked (at least 26 weeks full-time equivalent a year, starting within 12 months of the test) as a registered practitioner in one of the 13 professions, or in another health, disability or aged care role, with English as the main language of practice in a recognised country and lodges within 12 months of the last employment; or has been continuously enrolled in a Board-approved program (starting within 12 months of the test) with subjects passed each semester and lodges within 12 months of completing it. With two sittings, time runs from the earlier sitting.

• Test date compared against lodgement date
• Employment statements showing hours per year and location for the continuous-work exception
• Enrolment and results records for the continuous-study exception

• Work hours below 26 weeks full-time equivalent in a year
• Application lodged more than 12 months after employment or study ended

The applicant gives the evidence the application form requires for the pathway chosen, bears the cost of any English test, accepts that test results are verified independently with the test provider, and, where the standard was met by a test before moving to non-practising registration, declares on returning to practice that English has continued to be their main language.

• Application evidence bundle mapped to the chosen pathway
• Declaration of continued English use lodged with the return-to-practice application

• Evidence supplied for a different pathway from the one claimed
• Continued-use declaration missing on return from non-practising registration