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IELTS Requirements for Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482)

Australia · DHA

Minimum Required

5Overall
5L
5R
5W
5S

Competent English - minimum for most occupations

Key Facts

  • Requires "Competent English" = 5.0 in each IELTS component.
  • Some occupations on the Short-Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) may have higher requirements.
  • Medical professionals: typically 7.0+ in each component.
  • Pathway to ENS (subclass 186) PR visa after 3 years - same English requirement.

Tips

  • Meeting just the 5.0 threshold is sufficient for the TSS visa itself.
  • If you plan to transition to PR via subclass 186, start working towards 6.0 per component early.

Processing time: 1-3 months

🇮🇳 For Indian applicants

Australia is the second most popular destination for Indian students after Canada. The Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485) and the Skilled Independent Visa (189) together create the most popular pathway: study → graduate visa → PR nomination.

A counsellor's honest guidance

Think of your IELTS score as the key that unlocks admission - and the admission letter is what actually makes your TSS Visa 482possible. If you do these four things in order, you'll avoid the mistakes that cost students a year:

  1. 1.

    Confirm the exact band your course needs.The number on your own program's admissions page is the one that counts - not a general figure you read online.

  2. 2.

    Plan the money early. A Australia student visa asks you to show you can fund tuition and living costs, so build a realistic budget before you fall in love with a city. See Australia cost of living →

  3. 3.

    Compare your routes.If one visa path doesn't fit your situation, another might suit you better. All Australia IELTS requirements →

  4. 4.

    Practise against the real bar, not a guess. Take a scored mock test so you know your current band by skill before you book the real exam.

How close are you to this requirement?

Enter your current scores to find the single skill that gets you to Band 5.0.

Listening
6.5
Reading
6.0
Writing
6.0
Speaking
6.5

Current

6.5

+0.5 band to go

Target

7.0

Easiest path to Band 7

Improve Listening by +2.0 (6.5 → 8.5) while keeping others the same.

Dictation drills for Section 4, shadowing at 0.9× speed, and timed note-completion practice.

Single-skill path to Band 7

Listening

Currently 6.5 → need 8.5

+2.0

Reading

Currently 6.0 → need 8.0

+2.0

Writing

Currently 6.0 → need 8.0

+2.0

Speaking

Currently 6.5 → need 8.5

+2.0
Practice the skill you need to improve

Do this next

Stop spreading effort across all four modules. Your fastest route to Band 7.0 is Listening.

Students lose time when they "study harder" instead of fixing the exact skill blocking the next score jump.

Start Listening improvement now

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Australia Visa Types

Visa 189 - Skilled IndependentStudent Visa 500Visa 190 - State Nominated

Compare other countries

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