English tests for OTs, physiotherapists and speech pathologists moving to Australia: Ahpra, OTC, SPA and visas compared

For OTs and physios, Ahpra’s English standard asks for IELTS Academic 7 overall (writing 6.5) or the equivalent on OET, PTE or TOEFL, unless you meet an education pathway from a recognised country; the Occupational Therapy Council now asks for exactly the same scores (both for tests from 23 April 2026). Speech pathologists face a different, higher bar from Speech Pathology Australia, and your visa has its own English rule on top.

That’s four separate checks, and being exempt from one doesn’t make you exempt from another. Here they are in one place.

The table

Ahpra and OTC minimums apply to tests from 23 April 2026. Visa English levels change separately, so check them on the Home Affairs site rather than on any summary, this one included. The Physiotherapy Board uses Ahpra’s common English standard, so the OT and physio rows are the same.

The SPA scores: two published versions

SPA’s current OSQCA page says “required scores” without listing them, and SPA’s older pages give two different versions:

• Version 1: IELTS Academic 8.0 overall with two sub-scores at 8.5 or higher and two at 7.5 or higher; or OET with two sub-tests in the 450–500 band and two in the 400–500 band. PTE and TOEFL aren’t listed.
• Version 2: IELTS 8 overall with no band below 7.5, or OET 1800 with no element below 400.

Both are well above the Ahpra level. Neither lists PTE or TOEFL, but the current page doesn’t say either way. Confirm the current scores, and which tests SPA accepts, before you book a test. Your route through SPA is in the MRA guide or the OSQCA guide.

Exemptions by country, in short

• UK, Ireland: education pathways for Ahpra and (for speech) SPA’s exemption if you trained there in English; for OTs needing the OTC, check its recognised-country list; 482 passport exemption.
• USA, Canada: recognised for Ahpra and the OTC education pathways; SPA’s exemption if you trained there in English; 482 passport exemption. For Canada, the Ahpra and OTC pathways ask for a qualification taught and assessed solely in English, so if your program was in French, check with the regulator before assuming you’re covered.
• New Zealand: recognised for Ahpra; SPA’s exemption if you trained there in English; for the OTC, check its list; 482 passport exemption. NZ OTs and physios with a current practising certificate usually use Trans-Tasman registration instead.
• South Africa: removed from Ahpra’s recognised list, and applications lodged from 18 March 2026 can’t rely on South African education; SPA says South African graduates must test; not exempt from the 482 English test. Plan on a test for everything.

An exemption means you meet a pathway’s conditions, not just that you hold the passport or speak English at home. Read the pathway wording for each body.

Physios: one test, two uses

The Australian Physiotherapy Council’s skills assessment for visas also asks you to meet Ahpra’s English standard. So for physios, the Ahpra result serves registration and the Council’s skills assessment. See Express FLYR, FLYR or APEP for where that assessment fits.

OTs: one test, two uses

Because Ahpra and the OTC now share the same minimum scores, one test that meets those scores meets both bodies’ minimums. Check each one’s rules on test dates and sittings. Their education pathways are worded differently, though, so if you’re relying on a pathway rather than a test, check each one. More in OTC vs Ahpra.

From the hiring side

I’ve walked overseas clinicians through working holiday and Skills in Demand visas alongside registered migration agents. Before you book a test, know which bar you’re aiming for: points-tested visas reward superior English, and SPA’s bar is higher than Ahpra’s, so the score that’s enough for one may not be enough for the other.

Your next step

• OTs: check whether an Ahpra education pathway covers you, then whether your visa needs the OTC too. Start with the OT registration guide.
• Physios: check the Ahpra pathways first, then your Council route.
• Speech pathologists: check whether your degree fits SPA’s exemption, and confirm the current scores with SPA if it doesn’t.

The pathway check asks where you trained and in what language, and points you to the right first step.