October 2026
Your monthly roundup of IELTS developments, testing industry news, and migration policy updates
IELTS developments
Four days of cancelled British Council sessions in mainland China
Between 10 and 13 October the British Council cancelled every one of its IELTS sessions in mainland China. Computer-delivered tests on 10 and 11 October were called off, some of them part way through the Listening section, and the One Skill Retake sittings on 10, 12 and 13 October followed. In two statements on 13 October the British Council said a technical fault could have compromised test security, and that cancelling the affected sessions was the only way to protect the fairness and credibility of results. Chinese press reports put the number of affected candidates at roughly 10,000, many of them working to autumn application deadlines.
Testing resumed on 14 October. Every affected candidate received a full refund. Two extra days of free sessions were added on 19 and 20 October, and anyone unable to attend those, and not already booked elsewhere, is being sent a voucher for the same test type valid to the end of December. Candidates who travelled to a test centre can claim reasonable transport and accommodation costs, and the British Council will write to universities on request to explain the delay.
The cancellations applied to British Council sessions only. IELTS sessions run by IDP in China were not part of the stoppage, and candidates were able to book with IDP during the four days.
| What this shows is a test provider choosing to lose four days of bookings rather than issue results it could not fully vouch for. That is uncomfortable for the people caught in it, but it is the correct call for a high-stakes test, and it is the reason universities and immigration departments trust IELTS results. The practical lesson for candidates anywhere is to book with a margin before any deadline, so that a cancellation, however rare, does not cost you an application. |
New rule for Iranian passport holders testing with the British Council in Turkey
From 14 October, Iranian passport holders who are not Turkish citizens must show valid proof of residency in Turkey to sit IELTS with the British Council there. The rule applies to bookings made before that date as well as new ones, and anyone in Turkey on a tourist visa is no longer eligible. The notice on the British Council Turkey booking page states that the policy cannot be altered and gives no reason for it. Candidates of every other nationality continue to test with a valid passport as before.
This matters because Turkey has been one of the most common places for Iranian candidates to take IELTS since testing inside Iran stopped, as covered in earlier editions. Iranian candidates living in Iran should check the eligibility rules of any centre abroad before travelling, and should keep in mind the separate restrictions on TOEFL described below.
IDP changes IELTS delivery in Nigeria
From 1 October IELTS is no longer delivered through the MOD test centre in Nigeria. Testing continues through IDP’s own network of IELTS test centres across the country, and results previously issued through MOD remain valid. IDP’s announcement also carried the current recognition figure: IELTS is now accepted by more than 13,500 organisations worldwide.
English language testing landscape
ETS clarifies what the Iran suspension means for TOEFL candidates
Further to our September report, ETS has rewritten its “Testing in Iran” notice after the suspension of TOEFL and GRE testing inside Iran under US sanctions rules. The earlier version said Iranian nationals could simply test in another country. The revised version is narrower. Nationality on its own is not a bar, but ETS states that it cannot process registrations or payments for anyone ordinarily resident in Iran, including for appointments outside Iran, and that travelling abroad does not by itself lift the restriction. The at-home TOEFL is not available to Iran residents even while they are temporarily in another country, and a remote test later found to have been taken from Iran may have its score cancelled. ETS gives no timeline for testing to resume.
The position for IELTS is different and should not be run together with the ETS rules. IELTS is not currently delivered inside Iran, and the Turkey residency rule above applies to British Council centres in that country. No IELTS partner has announced a residence-based ban on registration or payment of the kind ETS describes, and Iranian candidates can still book at IDP and British Council centres in other countries where they meet the local ID and eligibility rules.
Harvard Kennedy School adds a 90-second recording to its English requirement
For the 2027-28 application cycle, every applicant to Harvard Kennedy School who has to submit an English test score (IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge C1 or C2) must also record a short video answer inside the application. The applicant sees a simple conversational question, such as a favourite food or holiday, gets a few seconds to think, and then speaks for up to 90 seconds. There is one attempt and no re-recording. The recording was optional until this year; the admissions office says it made it compulsory because fewer and fewer applicants were choosing to do it, and because it helps the committee judge candidates whose speaking or reading subscores were lower than the rest of their profile.
| IELTS candidates are better placed than most for this. The IELTS Speaking test is a live conversation with a trained examiner, and Part 1 asks exactly the kind of everyday questions Harvard is now using. If you are applying to HKS, the preparation you do for Speaking Part 1 is the preparation you need for the video. More generally, it is a reminder that admissions staff want to hear applicants speak, which is a point in favour of a test whose speaking component is assessed face to face rather than by software. |
International migration news for IELTS candidates
Canada
Express Entry points overhaul takes effect on 3 November
On 16 October Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced the largest change to the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System since the system began. From 3 November, candidates receive extra points for either eligible Canadian work experience in a high-wage occupation or a qualifying job offer in one. IRCC defines a high-wage occupation as one whose median wage is at least 1.3 times the national median; the test is the occupation’s typical pay, not the candidate’s own salary. Health care, skilled trades, engineering, technology and education are named as the main fields on the list, which IRCC will publish and maintain on its website.
Two further changes matter for applicants. First, a Labour Market Impact Assessment is no longer needed for a job offer to earn the new points or to satisfy the job offer requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs; IRCC will still check that offers are genuine. Second, every profile already in the pool will be rescored automatically on 3 November, but candidates who want points for a job offer must add the offer details to their profile before that date. Invitation rounds are paused for up to two weeks while the recalculation runs.
The announcement leaves the language section of the CRS as it is. An IELTS General Training result continues to count towards points in the same way as before, and strong language scores remain one of the few factors entirely within a candidate’s own control.
Draws in October and the levels plan to come
IRCC held six Express Entry draws in October, including two French-language rounds of 5,000 invitations each on 16 and 27 October, a Canadian Experience Class round of 2,500 on 15 October, and a Trades round of 3,500 on 1 October. The 2027-29 Immigration Levels Plan, which sets permanent and temporary resident targets, is due to be tabled in Parliament by 1 November and had not been published at the time of writing.
Australia
Student visa restrictions now in force
Further to our September report on the migration reforms announced on 17 September, the new rules for Student (subclass 500) and Student Guardian (subclass 590) visas took effect on 2 October. Most people holding a temporary visa in Australia, including Working Holiday makers, can no longer lodge a Student visa application onshore and must apply from outside the country. Existing Student visa holders can apply for a further Student visa inside Australia only in set circumstances, such as moving up to a higher AQF level. Partners and children can no longer be included in a Student visa application unless an exemption applies, and the Department of Home Affairs states there are no exemptions to the end of subsequent entrant applications, so family members cannot be added after a visa is granted.
Applications lodged before 2 October, including any family members named in them, continue to be assessed under the old rules, and visas already granted are unaffected. Nothing in the package changes the English language requirements for a Student visa or the tests accepted to meet them.
United Kingdom
HC 584 changes commence
Further to our September report, the main provisions of Statement of Changes HC 584 came into force on 8 October, with the Minister of Religion and Religious Worker amendments following on 29 October. The rise in Student visa maintenance funds to £1,570 a month in London and £1,203 elsewhere is still scheduled for 30 November, so students applying in November should check which figure applies to their application date.
Earned settlement: still no rules published
The Home Office had been expected to publish the Immigration Rules for its earned settlement model this autumn. No Statement of Changes had appeared by the end of October. Answering questions in the Commons on 26 October, the Home Secretary said the consultation responses had been considered and the policy on indefinite leave to remain would be settled in due course, and repeated that settlement will be earned rather than automatic. Until the rules are laid, the existing five-year routes remain in place.
HOELT
There was no public development on the Home Office English Language Test in October. The tender notice still gives 16 November as the estimated award decision date. IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills remain approved Secure English Language Tests for all UK visa purposes.
| For IELTS candidates: October’s news is mostly about reliability and timing. Book your test with room to spare before any deadline, and if you were caught in the China cancellations, claim the refund, the free session and the expenses you are entitled to. Anyone with an Iranian passport should check eligibility at a specific centre before travelling. Candidates heading for Canada should update their Express Entry profile before 3 November if they hold a job offer, and expect a short pause in invitations. Students bound for Australia should plan to apply from outside the country and to apply for family members at the same time. In the UK, the student maintenance increase lands on 30 November and the settlement rules are still to come. |