PTE updates: October 2026

New Zealand’s India work visas set PTE Academic scores

From 20 October 2026 New Zealand has two new work visas for citizens of India, set up under the New Zealand India Free Trade Agreement: the India Iconic Work Visa and the India Skilled Work Visa. Both need an English test result no more than two years old when you apply, taken in person at a test centre. At-home tests are not accepted.

The PTE Academic minimums depend on the visa and the job. On the Iconic visa, yoga instructors and Indian chefs need 36 or more in Listening and Speaking, and music teachers and Ayush practitioners need an overall 58 or more. The Skilled Work Visa needs an overall 58 or more.

What to do: If you are applying for one of these visas, sit PTE Academic at a test centre and check which occupation row applies to you. The New Zealand page covers the other visas.

Source: Immigration New Zealand, Amendment Circular 2026-31

New Zealand student visas: English can now be checked

From 27 October 2026 an immigration officer assessing a New Zealand student visa may consider whether your English suits the level and nature of your study, and may ask you for evidence of your English ability. This is part of judging whether you are likely to make satisfactory progress in your course. The new instruction does not name a test or a score.

What to do: Keep evidence of your English, such as the PTE Academic score your provider accepted, ready to send with a New Zealand student visa application.

Source: Immigration New Zealand, Amendment Circular 2026-32

Two Pearson centres added to the UK approved list

The Home Office list of approved Secure English Language Test centres outside the UK gained two Pearson centres between its 9 October and 30 October 2026 editions: Pearson Professional Centers-Ludhiana in Punjab, India, and LA GRANDEE International College in Pokhara, Nepal. India now has 21 Pearson centres on the list. No Pearson centre was removed, and the Pearson centres on the list for the UK did not change.

What to do: Booking PTE Academic UKVI for a UK visa in Punjab or western Nepal? Check the new centres in the Pearson locator. The India dates page lists the cities.

Source: gov.uk, Secure English Language Tests

What we re-checked and found unchanged

Pearson announced no change to the test format, scoring or booking rules in October. It published no new score guide or test taker handbook. The rescore fee is still US$160, requested within 14 calendar days of your result, and a technical review is still US$50. The cap is still 12 tests in any 12-month window, and the cancellation refund bands are the same.

The Department of Home Affairs per-skill tables for PTE Academic are unchanged, and IRCC still names PTE Core, not PTE Academic, for Express Entry.

What to do: Use the question types hub as before; nothing in the test changed. Follow the Atom feed for next month.