Does IRCC accept IELTS One Skill Retake?
Short answer, as of July 5, 2026: no open IRCC pathway accepts a One Skill Retake result. This page is dated and updated because the answer has changed before and may change again.
The status, program by program
| Program | OSR accepted? | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Express Entry (FSW / CEC / FST) | No | IRCC's Express Entry page states it verbatim: "We don't accept IELTS One Skill Retake for Express Entry." |
| EMPP (Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot) | Program closed | EMPP — the one pathway that accepted OSR — closed to new applications on December 31, 2025. |
| PGWP / study permits | Not listed | IRCC's PGWP language guidance doesn't list OSR-based results; treat as not accepted and confirm on canada.ca before relying on it. |
What this means if one skill is short
For Canada, an OSR booking is wasted money right now: IRCC needs all four skills fromone full sitting. If writing is your wall at 6.5, the path is a full retake — which at least gives every skill a second chance at a higher band. Diagnose before you rebook: our scored writing practice gives per-criterion feedback against the official descriptors, so you know whether it's Task Response or grammar that's actually capping you.
Where OSR is still useful
Universities and some professional bodies in other countries do accept OSR — it exists for a reason. Just don't let a booking site's "improve one skill!" pitch make an immigration decision for you: for IRCC purposes, check this page's date and canada.ca before paying.
Chasing a specific CLB?
See exactly what every skill needs in the CLB/NCLC converter, or read what 8777 actually requires.