I booked IELTS Academic but need it for immigration — do I need General Training?
For Canada PR and Express Entry (and most work/PR streams), you need IELTS General Training, not Academic. An Academic score cannot be used for Express Entry — no matter how high it is.
IELTS has two versions. General Training (GT) is for work and immigration — it's the one IRCC accepts for Express Entry and most PR programs. Academic is for university study and professional registration. Listening and Speaking are identical across both; Reading and Writing differ, and IRCC only accepts GT for immigration.
This is one of the most common — and most expensive — booking mistakes, because searching "IELTS Canada" surfaces the Academic test constantly. People prepare, sit Academic, get a strong band, and then find Express Entry won't take it.
What to do: if your goal is PR, you'll need to sit IELTS General Training. A high Academic score doesn't transfer or help your PR eligibility. If your test date hasn't arrived, most test centres let you change the module or date within a window before the exam (rules and fees vary by centre — check yours). Only keep Academic if you actually need it to study at a Canadian institution.