The IELTS exam has been given the stamp of approval for use in the British immigration system. The International English Language Testing System - widely used to test the language level of overseas applicants to British and Australian universities - is being adopted as part of the British government's new five-tiered points-based system for determining immigration applications from non-European Union nationals, which was introduced at the end of last month. The test has been approved for use for the highest tier of potential immigrants, which covers highly skilled professionals.