English Language Requirements for UK Visas by Route

The English language requirements for a UK visa depend on the route. Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker and Student applicants prove reading, writing, speaking and understanding, whereas family and citizenship routes usually ask for speaking and listening only, and settlement is moving to a higher standard that also covers reading and writing, at a CEFR level that GOV.UK states for each route. Applicants meet the requirement with a Home Office approved secure English language test (SELT), a degree taught in English, a UK school qualification, the nationality of a listed country or a previous successful application.

Only tests on the Home Office approved list count, and the test name matters, since the list includes IELTS for UKVI, PTE Academic UKVI and LANGUAGECERT International ESOL SELT. The CEFR level for each route sits in the key facts below with its GOV.UK page, and the route guidance should be checked again before any booking is made.

What English level does each UK visa route ask for?

Each route sets its own CEFR level and its own list of skills, and GOV.UK states both on the knowledge of English page for that route. Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker applicants prove they can read, write, speak and understand English. Student applicants do the same, with a higher level for degree-level courses than for courses below degree level. The exact levels are recorded in the key facts.

Family visas for partners and parents begin at the lowest CEFR level, and a later extension can ask for speaking and listening at a higher one, depending on the result used first. Applicants exempt at the first stage may need to pass a test at the entry level later. The Graduate visa overview on GOV.UK states eligibility through a Student visa and completion of an eligible course, and names no English test.

Settlement and British citizenship apply to adults aged 18 or over, who show an English qualification at one of the CEFR levels named on GOV.UK or a degree taught or researched in English. Citizenship and partner routes use tests that assess speaking and listening. Settlement is moving to a higher standard that covers reading, writing, speaking and listening, so the route page and the key facts need checking together.

How can applicants prove their English for a UK visa?

There are five ways to prove English for a UK visa, and which ones are open depends on the route. The routes with a full knowledge of English page list a UK school qualification, a UK degree, a non-UK degree with an Ecctis assessment, an approved SELT, or proof from a previous successful visa application.

A UK school qualification means a GCSE, A Level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, or a Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English, started before the age of 18. A degree awarded by a UK institution counts even if it was studied outside the UK. Any degree from a non-UK institution needs an Ecctis assessment confirming that it is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or higher and was taught in English. The degree must be academic, because a vocational degree cannot be used.

For citizenship and settlement the options are narrower. GCSEs, A levels and National Vocational Qualifications cannot be used, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) qualifications count only if they appear on the list of approved SELTs. A degree taught or researched in English is accepted.

• Approved SELT from a listed provider
• Degree taught in English, with an Ecctis assessment if awarded outside the UK
• UK school qualification started before age 18, where the route allows it
• Nationality of a listed majority English-speaking country
• Proof from a previous successful application, where the route allows it

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Which providers run approved secure English language tests?

Approved SELTs are run by named providers, and the list differs for tests taken in the UK and outside it. In the UK the providers are Trinity College London, the IELTS SELT Consortium, LANGUAGECERT and Pearson. Outside the UK they are PSI Services (UK) Ltd, the IELTS SELT Consortium, LANGUAGECERT and Pearson.

The approved test names are IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills from the IELTS SELT Consortium; LANGUAGECERT International ESOL SELT, LANGUAGECERT Academic SELT and LANGUAGECERT General SELT; PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home from Pearson; Skills for English UKVI from PSI Services; and Secure English Language Tests for UKVI from Trinity College London, covering Integrated Skills in English and Graded Examinations in Spoken English. Applicants choose which approved test to take.

A test must be taken at an approved test location, and the booking name must match the passport or other identity document. After a pass, the provider issues a SELT unique reference number, and the Home Office checks results through each provider's online verification system, so no certificate is posted to UKVI by the applicant.

Who is exempt from the English language requirement?

Exemptions depend on age, health, nationality and the route, and each route page lists its own. For citizenship and settlement, people aged 65 or over are exempt, as are people unable to meet the requirement because of a long-term physical or mental condition. The medical exemption needs a completed exemption form from a doctor, with original copies of current relevant medical reports.

Nationals of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, the USA and the British overseas territories are exempt, and Ireland is included for citizenship only. A country where English is an official language but which is not on the list does not give an exemption.

Family visa applicants are exempt when applying as a child or adult dependent relative, and settlement applicants on several work visas are exempt because they proved English for that visa. Doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives under Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker rules may rely on an assessment accepted by their regulated professional body.

How can the current rules be checked before booking an English test?

The safest check is the knowledge of English page for the exact route, read alongside the approved tests list, before any test is booked. The list is published as two spreadsheets, one for tests taken in the UK and one for tests taken outside it, and it gives the CEFR level and minimum grade requirements for each level.

Confirm that the test name matches one on the list, book through the website of the provider that offers it, and treat third-party sellers with care. A third party should be officially recognised by the test provider, and its fees should be the same as or lower than the provider's published price. The application can be refused if the wrong qualification is sent, so the route and the test need to match.

Results are valid for a limited time, and some recognised test qualifications only last for a short period, so the validity period in the key facts matters when planning the application date.

How should candidates prepare for an approved English test?

Preparation starts with the skills the route names, because a route asking for speaking and listening only does not need study time spent on writing. Look up the CEFR level for the route, then choose the approved test whose published level descriptors match it, and use the provider's own sample materials and published marking criteria to check work.

For speaking, record answers to practice prompts, play them back, and compare each recording against the published descriptors for fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. For listening, practise with audio that can be played once, then check which details were missed. Where the route also requires reading and writing, practise reading to find specific information, and write short responses to timed prompts that are marked against the same criteria.

A practical order is listening first, then speaking, then reading and writing where required, with a full practice paper at the end to confirm the level. Practising at the CEFR level the route names, instead of a higher one, keeps the work matched to what the test is designed to measure.

Guides in this series

• SELT tests explained
• B1 English test for citizenship and ILR
• English test for a spouse visa
• B2 English test for the Skilled Worker visa
• LanguageCert SELT
• What is IELTS? Format, versions and scoring
• What is IELTS? Format, versions and scoring
• Cambridge English exams, A2 Key to C2 Proficiency
• What is ESOL?
• English requirements for UK visas by route

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