The English language requirement for visas, ILR and citizenship

Levels

A1 (basic) to B2 (upper intermediate) on the CEFR scale

Proof

An approved Secure English Language Test, a UK degree, a degree taught in English, or an exempt nationality

Test cost

About £150 to £200

Validity

SELT certificates last 2 years; a level accepted for an earlier grant can be reused

Almost every UK immigration application for adults includes an English requirement. The level varies by route and stage, and the ways you can prove it are tightly controlled: only tests on the Home Office's approved list, taken at an approved centre, count. Learning which level you need and planning the test well ahead avoids a refusal on a technicality.

Which level each application needs

Application	Level
Partner visa, first application	A1
Partner visa, extension after 30 months	A2
Partner of a Skilled Worker, first application (from 8 January 2026)	A1
Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Scale-up (from 8 January 2026)	B2 (was B1)
Student, degree level and above	B2
Student, below degree level	B1
Innovator Founder	B2
Indefinite leave to remain, all routes	B1 (B2 for Skilled Worker partners from 2026)
Naturalisation	B1
Global Talent, UK Ancestry, Youth Mobility, Graduate, Visitor	No requirement at the visa stage (B1 at settlement)

The levels are from the Common European Framework of Reference. A1 is basic greetings and simple sentences; A2 is simple everyday exchanges; B1 is independent use in familiar situations; B2 is fluent discussion of abstract topics. For settlement and citizenship the requirement is speaking and listening only; for work and study routes it is all four skills.

How to prove it

• A Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider at an approved centre. In the UK the providers are Trinity College London (GESE and ISE) and Pearson (PTE); IELTS for UKVI and LanguageCert are also approved, and the overseas list is similar. A GESE Grade 5 is the common B1 test for settlement and citizenship: a ten-minute conversation with an examiner, around £150 to £180, results in about a week. The certificate must be verifiable on the provider's online system and is normally accepted for two years.
• A degree taught in English. A UK bachelor's, master's or PhD proves B2 for every purpose. A degree from another country taught in English counts if Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) confirms it is equivalent to a UK degree and was taught in English; you pay Ecctis for the statement, about £150 to £250.
• Nationality. Citizens of the majority-English-speaking countries listed in the rules (Australia, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, the USA, Malta and about a dozen others) are exempt. India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa are not on the list, whatever the language of education there.
• A previous grant. If you met a level for an earlier visa or ILR, you can rely on that for the same or a lower level later, even if the certificate has expired. You cannot rely on it for a higher level.
• GCSE, A level or Scottish National qualification in English from a UK school.

Exemptions

People aged 65 or over at the date of application, and people with a long-term physical or mental condition that prevents them learning English or taking the test, certified by a doctor. There is no exemption for length of residence, work in an English-speaking job, or children's schooling.

Common mistakes

• Taking an ordinary IELTS or Cambridge test rather than the SELT version at an approved centre. The qualification is the same; the Home Office will not accept it.
• Letting a two-year certificate expire before the application is submitted.
• Assuming a degree taught in English abroad counts without the Ecctis statement.
• For partners: taking an A2 test for the first visa when A1 would do, which is fine, but then needing A2 again at extension because the earlier pass was more than two years old. A pass at a higher level than required is only reusable if it is still in date.