English ability is measured against the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), from A1 (basic) up to C2 (fluent). The level required depends on the route and the stage of application, not a single fixed standard:

• Skilled Worker visa (initial application): level B2 across reading, writing, speaking and listening for applications made from 8 January 2026. Applicants extending or updating a visa they already held before that date are assessed against the previous B1 standard.
• Indefinite Leave to Remain (most routes): level B1 (speaking and listening, or all four skills depending on how the requirement is met).
• British citizenship (naturalisation): level B1, the same standard as most ILR applications - so applicants who already met B1 for settlement do not usually need to sit a higher-level test for citizenship, only a valid, in-date certificate.
• Long residence settlement route (15 years' continuous residence): a reduced A2 minimum can apply where a college or training provider confirms the applicant is unlikely to reach the full standard through further study (this exception threshold itself is due to rise from B1 to B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027 - check GOV.UK nearer the date).

Because thresholds have been moving (the Skilled Worker jump from B1 to B2 is a recent change), always confirm the current level for your specific route and application date on GOV.UK before booking a test or relying on an old certificate.

There are three routes to meeting the requirement:

1. Pass an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) at or above the required CEFR level, taken at a Home Office-approved test centre. 2. Hold a degree taught or researched in English. A UK degree normally satisfies this automatically. A degree from outside the UK must be verified as equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree (or higher) and as having been taught in English, via an assessment from Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC). 3. Qualify for an exemption - by nationality, age, or a long-term physical or mental condition (see below).

Some Skilled Worker applicants sponsored as doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives or vets can instead rely on an English assessment already accepted by their professional regulatory body, rather than sitting a separate SELT.

Only tests taken with a Home Office-approved SELT provider count - a general IELTS or TOEFL certificate taken for university admissions is not automatically accepted for immigration purposes. The current approved providers include:

• Trinity College London - Secure English Language Tests for UKVI (GESE or ISE)
• IELTS SELT Consortium (British Council / IDP / Cambridge) - "IELTS for UKVI" (all four skills) or "IELTS Life Skills" (speaking and listening only)
• LanguageCert - International ESOL SELT, Academic SELT, or General SELT
• Pearson - PTE Academic UKVI or PTE Home
• PSI Services (UK) Ltd - Skills for English UKVI (mainly for testing outside the UK)

At B1 level specifically, both IELTS Life Skills B1 and Trinity GESE test speaking and listening only - there is no reading or writing component at this level, which is why they are the most commonly used tests for ILR and citizenship applications.

The Home Office reviews and updates the approved list periodically, and warns that some third-party agents falsely claim official affiliation. Always book directly through a provider's own website, and check the current approved test and provider list on GOV.UK before paying for anything, since a test that was approved when a friend used it is not guaranteed to still be approved now.

A degree can replace a SELT if it meets both conditions: the qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or higher, and it was taught or researched in English.

• UK degrees from a recognised UK institution are normally accepted without further checks, even if part of the course was studied overseas.
• Non-UK degrees need Ecctis's "English Proficiency and Qualification Comparison" service (run on behalf of the Home Office via its Qualification and Language Service, QLS) to confirm both the degree-equivalence and the English-medium instruction. This costs £210 and Ecctis aims to give an outcome within 20 working days, though this restarts if they need more documents or if your awarding institution is slow to confirm your qualification is genuine - applicants relying on this route should start well before their visa application deadline. Note this service is only for non-UK qualifications; if your degree was awarded by a UK institution (even if you studied part of it abroad), you should not apply for it.
• Documents Ecctis requires you to upload: your final degree certificate, an official transcript (signed, stamped, dated, showing all subjects and grades), certified translations if the originals aren't in English, a Medium of Instruction (MOI) letter from the awarding institution confirming the language(s) used during your study, and identity documents. The MOI letter is a required part of the application, not an optional extra or a fallback if the certificate/transcript don't already show the teaching language.
• If your application is unsuccessful (e.g. the institution doesn't confirm your qualification as genuine within 20 working days, or the qualification wasn't taught in English), Ecctis does not issue a refund, since the fee covers their evaluation work regardless of outcome.

Some applicants do not need to prove English at all (see GOV.UK's exemption guidance):

• Nationals of majority English-speaking countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Overseas Territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the USA.
• Applicants aged 65 or over at the date of application.
• Applicants who have a long-term physical or mental condition that prevents them from meeting the requirement. This needs a completed Home Office exemption form, signed by a registered doctor, along with current medical evidence - a self-declared difficulty with English is not enough on its own.
• Applicants under 18 are outside the requirement because it only applies to those aged 18 or over.

Exemptions must be evidenced in the application - they are not applied automatically just because they might be true.

Tests must be booked directly with the provider (not a third party), and availability varies by test centre and location - popular UK centres can book up several weeks in advance, so applicants should not leave this until the last minute before a visa or ILR deadline.

Each approved provider runs its own booking site and sets its own prices, which can vary by country and test centre. As a starting point:

• IELTS SELT Consortium (British Council / IDP / Cambridge): find a centre and book at ielts.org's test centre search. Academic and General Training tests are commonly priced around £255 in the UK, though local taxes and country pricing can change this - always confirm the fee shown for your chosen centre before paying.
• Trinity College London (GESE / ISE): book directly through Trinity's own SELT booking portal. Family and settlement routes typically use the lower-priced GESE tests (around £160), while work and study routes typically use the higher ISE qualifications (around £200) - check which qualification your route requires before booking, since booking the wrong one wastes the fee.
• Pearson (PTE Home): Pearson runs separate exam codes for each level - PTE Home A1, A2 and B1 - so you select the specific level your route needs rather than being assigned one automatically. Current pricing depends on your test country, shown on Pearson's own test centres and fees page.
• LanguageCert: search for an exam by level and location directly on LanguageCert's SELT exam search page. Two-skill (speaking and listening) SELTs typically start around £150-£160, with four-skill exams costing more; pricing varies by country and test centre. Be careful to book a SELT and not a general International ESOL qualification - the general version is cheaper but is not accepted for immigration applications.
• PSI Services: browse currently available exams for test-takers on PSI's own site and select the correct level for your route.
• Ecctis (degree route): if you're using a non-UK degree instead of a test, apply through Ecctis's Qualification and Language Service (QLS) portal rather than a test-booking site - this is a document-review application, not an exam booking. The assessment fee is £210.

Prices above were checked against provider and GOV.UK sources in September 2026 and are a guide only - always confirm the current fee on the provider's own booking page before paying, and confirm the test you are booking is on GOV.UK's approved SELT list for your route.

Provider websites and prices do change, so treat the figures above as a starting estimate and always confirm the current fee and available dates on the provider's own site before paying.

For immigration purposes, a SELT certificate is generally only valid if it was taken within 2 years of the date of application - an older certificate, even at the right CEFR level, will usually not be accepted, and the test will need to be retaken. Applicants who already proved their English to the required standard in a previous successful visa application may not need to prove it again in some cases - but this depends on the specific route and should be checked rather than assumed.

The English language requirement is only half of the knowledge requirement for settlement and citizenship. Most applicants must also pass the Life in the UK test, a separate 24-question, 45-minute exam with a 75% pass mark, booked through its own official booking service and sat at a registered test centre.

The two are assessed independently: passing a SELT does not exempt you from Life in the UK, and an exemption from one does not automatically exempt you from the other. Both certificates usually need to be in place before your application is decided, so it is common to prepare for them at the same time.

You can take a free Life in the UK mock exam in the same format and timing as the real test, or work through the study guide if you would rather revise the material first.