Choosing an English test for a visa, settlement or citizenship

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Identify the level and skills required

Open the guidance for your particular route before selecting an exam. The current requirement for a new Skilled Worker application ↗ is B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Transitional B1 provisions apply to certain people who held that visa before 8 January 2026. A family visa ↗ may require different levels at the initial and subsequent application stages.

For settlement or citizenship ↗, the requirement generally involves B1 or above, subject to exemptions and alternative evidence. Life in the UK is a separate requirement and does not replace proof of English.

Select an approved SELT

If you need a test, check its exact name, level, skills and centre against the official SELT guidance ↗. A familiar IELTS brand or a language school does not alone establish that the result is acceptable. A four-skills work-route test and a speaking-and-listening family-route test are different products.

Book through the official provider link. Compare the full price, available dates, centre accessibility, rescheduling terms and result turnaround. Courses and exams follow the organiser's pricing; there is no single government price for every test.

Match your booking to your identity document

Your booking name must match the document used for identification. Following a surname change, you cannot simply book in the new surname while retaining a passport in the old one. Check which identity documents are accepted and how your provider verifies an eVisa before paying.

After the exam, save the unique SELT reference needed to verify the result in your immigration application. A booking number or language-school certificate is not a substitute. If you need disability-related adjustments, request them when booking so the arrangements can be agreed in advance.

Check alternatives and previous results

Depending on the route, an eligible nationality, a qualifying degree taught in English or an exemption may satisfy the requirement. An overseas degree may require Ecctis confirmation. An employer's letter praising your English is not a universal alternative.

Results are normally valid for two years, but exceptions exist. The rules on reusing qualifications ↗ allow an expired B1 or higher result for citizenship if it was accepted for your ILR application. Settlement has different reuse conditions: the earlier test must meet the current approved-list requirement and have been accepted in a relevant previous immigration application.

Before buying another exam, locate your old reference and the decision for which it was used, then compare them with the exact conditions for the new application. Resitting is not always necessary, while a test accepted previously is not automatically suitable for every future route.