At 9am on 1 December 2020 ‘Appendix English Language’ will take effect. Any application made before this date will be subject to the old rules. Unlike the first Appendix English Language, which applied only to the Appendix Student route, new Appendix applications will apply to the following routes:

• Appendix Student
• Appendix Skilled Worker
• Appendix Representatives of an Overseas Business ​
• Appendix T2 Minister of Religion ​
• Appendix T2 Sportsperson
• Appendix UK Ancestry
• Appendix Global Talent
• Appendix Start-up ​
• Appendix Innovator ​​
• Appendix Innovator ​​​
• Appendix T5 (Temporary Worker) International Agreement Worker​​​
• Appendix Hong Kong British National (Overseas)​​​
• Appendix ECAA Extension of Stay​​​

The existing rules will still apply to applications under any other route. Therefore, if you are not applying in one of the above categories, or are applying before 1 December 2020, you can disregard the new Appendix English Language. For everyone else, here is a brief overview of the new rules.

Exemptions

Applicants making a settlement application – but not entry clearance or leave to remain – are exempt from the English requirement if at the date of application they are aged 65 or over, under 18, or if they have a physical or mental disability preventing them from meeting this requirement. It is assumed that anyone relying on the latter provision will be expected to provide strong medical evidence.

Majority English Country

If an applicant is a national of a designated English-language country they are considered to have met the English language requirement. Malta has recently been added to the list, the addition of which applies across all categories in the Immigration Rules.

The list is as follows:

• Antigua and Barbuda ​​​
• Australia ​​​
• The Bahamas ​​​
• Barbados ​​​
• Belize ​​​
• Canada ​​​
• Dominica ​​​
• Grenada ​​​
• Guyana ​​​
• Jamaica ​​​
• New Zealand ​​​
• St Kitts and Nevis ​​​
• St Lucia ​​​
• Trinidad and Tobago ​​​
• St Vincent and the Grenadines ​​​
• The United States of America ​​​
• Malta ​​​
• Ireland ​​​

Academic Qualification
Applicants are considered to have met the English Language requirement by having a degree from:

• A UK university; ​​​
• A University in a designated English-majority country (except Canada) with evidence of equivalence from NARIC; or ​​​
• A University in any other country that was taught in English with evidence of equivalence from NARIC as well as evidence that the degree was taught in English from NARIC. ​​​

English Language Test

English language tests can only be taken with one of the following providers:

• IELTS SELT Consortium (UK or overseas) ​​​
• LanguageCert (UK or overseas) ​​​
• Trinity College London (UK only) ​​​
• Pearson (UK and overseas) ​​​
• PSI Services (UK) Ltd (overseas only) ​​​

GCSE or A Level English

Previously, you may have achieved an A* in English at A level but were still expected to take an approved English Language Test.

As long as they were under 18 and at school at the time, and the qualification was awarded by an Ofqual, SQA, Qualification Wales or CCEA awarding body, from December applicants applying under Appendix Student, Appendix Skilled Worker, Appendix Start-up and Appendix Innovator can meet the requirement if they have one of the following qualifications in English (language or literature):

• GCSE​​​
• A Level ​​​
• Scottish National Qualification at Level 4 or 5 ​​​
• Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher ​​​