IELTS for UKVI (UK Visa and Immigration)

What to note

Need a visa application to stay or move to the UK? You’ll need to be aware of changes made by United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

The UK government has announced some changes to rules regarding language testing for some healthcare professionals who require a visa to live and work in the UK.

IELTS remains an accepted test for healthcare professionals in and heading to the UK.

If you need to take a language test to work in healthcare in the UK, please contact the relevant professional body for advice.

Information on what language test you may need for your purpose is available on the UK government website here.

More information is available here.

Planning to study or move to the UK

If you intend to study in or move to the UK, you will need to take the IELTS test approved for UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) purposes known as IELTS for UKVI. This applies to everyone coming from a non-English speaking country.

While there is no change in the content, format, or level of difficulty and scoring, IELTS for UKVI follows certain extra security protocols to ensure the authenticity of the test taker. Also, the Test Report Form (TRF) may look slightly different from the regular IELTS one.

Register for your test

If you’re ready, fill in your details and register for "IELTS for UKVI" and IELTS Life Skills at our official test locations.

You will need to indicate also whether if you wish to use your test result for a UK visa application.

Changes to note

If you are going to or staying in the UK, there is an IELTS test for you. In addition to the IELTS General Training and IELTS Academic tests, which you may already know of, a test called IELTS Life Skills has been introduced. The IELTS Life Skills test is the test for people who need to prove their speaking and listening skills at levels A1 or B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

This will be a single test covering speaking and listening skills. Find out more about approved IELTS tests for UKVI.

Are you entering a bachelor's degree or higher in the UK?

UKVI has confirmed that these changes do not affect you if you are entering directly at degree level or higher at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the UK. Higher Education Institutions currently choose their method of testing students’ English language ability for entry into their courses and this will not change.

Tier 4 Student Visa (without a pre-sessional)

If you are applying for a Tier 4 student visa to enter a university that is a Tier 4 Sponsor to study a bachelor's or postgraduate degree, you must meet the English language level set by the institution.

All British universities and colleges accept IELTS results. Tier 4 Student Visa applicants can apply to the UK universities listed here with an IELTS result. Find out more information on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Test results

Your IELTS Life Skills result is available within seven days of your attempt. You cannot see the results of IELTS for UKVI and Life Skills online. Only the Test Result Form (TRF) is sent to the postal address mentioned by you in the application/registration form.

Find out more IELTS Information