What if I apply for ILR before 26 March 2027?
If your ILR application is made before 26 March 2027, the English level is B1 in speaking and listening, not B2. The date of application is what counts, even if the decision comes after 26 March 2027.
You must be eligible by then
Applying before 26 March 2027 only helps if you can actually apply by then: you need to meet all the other requirements of your route on the date you apply, including the qualifying period. Applying early and being refused does not lock in the B1 rule for a later application.
Which B1 tests count
The approved list has B1 speaking and listening tests: IELTS Life Skills B1, LanguageCert (60/100 in International ESOL SELT B1 speaking and listening), PTE Home B1, Trinity GESE Grade 5 and, outside the UK, Skills for English UKVI B1 (2 component). The test must be taken no more than 2 years before the date you apply.
Using the English from your current visa
Under Appendix KoLL, if your current permission was granted on the basis of an English qualification at B1 or higher and the provider is still approved, that counts for applications made before 26 March 2027. Skilled Worker main applicants do not need a settlement English test before that date: see I proved my English for my visa.
If you miss the date
An application made on or after 26 March 2027 needs B2, and a B1 result will not be enough. The Home Office says the change applies to people already on a pathway to settlement. See When does the B2 rule start?.
Check your date
The free checker asks when you expect to apply and answers on that basis.
Last checked against GOV.UK: 21 October 2026.
Sources
- Immigration Rules: Appendix KoLL (updated 26 March 2026) (GOV.UK, checked 21 Oct 2026)
- HC 1691 Explanatory Memorandum (paragraphs 5.60 to 5.62) (GOV.UK, checked 20 Oct 2026)
- List of approved Secure English Language Tests taken in the UK (ODS, October 2025 version) (GOV.UK, checked 21 Oct 2026)
This is general information, not immigration advice. Check GOV.UK for your own route, or speak to a regulated immigration adviser (registered with the IAA, formerly OISC). Find a regulated adviser on GOV.UK.