Do I need B1 or B2 for ILR? Check by route, date and exemption

Pick what you are applying for, your route and your planned submission date, tick any exemption, and the tool tells you the level you must prove and why. The reasoning behind each answer is written out below it.

SpeakPass · Published 8 October 2026 · 4 min read

Which level do I need?

What are you applying for?Your routeWhen do you plan to submit the application?Leave it empty if you do not know yet; we assume on or after 26 March 2027.

Does any of these apply to you?

I will be under 18, or 65 or over, on the day I apply I am a national of a majority English-speaking country (for example the USA, Canada, Australia, Jamaica) I have a degree that was taught in English I have a long-term physical or mental condition that prevents me taking a test

How the tool decides

Four things fix the level: what you are applying for, which route you are on, the date you submit, and whether an exemption applies. The rules behind each answer:

Exemptions come first. Age (under 18, or 65 and over on the day you apply), nationality of a majority English-speaking country, a degree taught in English, or a long-term condition. Any one of them removes the English requirement for both settlement and citizenship. See exemptions.
Citizenship is B1. HC 1691 did not touch naturalisation. A B1 certificate used for your settlement can normally be reused.
Settlement before 26 March 2027 is B1 on every route. The date that counts is the date the application is submitted online and paid.
Settlement on or after 26 March 2027 is B2 on the family route, Skilled Worker and the other routes listed in HC 1691. BN(O), HM Armed Forces and Domestic Worker stay at B1. Protection and EU Settlement Scheme have no English requirement, and nor do settlement as a victim of domestic abuse, as a bereaved partner or as an adult dependent relative. Routes not in the tool: check Appendix English Language or ask an adviser.

The date trap

Most people on the five-year partner route can apply up to 28 days before the end of their qualifying period. If your five years end on 10 April 2027, the earliest you can submit is mid-March 2027, inside the B1 window, but only if every document is ready and the online form is paid before 26 March. A certificate that arrives late, a passport renewal, a missing payslip, and you are into B2. If your margin is under two months, prepare for B2. A B2 pass also satisfies a B1 requirement, so there is no downside beyond the work.

A B1 pass from your extension does not carry over

Many partners passed GESE Grade 3 (A2) for the first extension and GESE Grade 5 (B1) for the second. Neither helps with B2. The rule allows reuse of a qualification only when it meets the level the current application needs.

What to do with the answer

If the tool says B2, start with the GESE Grade 7 format and the free practice below. If it says B1, the shorter Grade 5 exam is covered on the B1 page. Either way, book your SELT early: Trinity centres fill up in the weeks before a rule change, and a fail means waiting for a new slot and paying again.

Questions people ask

Which date counts, the date I apply or the date my visa expires?

The date the settlement application is submitted and paid online. Your visa expiry, your biometrics appointment and the decision date do not matter.

Can I apply early to get in before 26 March 2027?

On most routes you can submit up to 28 days before your qualifying period ends. Earlier than that and the application is refused. Count your qualifying period from the grant date of the first visa on the route.

If I prepare for B2 and then qualify under B1, is the work wasted?

No. A B2 pass satisfies a B1 requirement, and you will need B1 again for citizenship, where the same certificate can be reused.

Sources

SpeakPass is an independent practice tool. We are not connected to the Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration, Trinity College London or any other test provider. Immigration rules change; check the current rules on GOV.UK or with a regulated adviser before you apply. Nothing here is legal advice.