What the Statement of Changes says
HC 1691 was laid before Parliament on 5 March 2026. Paragraphs 5.60 to 5.62 of the explanatory memorandum set out the English language change: for settlement, the required level of English rises from B1 to B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The change takes effect for applications made on or after 26 March 2027. The memorandum is explicit that the start date was pushed back a year so applicants, including those already on a route to settlement, have time to prepare.
The routes named are: Appendix KoLL (the general knowledge of language and life rules), Skilled Worker, T2 Minister of Religion, Representative of an Overseas Business, UK Ancestry, Global Talent, Scale-up, Innovator Founder, International Sportsperson, Child Relative, Long Residence, Bereaved Partner, Private Life, and Appendix Settlement Family Life, which is the partner and parent route.
What did not change
- Skills tested. Settlement still tests speaking and listening only. A B2 SELT in speaking and listening is enough. No reading, no writing.
- Validity. A SELT result is accepted for two years from the test date, with the reuse rules for qualifications already used in an earlier application.
- Citizenship. Naturalisation stays at B1.
- Three routes. BN(O), HM Armed Forces and Domestic Worker in a Private Household keep B1 at settlement.
- Exemptions. Age, nationality, English-taught degree and medical exemptions are unchanged.
- Life in the UK test. Still required, unchanged.
Why it was done
The Home Office set out the policy in the November 2025 consultation "A Fairer Pathway to Settlement" and in the May 2025 immigration white paper: settlement should reflect integration, and B2 is the level at which someone can take part in work and community life without support. Whether or not you agree, the practical effect is that the hardest part of settlement for many families is now an English exam rather than paperwork.
Who is caught
Home Office figures for the year to March 2025 show 172,798 grants of settlement: 64,470 on work routes, 45,543 on asylum routes, 44,770 on family routes and 18,015 other. Asylum grants have no English requirement. Of the rest, people with English-taught degrees and nationals of English-speaking countries are exempt. The group that feels this most is partners of British citizens, who entered at A1 and may have passed B1 only recently, and workers without a degree in English. That is tens of thousands of people a year.
The timeline for a partner on the five-year route
| Visa start | Five years end | Earliest ILR application (28 days early) | English level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2022 | January 2027 | late December 2026 | B1 |
| April 2022 | April 2027 | early to mid March 2027 | B1 if submitted before 26 March, otherwise B2 |
| May 2022 onwards | May 2027 onwards | April 2027 onwards | B2 |
Count from the date your first partner visa was granted, not the date you arrived. If you switched routes or had a gap, your qualifying period may be longer. Check your own dates with a regulated adviser.
What a B2 speaking and listening test looks like
The only approved provider with a dedicated speaking-and-listening ladder is Trinity College London. Their B2 test for settlement is GESE Grade 7: 15 minutes, one examiner, three phases. You bring a prepared topic and lead a five-minute discussion on it. The examiner reads a short situation and you have to run a four-minute conversation about it, asking questions and inviting opinions. Then the examiner picks two of six subject areas (education, national customs, village and city life, national and local produce, early memories, pollution and recycling) for a five-minute conversation. The whole format is on the GESE Grade 7 page.
Trinity says the Grade 7 SELT will be available later in 2026. Until it is on sale, the only B2 route is a four-skills test such as Trinity ISE II, IELTS for UKVI, LanguageCert B2 or PTE Academic UKVI, which is a much bigger job for someone at B1 in speaking. If you can wait for Grade 7, wait.
What to do now
- Work out your submission date. If it is before 26 March 2027 and your documents are ready, B1 still applies.
- If it is on or after that date, begin speaking practice now. The gap from B1 to B2 in speaking is usually six to twelve months of regular practice for an adult who uses English daily. See how long B1 to B2 takes.
- Register interest with Trinity for the Grade 7 SELT so you hear when booking opens.