When does the B2 English requirement for ILR start?

For settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027. Applications made before that date are assessed at B1.

Is it B2 in all four skills?

No. The rule asks for B2 in speaking and listening. Reading and writing are not part of the settlement requirement.

Does British citizenship need B2 too?

The Statement of Changes that sets B2 for settlement makes no change to the citizenship requirement, which is B1 in speaking and listening.

I already passed a B1 test. Can I still use it?

If you apply for settlement before 26 March 2027, the level is B1. If you apply on or after that date on a route that needs B2, a B1 pass does not show B2. Check GOV.UK for your own route.

Is there a B2 speaking and listening test I can book now?

Not on the GOV.UK list of approved tests when we checked. That list showed no speaking and listening test above B1. Trinity College London has announced GESE Grade 7 as a B2 speaking and listening test, but bookings had not opened.

Will IELTS Life Skills or PTE Home have a B2 level?

We found no announcement of one. IELTS Life Skills and PTE Home are offered at A1, A2 and B1.

What is the difference between B1 and B2?

At B1 you can deal with familiar situations and describe experiences and plans simply. At B2 you can take part in a longer conversation with some spontaneity, explain and defend an opinion, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different choices.

Who does not need to take a test?

GOV.UK lists people aged 65 or over, people who cannot take a test because of a long-term physical or mental condition, and nationals of certain majority English-speaking countries. A degree taught or researched in English can also be used as proof. Read the GOV.UK exemptions page for the full list.

B2 English test for settlement (ILR)

Checked against GOV.UK and Trinity College London on 10 October 2026

The English level for settling in the UK is going up. For most settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027, you must show level B2 in speaking and listening. Until then, the level is B1.

Starts: 26 March 2027
New level: CEFR B2
Skills: Speaking and listening
Citizenship: No change: B1

What the rule says

The change was made by a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules, HC 1691, laid on 5 March 2026. It rewrites the English requirement for settlement in two parts:

If the date of application is before 26 March 2027, you must show speaking and listening at level B1.
If the date of application is on or after 26 March 2027, you must show speaking and listening at level B2.

What counts is the day you apply, not the day you become eligible or the day you took a test. Both parts say “unless an exemption applies”.

Which routes are affected

The statement changes the settlement rules for these routes, among others:

Skilled Worker
Scale-up
Global Talent
Innovator Founder
UK Ancestry
Minister of Religion
International Sportsperson
Representative of an Overseas Business
Long Residence
Private Life
Settlement Family Life
Appendix KOLL (knowledge of language and life in the UK), which several other routes rely on

Trinity College London says that applicants on the BN(O), HM Armed Forces and Domestic Worker in a Private Household routes still need B1, not B2. We could not confirm every route ourselves, so check the GOV.UK page for your own visa before you book a test. If your case is not simple, ask a regulated immigration adviser.

Which tests can prove B2 today

When we checked the GOV.UK list of approved tests taken in the UK, every speaking-and-listening-only test stopped at B1. The tests that can show B2 all have four skills: reading and writing as well as speaking and listening.

Test	Provider	Minimum for B2, in each skill
IELTS for UKVI (Academic or General Training)	IELTS SELT Consortium	5.5
PTE Academic UKVI	Pearson	59
LanguageCert Academic SELT or General SELT	LanguageCert	60
LanguageCert International ESOL SELT B2	LanguageCert	33 out of 50
Integrated Skills in English (ISE) II	Trinity College London	Pass

GOV.UK says that when a test covers several skills, you must show the required score in all the relevant components. The settlement rule names speaking and listening. We did not find a GOV.UK page that spells out how a four-skill result is treated when only speaking and listening are required at B2, so confirm with the test provider before you pay.

Test results are valid for two years from the date they are awarded. See our IELTS for UKVI score chart for the band that matches each level.

The new speaking and listening test

Trinity College London has announced GESE Grade 7 as a B2 speaking and listening test for settlement. It is a fifteen-minute conversation with one examiner, in three parts: a topic you prepare, an interactive task where you ask the questions, and a conversation on two subject areas. There is no reading or writing.

When we checked, Trinity was taking registrations of interest, bookings had not opened, and the test was not yet on the GOV.UK list. We found no B2 announcement for IELTS Life Skills or PTE Home.

Free GESE Grade 7 (B2) practice tests

How much harder is B2 than B1?

B1

Answer questions about familiar subjects
Describe experiences and plans in simple, connected sentences
Give a short reason for an opinion
Follow clear speech on everyday matters

B2

Start a conversation, keep it going and end it
Explain and defend an opinion at some length
Weigh advantages and disadvantages, give advice, agree and disagree
Follow longer, more complex speech on reasonably familiar subjects

In practice the biggest change is who leads. At B1 the examiner asks and you answer. At B2 you are expected to ask questions, pick up what the other person says and move the conversation on.

How to prepare

Find out which date applies to you. Work out when you can apply for settlement. If it is before 26 March 2027, the level is B1.
Practise leading a conversation. Ask a friend to tell you about a problem, then ask five questions and give advice. This is the skill that separates B2 from B1.
Learn the language of opinions. “If I were you, I would...”, “The advantage is...”, “I'm not sure I agree, because...”, “It might be better to...”
Talk about the past and how things have changed. “We used to...”, “It was built...”, “Things are done differently now.”
Start early. Moving from B1 to B2 usually takes months of regular practice, not weeks.

Questions

When does the B2 English requirement for ILR start?: For settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027. Applications made before that date are assessed at B1.
Is it B2 in all four skills?: No. The rule asks for B2 in speaking and listening. Reading and writing are not part of the settlement requirement.
Does British citizenship need B2 too?: The Statement of Changes that sets B2 for settlement makes no change to the citizenship requirement, which is B1 in speaking and listening.
I already passed a B1 test. Can I still use it?: If you apply for settlement before 26 March 2027, the level is B1. If you apply on or after that date on a route that needs B2, a B1 pass does not show B2. Check GOV.UK for your own route.
Is there a B2 speaking and listening test I can book now?: Not on the GOV.UK list of approved tests when we checked. That list showed no speaking and listening test above B1. Trinity College London has announced GESE Grade 7 as a B2 speaking and listening test, but bookings had not opened.
Will IELTS Life Skills or PTE Home have a B2 level?: We found no announcement of one. IELTS Life Skills and PTE Home are offered at A1, A2 and B1.
What is the difference between B1 and B2?: At B1 you can deal with familiar situations and describe experiences and plans simply. At B2 you can take part in a longer conversation with some spontaneity, explain and defend an opinion, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different choices.
Who does not need to take a test?: GOV.UK lists people aged 65 or over, people who cannot take a test because of a long-term physical or mental condition, and nationals of certain majority English-speaking countries. A degree taught or researched in English can also be used as proof. Read the GOV.UK exemptions page for the full list.

Practise for your test

Trinity GESE Grade 7 (B2) practice tests: the announced B2 speaking and listening test.
IELTS for UKVI practice tests: a four-skill test on the approved list.
Applying before 26 March 2027? B1 practice: IELTS Life Skills B1, PTE Home B1 and Trinity GESE Grade 5.
Which English test for a UK visa?: IELTS Life Skills, PTE Home and Trinity GESE compared.
English level for each UK visa

Official sources

TestWise Prep is independent and is not connected to the Home Office or to any test provider. This page is general information, not immigration advice. Rules change, so read the GOV.UK page for your own route before you apply.