Changes to Migrants’ English Language Requirement
Under revised Immigration Rules, applicants seeking an initial grant of permission under the Skilled Worker, High Potential Individual (HPI) and Scale-up visa routes on or after 8 January 2026 are required to meet a higher English language standard of B2 under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
For new applicants under the affected work visa routes, the change to B2 means demonstrating English language ability across all four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing.
The uplift from B1 level English to B2 applies to first-time applications only. Where an individual already holds permission under one of these routes, the English language requirement for an extension or later-stage application depends on the specific rules that apply to that route and stage. English language thresholds are not uniform across extensions and settlement, and in some cases the level required at later stages already exceeds B1.
Where an English test is relied on, it needs to be taken as a Secure English Language Test with a Home Office-approved provider, using an approved test at an approved test centre. UKVI assesses the result as part of the visa application, and evidence that does not match the route requirement in force at the date of application will not be accepted.
UK Visa English Language Rules
Under the UK Immigration Rules, the English language requirement applies differently depending on the visa route. The standard of English and how it is tested varies between work, family and settlement applications.
Work visas
Under the current rules, different English language thresholds apply across UK work routes, and these differences are more pronounced with the new B2 requirement for certain first-time applicants from 8 January 2026.
Skilled Worker, Scale-up and High Potential Individual routes
For first-time applicants applying on or after 8 January 2026, the minimum threshold under Skilled Worker, Scale-up and High Potential Individual will increase to B2, while extensions and settlement stages will continue to follow their own route-specific requirements.
Applicants can meet the English requirement in several ways. This includes passing an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) with a Home Office-approved provider, relying on a degree taught or researched in English that meets Home Office recognition criteria or holding nationality from a majority English-speaking country.
Certain individuals remain exempt, including children under 18, applicants aged 65 or over and those with a physical or mental condition that prevents them from meeting the requirement.
Temporary worker routes
The Temporary work routes continue to operate at B1 level and are not affected by the January 2026 uplift, where the English requirement is set at B1 for reading, writing, speaking and listening, reflecting the shorter-term and more limited nature of those routes.
Other work routes
Looking beyond the Skilled Worker, Scale-up, High Potential Individual and the Temporary Worker routes, the English language picture becomes more fragmented. There is no single standard across the system, and several routes already operate above B1 or do not impose an English requirement at entry at all. This is important for employers because the January 2026 uplift does not apply uniformly and should not be assumed to affect all work visas.
Global Talent is the clearest example. There is no English language requirement at the entry stage under the Global Talent route. Applicants are assessed on endorsement or prize criteria, not language ability. English only becomes relevant later if the individual applies for settlement or British citizenship. For employers, this means the January 2026 B2 change has no impact on Global Talent recruitment at the visa application stage, although practical workplace language expectations remain a commercial consideration.
Some other work routes already sit at a higher threshold than B1. For example, the Innovator Founder route requires English at B2 level at entry now. In that sense, it is already aligned with the direction of travel for Skilled Worker and related routes, and the January 2026 change does not alter the position.
In contrast, a number of sponsored work routes continue to operate at B1 level and are not currently subject to any announced uplift. This includes most of the Global Business Mobility routes such as Senior or Specialist Worker, UK Expansion Worker, Graduate Trainee and Service Supplier, each of which has its own route-specific English threshold and evidential rules. These remain unchanged by the Skilled Worker B2 reform.
There are also routes where English requirements are set lower or are more limited in scope. The International Sportsperson route applies an A1 requirement at entry while the UK Ancestry route requires B1 from the outset despite not being points-based in the same way as work sponsorship routes.
Family visas
For family and partner visa applicants under Appendix FM, the English requirement is lower. Those applying for the first time as a partner or spouse have to demonstrate A1 level English in speaking and listening. When extending a partner visa, the requirement increases to A2 level.
For settlement (ILR) applications under the family route, the standard rises to B1 level in speaking and listening, in line with indefinite leave to remain requirements. Some routes, such as the Adult Dependant Relative or certain child routes, do not impose an English language test at the initial application stage.
Applicants can meet the family visa requirement through a SELT, an accepted academic qualification taught in English or proof of nationality from a recognised English-speaking country.
Dependant visas
Currently, there is no language requirement on work visa dependants. Dependants of affected work visa holders are not impacted by the January 2026 change, but this may change under government policy, with dependants potentially required to prove B1 level English (which is GCSE equivalent) in the future.
Settlement and other applications
For indefinite leave to remain, applicants aged between 18 and 64 are required to meet the B1 English language standard and pass the Life in the UK Test. Exemptions apply for those under 18, over 65, or where an applicant is unable to meet the requirement due to disability or other accepted exceptional circumstances.
While some routes, including certain private life pathways, apply staged English language requirements at earlier points in the immigration journey, B1 remains the standard English language threshold for settlement in the vast majority of cases. Any departure from the B1 requirement at the settlement stage arises only in limited and route-specific circumstances, rather than as a general rule.
In all cases, the Home Office accepts a range of evidence to demonstrate English language ability, although a Secure English Language Test remains the most common method used for both work and family settlement applications.
DMS Perspective
The operational impact for employers will be felt most acutely in timing and process control. From 8 January 2026, the higher English threshold applies to first-time applications under the Skilled Worker, Scale-up and High Potential Individual routes, based on the date of application submission, not the offer date or Certificate of Sponsorship assignment. This creates a narrow window if English evidence is treated as a late-stage formality rather than a gating requirement in recruitment planning.
Home Office impact analysis suggests the higher English language threshold will reduce inflows at the margins rather than fundamentally reshaping employer demand. The modelling points to a reduction measured in hundreds to low thousands of main applicants in the first full year, with wider net migration impacts higher once dependants are factored in. For most employers, this reinforces an existing reality. Candidates who succeed in professional, client-facing or highly technical roles already tend to meet B2-level English without difficulty.
However, any political signalling shouldn’t distract employers from the practical effect, which is where risk moves from “can the candidate do the job” to “is the evidence application-ready on the right date”.
The change will be seen more sharply where sponsorship is used to fill mid-skilled or operational gaps and English competence exists in practice but formal testing is often left until the end of the process. Roles recruited at speed, through agencies or against immovable start dates carry higher exposure. The issue is rarely overall fluency. It is far more often the mechanics: booking the correct SELT level, securing a test appointment in time, dealing with re-sits or waiting for confirmation that a non-UK degree meets the English requirement.
For Skilled Worker and Scale-up roles, this can translate directly into delayed start dates or abandoned hires if evidence is not ready when the application is filed. For High Potential Individual candidates, who are not sponsored, the risk sits in start-date certainty and workforce planning rather than sponsorship mechanics. In both cases, the commercial disruption lands with the employer.
The English language change also does not operate in isolation. Employers are already absorbing higher sponsorship costs following the Immigration Skills Charge increase in December 2025, which applies to new Skilled Worker sponsorships where ISC is payable. Separately, the Graduate route is due to shorten to 18 months for new entrants from January 2027, reducing the runway for employers who rely on post-study work as a feeder into longer-term sponsored roles.
Read together, these measures increase the importance of front-loaded decision-making. Employers will have less bandwidth for recruitment issues and less flexibility to correct once a candidate is already in the system.
However, treating English purely as an applicant issue is commercially naïve. Refusals, delays or missed filing windows still disrupt workforce plans, undermine hiring manager confidence in international recruitment and can damage client delivery.
It is also important to be precise about responsibility. Sponsors are not taking on a new formal compliance duty to verify English language evidence in the way they do for right to work checks or sponsor record-keeping. The obligation to meet and evidence the English requirement sits with the applicant and is assessed by UKVI as part of the visa decision.
Next Steps for Employers
Importantly, the English language uplift narrows entry under certain mainstream work routes only, and alternatives such as Global Talent or Innovator Founder may remain viable and strategically preferable depending on role profile, seniority and long-term workforce plans, so from a planning perspective, the need is for route-specific analysis over blanket assumptions.
In terms of the impact on affected routes, employers should start by stress-testing their existing and anticipated recruitment pipelines against the 8 January 2026 change. Segment candidates clearly between those whose applications can be submitted before that date under the current threshold and those who will fall on or after it and therefore need to be treated as B2-critical from the outset. This avoids last-minute surprises and wasted recruitment spend.
Recruitment and HR processes should be adjusted accordingly. Job adverts, offer documentation and candidate communications should reflect the higher English threshold for affected routes, so expectations are set early. Internally, sponsorship readiness checks should bring English evidence forward to the same stage as role eligibility and salary confirmation, rather than leaving it until just before filing.
Where employers wish to retain strong candidates who fall short on timing rather than capability, targeted support can make a difference. Access to language training, test preparation and early booking with approved providers can stabilise start dates and reduce attrition in competitive markets.
Finally, workforce planning and budgets should be reviewed in the round. Higher sponsorship costs, tighter English thresholds for first-time applicants and a shorter graduate conversion window all point towards the same conclusion. International recruitment now requires earlier decisions, compliant processes and close alignment between hiring managers, HR and immigration teams.
Need Assistance?
The government has signalled that the higher English threshold could eventually apply across more visa categories, including dependant routes, so employers will need to stay alert to further changes to ensure recruitment policies remain compliant and competitive as the wider immigration reforms continue to roll out.
If you would like to sense-check your exposure to the January 2026 English language change, we can review your live pipelines, role profiles and sponsorship plans to identify where timing and evidence risk sits. We can also help align recruitment strategy, assess alternative visa routes, support cost modelling and graduate conversion planning so hiring decisions remain commercially workable under tighter entry thresholds.
To discuss the impact of these new rules on your organisation, its international recruitment and sponsorship compliance, contact us.
