UPDATE on September 21, 2010: Download a list of the approved UKBA English tests and required minimum scores to apply for a Tier 4 GSV.
UPDATE on July 22, 2010: Following the judgment made in the Judicial Review case brought by English UK, the UK Border Agency has today released a statement restoring B2 as the minimum level. Read more details about this change in UK immigration rules for the UK Tier 4 GSV.
We have good news to share for international students interested in studying English in the UK for over 6 months and therefore need to apply for the UK Tier 4 General Student Visa (GSV).
After last week’s win in the High Court judicial review case on English language courses under the points based visa system, the required language level for General Student Visas has been dropped to A1 for A2 courses.
The change has taken effect as of last Monday (12th July 2010) and now we are able to accept and issue CAS numbers for students who wish to travel on a General Student Visa as long as they can prove to be A1 level. The change on the General Student Visa application relates only to the level part, the other rules remain the same.
For students who wish to travel on a General Student Visa, all schools in the UK are able to accept a completion of A1 level certificate from other institutions, but we may require you to submit extra information such as syllabus etc depending on the certificate. Students who can produce a recognised exam result such as TOEFL, IELTS etc or a certificate from a recognised language school taken in the last two years will not be required to submit extra information.
Students who can not prove their level are advised to take a recognised exam. As a last resort, some of our partner language schools are also happy to send a written test followed by a Skype or MSB interview to establish their level. For tests, we kindly ask you to contact our student advisors so that we can check with the school.
For students who wish to study in the UK for less than 6 months, there are no changes on student visitor visas — the requirements have remained the same.
Sabih, I am sorry, but we can only offer advice for students who are studying English in the UK, as we only sell English language programs. I would suggest that you contact your sponsor (your university or college) to get the correct information. In case this helps, I have here a list of the UKBA approved tests and minimum scores required.