What IELTS score do you need for a UK Skilled Worker visa?

Gov.uk says: if you had this visa before 8 January 2026 and you are applying to extend or update it, you need level B1 English and you do not need to prove it again. If you are switching from a Health and Care Worker visa, you also do not need to provide proof again. If you are switching from a different visa, you need B2 (gov.uk).

Immigration rules change, sometimes at short notice. Confirm the current requirement on the gov.uk Skilled Worker page before you book a test or apply. This guide is general information, not legal or immigration advice.

Instead of a SELT you can use a GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, or Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English from a UK school you began before age 18; a degree taught in English and awarded by a UK institution; or a degree taught in English outside the UK, with an Ecctis code confirming it is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or higher.

If you need a test, it must be a SELT from an approved provider: IELTS for UKVI, PTE Academic UKVI, LanguageCert Academic or General SELT, Skills for English UKVI (outside the UK), or Trinity ISE (in the UK). Results are valid for two years from the date the test is awarded.

Nationals of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA do not need to prove their English (gov.uk).

Doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and vets do not need to prove their English if they have already passed an English assessment accepted by their regulated professional body. Vets may need to show they passed one with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.