B1 or B2 for permanent residency? Do those who have already taken B1 need to retake?

"English language requirement is raised from CEFR B1 to B2, applicable to settlement applications submitted on or after 26 March 2027; those already on the settlement pathway are given 12 months to prepare."
—— Published on 5 March 2026, Statement of Changes HC 1691 and its explanatory memorandum

This sentence, when applied to specific individuals, leads to completely different situations: some are not affected at all during the day, some have to re-enter the examination hall, and others hold a B1 certificate but don't know whether it will still be valid after 2027.

Walk through the process according to the actual handling order, indicating the basis and common pitfalls for each step.

When will the permanent residency English test change to B2? First, calculate this date.

The first thing is not to check the exam, but to take out your calendar and calculate the day when your continuous stay is completed, then compare it with March 26, 2027. All settlement applications are assessed based on the rules in effect on the day they are submitted, so this line is not drawn according to your visa approval date, nor according to the day you arrived in the UK.

It's not only the work visa. Appendix KoLL covered routes are listed in HC 1691, as well as Skilled Worker, UK Ancestry, Global Talent, Scale-up, Innovator Founder, International Sportsperson, Long Residence, Private Life, Settlement Family Life, etc. When looking at the list, don't just look at the visa name, but the appendix you used when applying for settlement.

The definition of "filing date" is often misunderstood. According to the current rules, the application date is usually the day you submit and complete the payment online, not the day you go to the service center to take fingerprints, nor the day Home Office makes a decision. It is common for there to be a gap of one or two months between these two dates. Those who are stuck in late March should pay particular attention, as even a one-day difference can make a difference.

A long-term resident on this route has an additional variable: the case guidance allows approval within 28 days before the expiration. This means that people who have completed ten years by the end of February 2027 and early March may theoretically have a window to submit under B1, but this requires all other conditions to be clean and straightforward.

My judgment is: don't force the permanent residency application forward just to meet the deadline of March 26, 2027. In the past six months, I've seen many people start thinking along these lines - the expiry date is an objective fact, submitting early won't make it come earlier, and what's more likely is that you'll face real rejection reasons such as insufficient continuous residence period, salary not meeting the requirements, or a break in the sponsorship status. The current ILR application fee of £3,226 is non-refundable upon rejection, and administrative review only examines the original documents in the file, whereas the cost of a SELT test is around £200-300 and can be retaken. It doesn't make sense to spend over £3,000 to save £200. The only ones who should submit early are those whose period is already expiring before March 26 and who have all the necessary documents ready.

Which one to take? There's still a gap that hasn't been filled here.

Confirm first whether you don't need to take the exam at all before paying to register.

The guidance for KoLL clearly states: if the applicant is 65 years old or older, the assessor must exempt the English test requirement; those with long-term physical or mental conditions that prevent them from meeting the standard can be handled separately with a medical certificate. Another point often overlooked is the academic qualification route - a qualified degree awarded by an approved institution, taught or researched in English, can directly prove English proficiency and requires a comparison letter from Ecctis. These two categories of people are not affected by B2.

Next is the most important step for those who are going to take the exam: open the approved exam list GOV.UK and find by level.

You will find a discrepancy. The KoLL provisions have always required only speaking and listening, while the current approved list's "only speaking and listening" SELT stops at B1 — IELTS Life Skills only has A1, A2, and B1 levels, no B2 version; Trinity's speaking and listening tests also have the same ceiling for SELT purposes. The genuine B2-level approved exams, such as Trinity ISE II, LanguageCert's B2 SELT, IELTS for UKVI, and PTE series, are basically all four skills combined. In other words, the rules require only two skills, but on the test day, you might have to pay for four and spend time preparing for four. This gap Home Office has not been announced how to fill so far; whether it will be added to the list in March 2027 with a B2-level speaking and listening single test, we can only watch for the update of GOV.UK list. 📌

One more reminder about the widely spread rumor: "Permanent residency upgrades to B2, and naturalization also upgrades to B2." This is not true. The English language standard for naturalization is not in the immigration rules, but is based on Schedule 1 of the British Nationality Act 1981 and the British Nationality (General) Regulations 2003, HC 1691. It amends the Immigration Rules, but cannot touch the nationality regulations. As of today, the English requirement for naturalization remains B1 speaking and listening. Therefore, after March 26, 2027, a peculiar discrepancy will appear: the permanent residency threshold will require B2, while the naturalization threshold will still be B1.

This misalignment means for your operation: if you have already decided to obtain permanent residency before naturalization, there is no need to take a B1 test first to meet the naturalization requirements, and then take a B2 test to meet the permanent residency requirements. Just take the B2 test once, which will cover both. Conversely, if you have already obtained permanent residency and are only missing the final step of naturalization, there is no need to retake the test because of the B2 news.

The "Life in the UK" test, HC 1691, has not been touched. Those who have passed it do not need to retake it; the scores used during the permanent residency stage remain valid for the naturalization stage. The only thing to be careful about is: the only proof that you have passed is the result notice given on the day of the exam, Home Office will not be reissued. It's best to save a copy of the confirmation email in your email inbox to the cloud now.

The final step is scheduling. The SELT test centers in cities like London and Birmingham are already tight, and once it comes to the end of 2026 to early 2027, anyone whose visa expiry date falls after spring 2027 will flock to B2 test centers. At the same time, make sure one thing: on the day you take the test, the provider is still on the Home Office approved list. The list is updated regularly, so it's much more efficient to check the current month's version before registration than to appeal afterwards.

Condense these steps into one sentence: Calculate the maturity date, compare it with March 26, 2027, confirm whether you are exempt, and then decide which level of exam to register for—doing the steps in reverse order may result in wasted money and time.

This article is for reference only. For specific issues, please consult a licensed attorney. The policy is subject to the latest announcement of GOV.UK.

[Data Source]

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-rules-statement-of-changes

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prove-your-english-language-abilities-with-a-secure-english-language-test-selt

https://www.gov.uk/english-language

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