The English language requirement has been raised to B2 — and this is how you prove it
Since 8 January 2026 the Skilled Worker visa requires level B2, no longer B1. Many sites still quote the old level. Which tests count (SELT), how long a result stays valid, and when you don't need to sit a test at all.
4 min read
Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
The Skilled Worker visa requires English at B2 on the European language scale, one level above B1. That applies to all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Online you still find everywhere that the language requirement is "B1". That was true, until 8 January 2026. Since then it is B2. Only whoever already held the visa before that date and is extending or updating it can still make do with B1. Any site that quotes B1 for new applicants is out of date.
The good news: a test is quick to arrange. GOV.UK expects you to be able to sit a test within 28 days of booking, although not always at the location nearest to you.
Do Dutch nationals have to take a test?
Usually, yes. The exemption by nationality only applies to a list of English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA, Malta and a number of Caribbean states. The Netherlands is not on it.
Being fluent in English doesn't count. You have to prove it, in one of these ways:
- A SELT, a Secure English Language Test with a provider approved by the Home Office, at B2 in all four components.
- A degree taught in English. A Dutch degree that was entirely in English can count, but then Ecctis (the UK body that assesses foreign qualifications) must confirm that it is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or higher and was taught in English. You then get a code that you use in your application.
- A UK qualification: a GCSE or A Level from a UK school that you began before you were 18, or a degree from a UK institution.
Two groups don't need to at all:
- whoever already proved the requirement in an earlier successful visa application;
- doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and vets who have already passed a language assessment accepted by their professional body.
Which test counts, and which score is B2?
Outside the UK four providers are approved, and only their UKVI versions count. An ordinary IELTS or PTE result, however good, is not accepted.
| Test (taken outside the UK) | Minimum for B2, per component | Test locations in the Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS for UKVI | 5.5 in reading, writing, speaking and listening | Amsterdam |
| PTE Academic UKVI (Pearson) | 59 in each component | Diemen |
| LanguageCert Academic or General SELT | 60 in each component | Diemen |
| Skills for English UKVI B2 (PSI) | a pass in each component | Amsterdam, Diemen, Barendrecht, Den Bosch |
If components are examined and awarded together, you must achieve the score in all components, in the same test. A result must have been awarded in the two years before your application.
What do you need to know on the test day?
Book the test in exactly the name in your passport. Whoever changed their name first updates the document. On the day itself you show a valid, original photo ID that matches your booking. Outside the UK that is your passport, or an identity card if you take the test in the country that issued it. Without a valid document you may not sit the test.
Afterwards you get a unique reference number, which each provider calls something different. You enter that number in your visa application. You don't send documents; the Home Office checks the result itself. If you leave the number out, your application may be refused.
Book with the provider itself. GOV.UK warns that some third parties claim to be official Home Office partners when they are not. Book via the providers on the list, and check that you are booking the UKVI or SELT version of the test.
When do you plan the test?
The language requirement looks like a detail next to the job hunt, but it is on the critical path: no proof, no application. Book the test as soon as the job applications get serious. The result stays usable for two years, so too early hardly exists. Choose one provider and practise its format.
One consolation: the language requirement applies to the main applicant. In the requirements for the dependant visa (the visa for accompanying family members) for your partner and children, GOV.UK does name a relationship, money and identity requirement, but no language requirement.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.3: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to England or go straight to step 1.3 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa, knowledge of English — gov.uk
- GOV.UK — prove your English language abilities with a SELT — gov.uk
- GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa, the requirements for partner and children — gov.uk
- Home Office — approved SELT tests outside the UK, with the minimum scores per level — assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
- Home Office — approved test centres outside the UK, from September 2026 — assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
Read on
- EnglandJob and visa5 min
Working in England: your visa decides what is allowed, and you translate your diploma into British terms yourself
With a Skilled Worker visa you work for one sponsor, with room for at most twenty hours a week on the side, also as a self-employed person. Your partner may do almost anything. You have your Dutch diploma compared by UK ENIC, and whether your profession is protected you look up in the British register. Plus what is left of a British gross salary.
Updated 17 October 2026
- ArubaArrival4 min
School on Aruba: in Dutch, compulsory from four to seventeen, and enrolling between December and February
Aruban education is derived from the Dutch: kindergarten from four to six, primary school from six to twelve, then mavo, havo and vwo. Compulsory schooling runs from the school year in which your child is four on 1 October until its seventeenth birthday. You enrol with the school board, usually between December and February, with an extract from Censo and proof of AZV insurance; public education costs Afl. 75 per school year.
Updated 26 September 2026
- AustraliaLanguage test4 min
IELTS or PTE — which test suits you?
The language test is the biggest points dial you can turn yourself: the difference between minimum and top score is 20 points. Both tests are accepted, but they reward different things.
Updated 11 September 2026