You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’re from one of the following countries or territories, or you’ve completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in one of them:

You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’re from one of the following countries or territories, or you’ve completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in one of them:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• the Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• the British overseas territories
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Ireland
• Jamaica
• Malta
• New Zealand
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• UK
• USA

You also do not need to prove your knowledge of English if one of the following applies:

• you’re a national of Canada
• you’re applying to come to the UK for a study abroad programme as part of a university degree course in the USA
• you proved your level of English in a previous visa application

How to prove your knowledge of English

You can prove it in one of the following ways:

• having a UK school qualification
• having a degree from a UK institution
• having a degree from an institution that was outside the UK and taught in English
• passing an English test from an approved provider

If you have a UK school qualification

You can prove your knowledge of English if you have a qualification from a UK school that you began when you were under 18. You must have one of the following qualifications:

• a GCSE
• an A level
• Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5
• Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English

If you have a degree from a UK institution

You can prove your knowledge of English if you have a degree-level qualification that was both:

• taught in English
• awarded by a UK institution, even if you studied outside the UK