English Requirement for UK Spousal Visa Extension

Question

My wife is looking to extend her spousal visa for the first time.

She is enrolled on a university course and is due to complete her studies in June 2023. Her current visa expires in early August 2023.

She will only receive her results within 6-8 weeks of completing her last assignment (assuming she will get these at the end of July).

We of course do not wish to wait this long to submit her visa extension application.

The visa application online, in the English Requirement section, asks for:

• Degree certificate
• Official transcript or letter

The transcript or letter from your college or university must confirm:

• your name
• the name of the college or university
• the qualification you have been awarded
• the date when the qualification was or will be awarded

The transcript or letter must be on official headed paper.

She is yet to complete her degree, thus unable to provide "the qualification" she has been awarded but is able to prove that she will complete her studies in June 2023.

The letter we have obtained from her university does not specifically say that she will pass (as they are not allowed to do that), but does confirm that she has passed/ completed all of the prior modules leading up to the final year + that she is currently on the last two modules of her degree.

She is not able to use her previous IELTS Life Skills test result as it is only at A1 level.

A similar question was asked 6 years ago but the answer is now outdated, as the page it sources has changed: UK spouse visa -English language requirements

When we phoned UKVI to ask the same thing, the lady on the phone was not able to give us an answer but did say that this is usually enough for a graduate visa.

Will my wife be able to use this letter from her university if it does not specifically say that she will pass the degree?

The letter states:

• Her name
• Address
• The degree she studies for
• The modules she is currently studying (with credits)
• The modules she has completed (with credits)
• That she is due to finish in June 2023
• Address of the uni/ contact details
• Date
• Signature

Answer 1

We opted not to wait and take the Life Skills B1 test instead (additional £150 test). My recommendation for anyone coming across this in the future is to do the same.

Although you may not need the test result when applying for citizenship (as your degree will suffice), it's just another safety net for when you do so. The test itself is very straightforward and will take you no more than 25 minutes. Just make sure you prepare.

In hindsight, we don't regret doing this, and are very glad we didn't, as the university delayed releasing results due to strikes - which for us, would have resulted in a late application, post visa expiry.