# TOEIC for visa



## crispynuggets (Nov 2, 2013)

My partner took a TOEIC test a few weeks ago in Japan in preparation for our visa application. But I've read that its no longer accepted? Is this true? I can't see anything on the ukba site about it?

Thanks.


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## crispynuggets (Nov 2, 2013)

Update on TOEIC® Testing in the U.K.
This is the link to what I read.


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## Kumamon (Jan 29, 2014)

Tests taken inside the UK are not being accepted. In Japan is fine.


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## crispynuggets (Nov 2, 2013)

Thanks for your answer! Are you able to find anything specifically saying this? Aside from the previously linked post and a couple of news stories on the Japan Times and others I've not found anything that says it's UK-based tests only?

Thanks again.


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## Kumamon (Jan 29, 2014)

Reading the updated press release is slightly concerning, and I think the Home Office will have to clarify the situation.

The contract was terminated in April, so hopefully tests taken before this date outside of the UK are still accepted.


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## Wife of karim (Apr 6, 2014)

I booked my Egyptian husband in for the toefl test (which is the same company as toeic) for May 10th. To be taken in Egypt and they have cancelled it and refunded the money as ukba no longer accepts test results from them.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Hello all,

my wife took TOEIC speaking and listening tests (as required) in March, 2014.

I'm assuming these are still valid as it is before the cut off point? She took the tests in Korea and will be submitting them to the office in Seoul in Wednesday. From what I've read you are only adversely effected if you're applying from within the UK?


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## crispynuggets (Nov 2, 2013)

OK, my fiancee has been told by TOEIC in Japan that they will refund her the money. She is now taking IELTS in June.

Such a shame that the whole thing has to be scrapped because of some idiots in the UK,


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Hi Crispynuggets,

My wife has already applied online from Korea and booked her biometric appointment for Wednesday.

She has TOEIC results issued in March, 2014. She took the tests in Seoul that same month. Who did you contact to learn of the need to retake the test in Japan?

We've already paid and I fear it may be too late?!


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

This link states that the contract with ETS ended on April 5. It now says that those applying using ETS tests will be subject to an interview by UKVI.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...g-for-uk-visa-approved-english-language-tests

My wife took her TOEIC tests on March 15 and March 30. We applied online on April 26.

Does this mean she will simply have to sit an interview at some stage of the application? Or does it mean she will have the application thrown out on the spot?


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## crispynuggets (Nov 2, 2013)

sheppast said:


> Hi Crispynuggets,
> 
> My wife has already applied online from Korea and booked her biometric appointment for Wednesday.
> 
> ...


She made contact with TOEIC's parent company, ETS, in Japan. I guess South Korea will have similar?

As far as we are aware, the UK is accepting all current visa's with TOEIC scores subject to an interview, but will not accept new applications. My fiancee took her TOEIC in March also. 

Good luck.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Did your wife speak to them about this recently?

My wife called the ETS centre in Seoul last week (to ask why the certificate hadn't yet arrived), and they didn't mention anything about the changing circumstances. They are aware she is applying for a spouse visa to the UK, so it's odd that they wouldn't bring it up.


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## crispynuggets (Nov 2, 2013)

She only got confirmation of the refund today. She received an email from ETS on Thursday or Friday last week summarising that TOEIC are stopping services for the UK visa. They didn't know that my fiancee was taking the test for the visa, however, I think the email was sent to all those that took the test in Japan. She called over the weekend but the staff on the phone didn't know much either, but she received a call today regarding a refund once she told them that she only required the TOEIC score for the UK visa.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

I've just been rereading the UKBA guidelines, which state: 

_"The arrangement that the Home Office had with Educational Testing Service (ETS) to provide Secure English Language Testing (SELT) ended on 5 April 2014. We will be removing ETS from the list of approved SELT providers through changes to the Immigration Rules.

Applicants with an ETS language certificate will be subject to interview by UKVI.

As a result we have suspended accepting ETS tests as evidence of English language ability from new applicants. If you wish to make an application you should read the list of providers and take a test with an alternative provider."_

I take that to mean that applicants who took the test before April 5 will be subject to interview, as they already "have an ETS language certificate". Whereas those wishing to take it now are recommended to use an alternate provider.

Can anyone confirm? Joppa?!? My wife will be travelling up to Seoul to submit her documents in about 36 hours!


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

My wife spoke to ETS today and was informed that (in Korea, at least) TOEIC is no longer valid for Tier 4 GSV visas only. She is trying to get through to the embassy in Seoul to see if they can confirm this.

This is all horrible stressful. We've only got about 18 hours until our biometric appointment!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

I have no view on this. Safest thing to do is of course to take another test that is definitely recognised.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Joppa said:


> I have no view on this. Safest thing to do is of course to take another test that is definitely recognised.


Hi Joppa. Thanks very much for replying. We will certainly do that if required. The only problem is we booked our appointment and submitted the online application before we found out! I checked the PDF of approved English tests (which has still yet to be updated) from the government site and saw that TOEIC was still on there, so we went off that and applied.

I'm hoping there will be some sort of negotiating room and they will ask her for an interview to clear it up. She took the tests before the cut off of April 5 and is applying as a spouse, rather than a student or worker, so we are praying for understanding!


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

Hi there. Sheppast - I'd really appreciate it if you let us know what happened at the biometric interview. I'm in the same position - my wife took the test before April. We are hoping to apply for her visa in June but now it seems that she may have to take another test first.

I agree - the information cited on any earlier post quoting the UKBA website is not only insufficient but clearly conflicts with the fact that the TOEIC test still remains listed as one of the approved language tests.

As for my wife, she has booked herself in for a Pearson Academic test (PTE academic) next week. I'm sure she will be fine but this is not an ideal test because it is designed for people who want to study at university level in English - it's not a test that focuses on 'everyday English'.

So, for someone applying in Japan, the PTE academic test is an option, but there is only one test centre in Tokyo and one in Osaka. It's pricey too.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Hi Laurie,

Yes, my wife submitted her biometrics and documents today, having spent most of yesterday being told different answers by the Korean ETS centre, and trawling through visa-related blogs where there was absolutely no consensus on the new rules!

We went there with the gameplan of demanding an interview if anyone raised any doubts about the validity of her TOEIC tests. My wife is an English teacher in Korea so we were banking on her demonstrably high level of English to win them over! We expected to be confronted by someone on the issue, but the staff at the VFS centre in Seoul said they were just as confused as her and didn't know what the official stance was. They said it was up to the regional office in Manilla, and they would let her know once they'd looked over her documents. 

She was assured that the worst case scenario was that she would be advised to submit a different English exam if they deemed it unsuitable, but that she wouldn't lose the application fees or anything more sever. The staff in Korea said they had a number of applicants who applied with ETS tests on or around the cut off point, and they were doing their best to work with the Manilla office to resolve their cases as quickly as possible.

Now we wait for the email I guess! We paid for priority service so hopefully we will get some sort of response over the next few days.


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

That's good that you know she won't get completely rejected just because of her ETS test score. I don't know if you've noticed that the approved English language test webpage on the UKBA site changed a little a few days ago. It now reads as follows:

*Expiry of Educational Testing Services’ (ETS) licence to carry out secure English language tests: impact on student visa applicants.*

_The Government wants to ensure that this change does not have an impact on genuine international students who took an ETS test in good faith before the licence expired.

UK Visas and Immigration are accepting visa applications which rely on an ETS certificate issued before the expiry of the licence was made public on 17 April. These applications will be considered subject to our normal checks. Applications will be accepted until new Immigration Rules come into effect and transitional provisions have come to an end._

That's quite annoying information because it says they will accept old ETS test scores for tests taken before April 17 for STUDENT VISA APPLICATIONS, and does not make any reference to VISAS TO JOIN FAMILY. It would be quite unfair if the 'transitional rules' only apply to one type of visa and not another.


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## francescosanpolo (May 5, 2014)

Hi,

I am also in the same situation. I have taken TOEFL Exam for UK Visa purpose in India. Initially UK Home office told that they are no longer accepting TOEIC or TOEFL for UK visa granting purpose. But now they confirmed that those who have taken these outside the UK and before the April 14, the old process takes place as usual. Means for them they are accepting these scores and they do verification process as usual. It is informed my University (Edinburgh University) as well as I have seen official statement in the UK Home office website....So cool no problem.....

Hope this helps...


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## tkd123 (Mar 22, 2014)

This is very worrying - literally submitted online application earlier today and paid. Wife had done the listening end of march for TOEIC and speaking 9/4/14. The centre in Jordan did not mention anything even though they knew the test was being done for UK spouse visa.

I know they can say we made the statement on the 17th of April, but i only checked the pdf file from UKBA site once again to be safe and TOEIC is still included as a possible test to do.

I fell on this thread by accident today and has made me very worried. What can we say to stand the best chance of our application not being rejected - she had her results before April 17th which is when the announcement was made?

Would appreciate any advice


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## mariag (May 1, 2014)

sheppast said:


> This link states that the contract with ETS ended on April 5. It now says that those applying using ETS tests will be subject to an interview by UKVI.
> 
> https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...g-for-uk-visa-approved-english-language-tests
> 
> ...


UK Visas and Immigration are accepting visa applications which rely on an ETS certificate issued before the expiry of the licence was made public on 17 April. *These applications will be considered subject to our normal checks. Applications will be accepted until new Immigration Rules come into effect and transitional provisions have come to an end.* That means if your test was issued before april 17th it will be fine!!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

It's about student visa applications. It says nothing about settlement visas.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Hi Joppa,

You'd imagine both would be covered? Particularly as the English requirements for spouse visas are so much lower than those for students? My wife has scores roughly four times higher the required benchmarks in speaking and listening.

I'm really hoping common sense prevails and they see that a.) her employment records show she has worked as an English teacher for the last year, and b.) the correspondence between us (messaging, email, etc) is predominantly in English.

She has stated she is more than happy to attend an interview etc if they require further validation. As I said, we're really hoping common sense prevails.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

"UK Visas and Immigration are accepting visa applications which rely on an ETS certificate issued before the expiry of the licence was made public on 17 April. These applications will be considered subject to our normal checks. Applications will be accepted until new Immigration Rules come into effect and transitional provisions have come to an end."

This is the quote from the Gov.UK site. To me that sounds like all visa applications relying on ETS certificates dated before April 17 will be accepted? 

Why would they accept the tests for a certain type of visa, but not others? How could that possibly be justified, especially given that the spouse English requirements are so much lower than those for students?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

I don't make up the rules. Home Office isn't in the habit of bending the rules or use common sense in the way we'd like. Unless the rules specify settlement visas, or say all visa types, you can't assume they apply to your case.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Hi Joppa,

Yes indeed. Sadly, we can never really assume anything!


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## tkd123 (Mar 22, 2014)

Ok just to let you know, seeing as there is a lot of confusion in this thread with no one actually knowing the correct answer:

We were given by visa contact centre in jordan, the email address for the visa case workers in Amman, Jordan and they replied by quoting what is on the ukba website and said this applies to ALL visa types. They said as certificate was from before 17th of April it would be accepted and we could use this email for proof.

So i give you good news.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Hi TKD,

Thanks for sharing that. My wife was unable to get official confirmation of this from anyone in Korea last week, but I hope you're right. Although Joppa is correct to warn us that the UKBA don't always follow the common sense we'd like, it really wouldn't make any sense to allow students to apply with ETS tests, but not spouses or partners. Students were the ones caught cheating, after all!

My wife and I are hoping to hear back by the end of this week, so I'll keep everyone posted on whether we'll be allowed to use her TOEIC tests from March or not. Fingers crossed!


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## mariag (May 1, 2014)

Hi all,
We called yesterday to our adviser who has taken our case in Gloucester UK, for 2 years, and he said that he know that cerificates from before april 17th are accepted for our visa too (fiancee visa), because knows a man who used his certificate 2 weeks ago, and he made the test 4 months ago. But he will check again and let us know more news.
So I will keep posted to share the news.
And good luck for everyone.


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

Hi Sheppast,

Any updates?

My wife took the PTE Academic test last week and passed it, so we don't have to worry about her TOEIC score not being accepted anymore. It's more difficult than the TOEIC test but you do get the result in a matter of hours. There appears to be a certain amount of flexibility with booking the test too.

Anyway, just wondered what had happened.

By the way, did you submit an original Korean marriage certificate or did you just submit a 'Certified Copy of the Marriage Certificate and Translation' from the GRO in the UK? (Assuming you registered the marriage with the GRO in the first place.)


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Hi Laurie,

No nothing yet. Today is 2 weeks since my wife submitted her biometrics, so I'm hoping we'll hear something soon. We gave both the Korean certificate (translated) and the Certified copy I received from the GRO after I'd registered the marriage over here. We thought it was better to be safe than sorry!

Where are you applying from? I wonder if the PTE would be a good option for my wife (should they change their mind again and decide not to accept the TOEIC test).

I'm hoping no news is good news at this point. We are using the priority service, so you'd guess they would have at least begun to look at our documents by now. I'm hoping if we don't get any notifications that means there's no problem...!


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## Kumamon (Jan 29, 2014)

I have a quick question I hope you don't mind answering.

My wife took the TOEIC tests in Japan and successfully got the required score. On the TOEIC certificates, at the top it clearly states the name, DOB, test and score in English.

Lower down the page it uses Japanese Language, but all scores are clearly marked in English.

Should these certificates still be translated?


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Hi Kumamom,

I don't believe so. My wife's tests (taken in Korea), showed her name, address, ID number, score, and subject in English, with only the fine print and details in Korean.

As the salient points (subject tested: English Listening/Speaking etc, and score) were in English, we didn't translate the rest. 

From the looks of it, the documents were intended for international use.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

FYI - my wife has just received an email from UKVI (after she requested the tracking service) saying that her application is being processed as normal and she should continue to wait.

If you factor in public holidays in Korea, it's only been 8 working days since we applied, so I guess it's still fairly early. I'm not panicking quite yet!


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## Kumamon (Jan 29, 2014)

Thanks, and the best of luck to you both!


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

*Hi Sheppast!*

Hi Sheppast,

Thanks for your reply.

We are applying from Japan (Tokyo). We haven't applied yet - just about to before the end of the month. Just getting everything into its final organized form. Time consuming!

Good luck with your application!

Fingers Crossed!:fingerscrossed:


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Hello all,

A positive update at last! This morning my wife was contacted by the office in Korea. They explained (entirely in English) that ETS were no longer an approved exam overseer, to which my wife replied that this was not made clear at the time of our application (April 26), and that she had taken her TOEIC exams in March, when the license was still valid.

The worker then ran through a few other cursory details from her application, before informing her that her English was off the required standard and we would receive the final decision during the next week. The entire conversation lasted around 5 minutes.

It sounds as if this was some sort of informal interview (as the conversation was entirely in English, from both sides), and they are doing this sort of thing with applicants who applied with ETS certification before their formal announcement regarding the expiration of the license. Has anyone else experienced a similar thing? In any case, I can't think of any reason (now that the English issue has been cleared up) why they would fail to grant her the visa. So we're feeling positive!


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## Kumamon (Jan 29, 2014)

That's great news, good to see a bit of common sense being used. We can not apply until October so hopefully the situation will be the same then.


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

A funny detail...

Apparently the UKVI worker who contacted my wife began speaking rather slowly in English, only to suddenly speed up once my wife responded with a list of complaints regarding the lack of contact since submitting our documents and the lack of clarity on the website. He then quickly approved her level of English and apologised for the delay!


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## alichan (May 21, 2014)

Hi, I have been following this thread with interest as we are in a similar situation. We live in Japan and are planning to relocate to the UK this summer. My husband took TOEIC in Feb/Mar of 2014 to use for the English Requirement of the entry clearance process. We had our appointment in Tokyo yesterday, and the man processing the application clearly stated that TOEIC scores taken before the May 17 cutoff were accepted and being processed as normal for the time being. Phew! We applied for priority processing so he said it should take two weeks if there are no issues with the application:fingerscrossed:


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## pinaylove (Sep 20, 2013)

sheppast said:


> Hello all,
> 
> A positive update at last! This morning my wife was contacted by the office in Korea. They explained (entirely in English) that ETS were no longer an approved exam overseer, to which my wife replied that this was not made clear at the time of our application (April 26), and that she had taken her TOEIC exams in March, when the license was still valid.
> 
> ...


hello there! i recieved a call yesterday also from British embassy manila Philippines,, i spoke with a British man and he apologized for the delay of my application, it because of the ets toeic exam,and they are going to verify it, i told him also ,i took my english exam last august 2013 and i lodged my visa application last 27/02/2014..i told him also i been waiting my application nearly 3 months now and i never heard anything from ukba. he said i get a result within 2 -3 days.... god more nervoes now and i dont have any idea what going on ...


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Oh that's good news! There seems to be a delay all over, even with American/Canadian applicants who don't have the language certification issues to worry about. The main visa timeline thread is full of uncertainty!

I believe my wife was told yesterday that she would hear back within a week. So hopefully that's only 2 or 3 days for us as well! We paid priority, so we were expecting something under three weeks, to be honest. Today is the 13th working day.


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## Kumamon (Jan 29, 2014)

Should be any day now. Hopefully this ends the uncertainty of the validity of TOEIC tests taken before the cut off date.

We can't apply until October but we will assume that my wife's TOEIC score will be valid.


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## pinaylove (Sep 20, 2013)

sheppast said:


> A funny detail...
> 
> Apparently the UKVI worker who contacted my wife began speaking rather slowly in English, only to suddenly speed up once my wife responded with a list of complaints regarding the lack of contact since submitting our documents and the lack of clarity on the website. He then quickly approved her level of English and apologised for the delay!


Hello there! Did you get any news with your wife's application? Me, I'm still waiting they said 2-3 days but until now no news ...


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Yes! We received the email from Manila this morning! "Your visa has been despatched" etc.

We're hoping it will arrive by the weekend (we've heard it takes 3 days to get the passport back etc). Then we can get on to booking flights!

I'm sure you'll hear soon. Fingers crossed!


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## Kumamon (Jan 29, 2014)

That's great, congratulations!

Did you take up the priority service for the application?


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## pinaylove (Sep 20, 2013)

sheppast said:


> Yes! We received the email from Manila this morning! "Your visa has been despatched" etc.
> 
> We're hoping it will arrive by the weekend (we've heard it takes 3 days to get the passport back etc). Then we can get on to booking flights!
> 
> I'm sure you'll hear soon. Fingers crossed!


Oh really wow that's great ! So mean you wifes/fiancée application was processed in Manila too? hope I can getting a result also fingers crossed.. Yeah it's takes 3days it depends on her place


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Kumamon said:


> That's great, congratulations!
> 
> Did you take up the priority service for the application?


Yeah, we paid for priority. God knows how long it would have taken otherwise!


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Hello all,

Just to confirm we got the courier emails this morning confirming that the "completed visa application" and "processed passport" were on their way to my wife's home.

We're so relieved the whole thing is nearly resolved! Not long until we can see each other again now...


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

Congrats Sheppast.

When you applied for priority service did you select 'Settlement' or 'Spouse/CP' as the 'sub-visa type'?

That is not on the VISA4UK website - it's on the website where you can by services like priority service.

What is Spouse/CP .... especially the CP part?

Can anyone help?


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Laurie17 said:


> Congrats Sheppast.
> 
> When you applied for priority service did you select 'Settlement' or 'Spouse/CP' as the 'sub-visa type'?
> 
> ...


Hi Laurie. The Korean applications are all done through VFS, and they provided my wife with a form to fill in for priority service when she arrived in Seoul to submit biometrics, which she then paid for in cash. 

But I imagine you would select Spouse/CP, rather than just settlement. CP is Civil Partner. Settlement could mean a great many things outside of reuniting with your husband/wife, and we always thought it was best to be as specific as possible.


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

Thanks for your reply Sheppast.

Yes - I finally realised what CP stands for, so selected that option.

I guess Japan and Korea have slightly different systems - you can pay VFS online after applying for the priority service here.


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## mariag (May 1, 2014)

crispynuggets said:


> My partner took a TOEIC test a few weeks ago in Japan in preparation for our visa application. But I've read that its no longer accepted? Is this true? I can't see anything on the ukba site about it?
> 
> Thanks.


Hi I just got a mail from my fiance from the UK, we were worried about the english requirement, as I have the Toefl iBT, and we found a phone number to ask information. My boyfriend just called them and this is what my fiance wrote to me after the phone call:
_"I called that number, and spoke to a nice scottish man. He explained that, because you are applying from outside the UK, the toefl test is still accepted.
It is just no longer accepted if you took the test in the UK, and are applying from within the uk.

I told him you had taken the ielts test too, and he said that was a good idea.
But he said that you can apply with either test.
_
_He also explained that, because you will have an interview when you apply, they use that unofficially as part of the verification process, so that they can see that you speak english to the grade that you have on your test."_
*******I have Toefl ibt certificate issued in september 2012, still valid to september this year
Just in case this information help to someone.


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## ashkevron (May 1, 2012)

Any chances of sharing that phone number or a link for it?


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## melbina (May 14, 2014)

mariag said:


> Hi I just got a mail from my fiance from the UK, we were worried about the english requirement, as I have the Toefl iBT, and we found a phone number to ask information. My boyfriend just called them and this is what my fiance wrote to me after the phone call:
> _"I called that number, and spoke to a nice scottish man. He explained that, because you are applying from outside the UK, the toefl test is still accepted.
> It is just no longer accepted if you took the test in the UK, and are applying from within the uk.
> 
> ...


what about applying within uk using a toefl ibt issued outside uk ?


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## mariag (May 1, 2014)

*phone for information*



ashkevron said:


> Any chances of sharing that phone number or a link for it?


sure, here is the link we found, and he call to this number. The man was very polite.

<snipped> 

the number is:
"These people may call +44 (0) 114 207 3463 if they have any further questions relating to this issue."

Hope this help.


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## mariag (May 1, 2014)

melbina said:


> what about applying within uk using a toefl ibt issued outside uk ?


Hi melbina, I am not sure, as i will apply outside the UK, but here is the phone number and the link. The link doesnt say so much, that is why we decided call, hope this help to you.
+44 (0) 114 207 3463

<snipped>


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

My wife submitted her documents and did biometrics on Monday in Japan, using the priority service. She received her visa back on Friday by courier. That's fast.

I guess the decision was able to be made quickly partly because she had satisfied the English language requirement through an approved test and not through an ETS test.


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

Hi everyone,

I have a question that people on this thread who have received their UK spouse visa can help me with.

My wife received her visa about a month ago. We were just taking a second look at it and where it says her name, it has her name written in the order of SURNAME, then GIVEN NAME. Is everyone else's like this? Is this only for Japanese applicants (!?).

Should this be something to worry about?

All the best,

Laurie


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## sheppast (Feb 23, 2014)

Laurie17 said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I have a question that people on this thread who have received their UK spouse visa can help me with.
> 
> ...


My wife's was the same. SURNAME then FIRST NAMES.

Nothing to worry about!


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## Laurie17 (Oct 29, 2012)

*Thanks Sheppast!*

Thanks for your reply and confirmation Sheppast - much appreciated. I also contacted the visa office in Japan and got a reply from them this morning confirming the same. That's a relief.

All the best!


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