February 9, 2012 - Effective April 6, 2012, applications for Leave to Remain in the UK under Tier 1 (Entrepreneur), Tier 1 (General), and Tier 2 of the points-based system by non-native English speakers must be accompanied by test results that show the applicant has passed an approved English language test.  With this implementation, the UK Border Agency ends its previous concessions when the availability of test dates was unknown.  According to the UK Border Agency, English test providers have added sufficient resources and test times to eliminate the need for the earlier concession.  After April 6, applicants are encouraged to schedule their appointments at least two to three months in advance and to seek counsel on current UK Border Agency policy requirements.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in the United Kingdom.  For additional information, please contact GlobalVisaGroup@balglobal.com.