NARIC query please

[Paul126]

Hi,

I am a British citizen and my wife is applying for settlement through the 5 year route.

My wife previously obtained in 2014 a NARIC certificate for her Political Science Degree from Delhi Uni for her spouse visa which provides as follows:

"Country of Qualification: India
Title of Award: Bachelor of Arts (Honours Course) in Political Science
Awarding Institution: University of Delhi
Year of Completion: 1998
Level of English: The level of English language for the above degree course is considered to meet the requirements of CEFR level C1"

She is now applying for settlement, ie indefinite leave to remain. The following is the standard request:

"NARIC letter that confirms the qualification meets or exceeds the recognised standard of a Bachelor's or Masters degree or PhD in the UK AND confirm the level of English to which the degree was taught or researched".

Please can you confirm that the original letter is sufficient for the purposes of the settlement application.

There is a statement within the guidance that you can use previous certificates if successfully used but then goes on to refer to a degree from a UK university which muddies the waters.

Any advice greatly received.

Many thanks

Paul

[Paul126]

This is the government guidance re: using the previous certificate - note the UK university as an additional bullet point or is it an alternative?!

An applicant must provide an AQUALS or a statement of comparability from UK NARIC confirming the qualification is equivalent to a UK qualification. Where the
If the applicant has a degree that was taught or researched in a non-majority English-speaking country they must provide:
Page 15 of 29 Published for Home Office staff on 06 August 2020

qualification was obtained in a non-majority English-speaking country, an ELPS or an English language assessment (ELA) is also required. However, you do not need to see additional confirmation from NARIC where the:
• Home Office have previously accepted a degree qualification as meeting the requirements for an earlier application, and leave was granted
• degree was awarded by a UK university
If the qualification has not previously been used for an immigration application, or the previous application was refused, the applicant must obtain confirmation from NARIC that it meets the relevant criteria.

[CULLINAN]

https://www.gov.uk/english-language/degrees-in-english

If your degree is not from a UK university you’ll need:

a copy of your degree certificate
an Academic Qualification Level Statement (AQUALS) from UK NARIC confirming the degree is equivalent to a UK qualification.
If your degree is from a non-majority English-speaking country you’ll also need an English Language Proficiency Statement (ELPS) from UK NARIC confirming the degree was taught in English.

However, if you are in any doubt its best to take a B1 approved SELT test. It costs £150 but saves you from disappointment later on.

https://www.trinitycollege.com/qualific ... SE-grade-5

[Paul126]

Thanks for this. Unfortunately, we are up against it and only have a week. I will speak to NARIC tomorrow in any event. Worst case scenario we will apply for a new Certificate but I was trying to avoid given the cost for a 48 hour turnaround and the ridiculous cost of the application in the first place.

It seems logical that the ability to use the previous certificate is fine and the sentence referring to the UK university is an 'or' not an 'and' because the section is about foreign degrees in essence.

Please let me me if my thinking is correct.

BW,

Paul

[CULLINAN]

I am not sure how the NARIC procedure actually works but I have provided you with the official requirements.

I would like to reiterate, if you are in doubt its best to go for a B1 SELT. You have to pay £150 but you avoid a refusal/loss of hefty ILR fee and headache later on.

Note: You MUST apply before the visa expiry. You will get 2 months to provide your biometrics/documents after the date of application. The date of application is the date you pay and submit online.

However, due to covid, you will not be penalised if you take B1 SELT AFTER you apply online BUT upload the certificate BEFORE biometrics. As long as you can provide the test result before biometrics, you will be okay.

You may want to consider the above option.

Good luck

[seagul]

Thanks for this. Unfortunately, we are up against it and only have a week. I will speak to NARIC tomorrow in any event. Worst case scenario we will apply for a new Certificate but I was trying to avoid given the cost for a 48 hour turnaround and the ridiculous cost of the application in the first place.

It seems logical that the ability to use the previous certificate is fine and the sentence referring to the UK university is an 'or' not an 'and' because the section is about foreign degrees in essence.

Please let me me if my thinking is correct.

BW,

Paul

Ideally get it reassessed under NARIC red route because unlike to English test where paragraph 32D applies, there are wavering opinions & experiences about older NARIC certificates.

[Paul126]

Thanks both for your helpful responses.

I'll check with NARIC too tomorrow in any event and report back.

Best wishes,

Paul

[Paul126]

By way of update in case this is useful for others I have spoken to NARIC and they have confirmed that the 2014 letter will satisfy the English requirement and I should obtain a Statement of Compability regarding the equivalency to a UK degree. This is a sensible approach.

I'll then submit the application in the meantime and hope by the time I submit the documents we would have received the additional NARIC letter.

BW,

Paul

[Paul126]

By way of update in case this is useful for others I have spoken to NARIC and they have confirmed that the 2014 letter will satisfy the English requirement and I should obtain a Statement of Compability regarding the equivalency to a UK degree. This is a sensible approach.

I'll then submit the application in the meantime and hope by the time I submit the documents we would have received the additional NARIC letter.

BW,

Paul

[Paul126]

By way of update in case this is useful for others I have spoken to NARIC and they have confirmed that the 2014 letter will satisfy the English requirement and I should obtain a Statement of Compability regarding the equivalency to a UK degree. This is a sensible approach.

I'll then submit the application in the meantime and hope by the time I submit the documents we would have received the additional NARIC letter.

BW,

Paul

[seagul]

By way of update in case this is useful for others I have spoken to NARIC and they have confirmed that the 2014 letter will satisfy the English requirement and I should obtain a Statement of Compability regarding the equivalency to a UK degree. This is a sensible approach.

I'll then submit the application in the meantime and hope by the time I submit the documents we would have received the additional NARIC letter.

BW,

Paul

Thanks for updating us but always keep in mind that telephone staff at NARIC/UKVCAS/UKVI aren't fully literate with immigration law. Under red route they also issue an another letter confirming the English proficiency means the applicant actually have to attach 2 NARIC letters.

[Paul126]

Thanks again.

Quick follow up - whilst I await the additional NARIC letter I'm ready to pay the fee. I assume I have time to upload the documents either via an IDV app invite or a UKVCAS appointment. What is the time frame to submit the documents please? Is it the same for all Set (M) applications?

Best wishes,

Paul

[CULLINAN]

Thanks again.

Quick follow up - whilst I await the additional NARIC letter I'm ready to pay the fee. I assume I have time to upload the documents either via an IDV app invite or a UKVCAS appointment. What is the time frame to submit the documents please? Is it the same for all Set (M) applications?

Best wishes,

Paul

Pre-covid normal time allowed is 2 months after application date. The deadline will be mentioned on your UKVI account (further actions page). Post-covid it can be even longer and no penalty for missing deadline.

[Paul126]

Very helpful indeed. Really appreciate this support.

BW,

Paul