Expired TOEFL ibt for naturalisation

Hi everyone,
I am applying for naturalisation as spouse of a British passport holder... I came to uk in 2011 n got my indefinite in 2013... I gave TOEFL ibt test before I came to uk in 2010... I used my TOEFL certificate as evidence during entry clearance as well as when I applied for indefinite stay... N my TOEFL certificate was accepted both the time... Now my question is this can I use the same certificate for my naturalisation application... Apparently I have heard that there is a 2 year validity of the certificate... Plz tell me if I can apply with the same expired TOEFL certificate as evidence of English language requirement??? I have got my life in the uk test certificate...
Thanx in advance

Mrsmaqsood wrote:Hi everyone,
I am applying for naturalisation as spouse of a British passport holder... I came to uk in 2011 n got my indefinite in 2013... I gave TOEFL ibt test before I came to uk in 2010... I used my TOEFL certificate as evidence during entry clearance as well as when I applied for indefinite stay... N my TOEFL certificate was accepted both the time... Now my question is this can I use the same certificate for my naturalisation application... Apparently I have heard that there is a 2 year validity of the certificate... Plz tell me if I can apply with the same expired TOEFL certificate as evidence of English language requirement??? I have got my life in the uk test certificate...
Thanx in advance

I can understand the confusion you are facing, I was in the same boat for nearly 2 months and even called immigration lawyer to ask what the truth of the matter was since there were conflicting arguments everywhere. Then I had a look through the KOLL document by HomeOffice and found some very important information.

Now since TOEFL is part of the SELTS, the validity date of SELTS is not taken into consideration for naturalisation applications, states the last paragraph of page 34 of KOLL document. Below is the link to KOLL.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... 4.0EXT.pdf

Here is the page that lists SELTS.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... -tests.pdf
You will find TOEFL on page 28.

Here is the link to the original thread that I replied to yesterday.

http://www.immigrationboards.com/britis ... 61715.html

Hope someone can correct me if I am wrong...

Thanx a lot for your help... There is so much confusion regarding the acceptable English requirements and their validity... I am applying for naturalisation this week through nationality checking service as I have to travel by the end of this week... The time is so short n now I am doubtful that what if the officers at the checking service object that your TOEFL certificate is not valid... Is there any official home office document or any such thing that I can present them as evidence...
Also has anyone experience such a thing before??? Do the officers object??? I guess they shouldn't coz they should know about this rule that validity doesn't matter when applying for naturalisation...
My other concern is this that I gave my TOEFL exam in UAE... Can any1 tell me what is the score acceptable by the home office... I got 96 out of 120...
Thanks....

Mrsmaqsood wrote:Thanx a lot for your help... There is so much confusion regarding the acceptable English requirements and their validity... I am applying for naturalisation this week through nationality checking service as I have to travel by the end of this week... The time is so short n now I am doubtful that what if the officers at the checking service object that your TOEFL certificate is not valid... Is there any official home office document or any such thing that I can present them as evidence...
Also has anyone experience such a thing before??? Do the officers object??? I guess they shouldn't coz they should know about this rule that validity doesn't matter when applying for naturalisation...
My other concern is this that I gave my TOEFL exam in UAE... Can any1 tell me what is the score acceptable by the home office... I got 96 out of 120...
Thanks....

The links I mentioned above are the official guidance published by the HomeOffice. Click on the link and have a look and read the validity dates yourself and since i have even mentioned page numbers where you can find relevant information, I don't think I can make it any easier for you, please take some time and have a good read through. Also, for the scores, I can't stress enough that PLEASE READ THROUGH THE DOCUMENTS FOR RELEVANT INFO

I can understand its confusing hence i have put it on the forum for others to benefit as well. There is no other evidence that you can produce apart from pointing them towards the guidance published by their own department, that is "if" they object at all, personally its highly unlikely. Just to put you at ease, I have applied with my IELTS exam that is long expired and it wasn't taken in the UK. As long as the test report or the certificate is genuine and there are no fraudulent means involved, there should be no problem in theory.

Hope it helps but do read through the documents please...

Dear Mr Maqsood

I am pasting my post here which I am sure will help you a bit. I would advise you to contact Home Office after reading this.

Heads up people! I went to Croydon Council for my naturalization application and I was told that TOEFL ibt which i took for my ILR is no longer acceptable. I was shown an online statement on LSE website which read:

PLEASE NOTE: Following concerns about the security of tests administered by ETS, UK Visas & Immigration has suspended the consideration of all applications for temporary and indefinite leave to remain where the customer relies on tests administered by ETS to prove their English language ability. This includes the TOEFL. This refers to applications from people who are already in the UK only: For individuals who are both applying for a visa and testing outside the UK there is no change.
UK Visas & immigration have set up a helpline to assist people with a pending visa application who are relying on a test certificate or who were about to apply with such a certificate. These people may call +44 (0) 114 207 3463 if they have any further questions relating to this issue. LSE's advice is to take the IELTS if you have not already taken your English test. We will continue to monitor the situation and official guidance issued by UKVI.

I was told there was no point arguing about it even though TOEFL ibt is still coming up as acceptable on their website.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... -tests.pdf (page 28)
I passed my O levels back in 1996 (India) but even that certificate is not acceptable. Need to fork out at least 125 more.