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Hello,

I hold a MHort degree (Level 6 Award) from Royal Horticulture Society (RHS). It is a 3 years (part time) degree.

"The MHort is recognised by the Education Reform Act 1988. It is a degree-level equivalent, and holders of the award may use the designation MHort (RHS) after their name".

Can I use my degree certificate to demonstrate my english knowledge for naturalisation?

Thank you

Has this been awarde by a UK university - i.e. is it equivalent to a BA degree - or is it a professional qualification?
Professional qualifications awarded by professional regulatory bodies are not accepted for naturalisation as I discovered before I applied.

Thanks,

It is not awarded by a UK University (but from the The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), a registered charity).

However, looking at the course factsheet, they say (https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learni ... tsheet.pdf):


Q. Is this a Master’s Degree?
A. The MHort is recognised as a Level 6 Award under the Education Reform act 1988, which sits at
the same level as an Undergraduate Degree, but it is not a Master’s Degree or qualification

What is your opinion? Is there a way to ask for confirmation to Home Office before applying?

Thank you!

I'm a member of one of the accounting institutes and they told me the qualification was equivalent to a BA or MBA, so I went to my appointment at the time (2016) and the Council Registry Office lady had never seen the letter from the institute, called Home Office and they said either a UK degree or a test is required. So I went straight for the test (£150). Unfortunately you cannot negotiate with UKVI.... Note that the service through registry offices has been discontinued a few years back, moved to online and UKVCAS.

You can of course contact the helpline but they will recite what is published in the AN guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... n-guidance. Clearly £150 is a lot of money for a 10 minute chat - I thought so at the time but just wanted to get the application in - you won't be able to talk to UKVI caseworkers or decision makers, only helpline staff who are outsourced contractors.

Thanks alterhase58 for sharing your experience.

So when I apply is UKVCAS going to verify that my degree is actually accepted? And if it is not accepted, do they reject the application or do they just ask to go and take the test?

Thank you!

UKCVAS doesn't not verify the validity of your documents. They are a third party agent for identity check and biometrics enrollment only.

Based the additional information I received from the award organisation, "the MHort would be classed as academic as it’s a theory based programme, rather than a practical-skills based one, and it sits at the equivalent level to a Bachelor’s degree. However, the guidance uses the word ‘degree’."

Do they accept a Level 6 Award instead of a degree? The MHort organisation would be happy to write a supporting document to use in addition to the MHort certificate to confirm that it’s recognised by the Education Act as being equivalent to a degree.

In case Home Office will not accept it, would my application be rejected and I would have to apply again with the english certificate (and pay the ~1200£ fee)? Or do they just put the application on hold while I do the english test?

Thank you!

If they don't accept your MHort (which is likely) they may contact you and ask for a language test certificate instead. It's unlikely the application would be rejected automatically (just my opinion). Most applicants who considered alternative options not specified in the gov. guidance take the test in the end. You may save yourself a month or two by just going with the guidance. Naturalisation is all about meeting the requirements as they stand. Let us know the outcome.