Comparability certificate - English language

[ruthdra]

Hi,
I am on ILR since 2014 and applied for ILR for my wife and daughter under the 5 year dependent route
- ILR (SET O) form in Dec 2024.
I have got an email from home office which states,

We require:
A new signed declaration form ensuring it is fully completed.
The declaration form that you have provided is not filled out, therefore we are unable to accept this. Please can you provide a new sponsor declaration ensuring that the form is completed in full.

Along with my application I have already completed and uploaded the following documents,
1. Family declaration form
Signed and completed page 1
2. Verification Consent Form
Completed Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
3. Sponsorship Undertaking Form - SU07
Completed page 1 and 2 and left the page 3 as it is only for official use.
I am bit struggling to understand which document are they referring as incomplete? Admins can you suggest which document needs to be send here? Any pointers would be helpful. Thanks

[CR001]

1. Family declaration form
Signed and completed page 1
2. Verification Consent Form
Completed Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Only these. Has your spouse the applicant signed?

3. Sponsorship Undertaking Form - SU07
Completed page 1 and 2 and left the page 3 as it is only for official use.

This is NOT required and is NOT relevant to ILR

[ruthdra]

1. Family declaration form
Signed and completed page 1
2. Verification Consent Form
Completed Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Only these. Has your spouse the applicant signed?
Yes it was all signed. 1. Family declaration form --> This I completed and signed.
2. Verification Consent Form
Part 1 --> Signed by Spouse
Part 2 --> Signed by me
Part 3--> Signed by me

3. Sponsorship Undertaking Form - SU07
Completed page 1 and 2 and left the page 3 as it is only for official use.

This is NOT required and is NOT relevant to ILR

I agree can ignore this item 3 .
Shall I resubmit item 1 and 2 again? Is this the best we can do with perhaps updated date on it. Or is there anything I am missing?

[ruthdra]

Hi,
If anyone can provide some inputs on this I would really appreciate. Thanks
With Regards,

[zimba]

Just ignore part 3. Send the declaration with part 1 and 2 filled

[ruthdra]

Thanks I will resend the Family declaration form and verification consent form.

Can I also request to please remove my name in previous posting? Thank you.

[ruthdra]

Hi,
My husband is in ILR and I am applying for ILR after 5 years route on dependent visa.
I have proved my language requirement during the family route on both occasions by submitting UKNARIC letter providing my master degree certificate. So they have accepted it.
I have received the following email from home office stating,

We are considering your application and need further information from you. Please provide the following within 10 working days of the date of this request:

We require:

A comparability certificate to verify English Language
OR
A valid B1 English Language certificate
We can see that you have provided evidence of a UK Naric document, however, we require the comparability certificate as per Appendix KoLL, in order to meet the English Language qualification requirements for the purpose of obtaining indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

Alternatively, we are happy to offer the opportunity to sit and pass a new English Language test within 15 days of this letter.

We must make you aware that if we do not receive a new English Language test certificate at the required level i.e. B1 or above or a comparability certificate, we will consider the application on the basis of you not holding the required qualifications.

Please notify us once you have booked your tests with your booking confirmations. Should you encounter any difficulty obtaining a test date within 10 working days, please advise us and we will extend the deadline for your application.

Please refer to the following guidance for further information on the English Language requirements:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration ... endix-koll

I have read other threads here that UKNARIC is still valid and it is now changed to ECCTIS. Even in ECCTIS website they stated that UK NARIC remain valid and home office is aware of the changes and NARIC statement should be treated the same as UK Enic or ECCTIS.
Please see the link.
https://www.ecctis.com/transition/

So confused what they mean by comparability certificate? As you can see in the email home office even acknowledged I have provided UKNARIC document which is what I used in my previous applications too. Please guide us what should I be doing in this case as next steps?
Thanks

[zimba]

You need to provide evidence that shows the degree is equivalent to a UK degree, taught in English and also meets the level B1 or above. So you get two statements issued to you. The guide includes a link to such a sample as you see below.

The guide says:

Academic degree from a non-majority English speaking country

If the degree is from a non-majority English country or from Canada you must check
on the Visa and Nationality statement from Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC), which the
applicant provides as evidence with their application, that the:

• degree is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s level degree or above
• qualification is academic, not technical or professional
• degree was taught in English

You can see an example of a Visa and Nationality statement on the Ecctis website: https://ecctis.com/Documents/Examples/V ... rk%201.pdf

If the Visa and Nationality statement does not confirm that the degree meets all the
requirements, you may contact the applicant and give them an opportunity to contact
Ecctis to obtain a revised statement which confirms the requirements are met. You
do not need to contact the applicant if you are refusing the application on other
grounds.

Ecctis statements must be verified using the customer’s unique reference number (URN) on the Ecctis Online Verification Portal.
You must not accept a UK ENIC Statement of Compatibility as evidence of English ability as this is not confirmed on the statement.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... rement.pdf

[ruthdra]

Hi,
The UKNARIC is the older format of the Ecctis new format which is what you have attached. What you have stated is also captured in the UKNaric letter,
If I was allowed I can add my current UKNARIC but seems I don't have the option of uploading files or images.

I can tell you the following is what mentioned in the UKNARIC letter,

Country of Qualification : India
Title of Award : Master degree in Science
Awarding Institution : XXX University
Year of completion : 20XX
Level of English : The level of English language for the above degree course is considered to meet the
requirements of CEFR level C1

So C1 Level is more than the level required to qualify for English language.
As per https://www.ecctis.com/transition/,

2. What about my UK NARIC statement? Is it still valid?
Yes. All statements issued by UK NARIC remain valid.

Employers, education providers, the Home Office, CSCS schemes are aware of the changes and should not treat UK NARIC statements any differently from those issued by UK ENIC or Ecctis.

The people that receive your statement(s) can check them using the method referenced on the document, if needed.

Are you stating that I now should get Visa and Nationality statement from Ecctis?

If so then this defeats the original thinking that how was I allowed to pass my previous entry clearance with UKNARIC ?
Any pointers who are are in similar situation can suggest what I must do here?

[zimba]

You need to provide evidence that shows the degree is equivalent to a UK degree, taught in English and also meets the level B1 or above. So you get two statements issued to you.

All documents issued by NARIC remain valid. However, you still need to satisfy the requirement under the Appendix KoLL as I showed you above. This is why Ecctis issues two statements to satisfy the rules. You can see this in the caseworker guide too:

Evidence from NARIC
An applicant must provide an AQUALS or a statement of comparability from Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) confirming the qualification is equivalent to a UK qualification. Where the 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 Ecctis (formerly UK 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 Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) that it meets the relevant criteria.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... accessible

I remember NARIC used to issue these two under blue and red routes and what you have is just what you would get under the red route. I suspect, given that you have never sent an AQUALS or a statement of comparability before with your application, then the UKVI views that as you half satisfy the rules and that is what they are also asking for.

[ruthdra]

Hi Zimba,
Thanks for your response. I can now see the the discrepancy. What I have submitted is called English Language Assessment.. I now need to provide AQUALS or a statement of comparability from Ecctis

When I went into the Ecctis website I have two options now,

Option 1.Visas and Nationality Services. This provides two documents,
a. Academic Qualification Level Statement (AQUALS)
b. English Language Proficiency Statement (ELPS)

Option 2. Statement of Comparability

My Question is which option should I have to go? Option 2 is it enough to get the Statement of Comparability to go with my already existing UKNARIC? or should I have to go for option 1?

Your views are highly valued. Thanks

[zimba]

I suggest sitting a SELT test instead.

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

[ruthdra]

Hi Zimba,
I agree however it appears it will take 21 days to receive the results after taking the test. So looks like it is time consuming given I might not have the luxury of enough time with me to get a date for exam to be booked and wait for 21 days to get results. However I will consider this option as last resort.

Do you think getting a Statement of Comparability would suffice for my situation as it is what the case work is looking for? Given I might get that quicker? I really appreciate your feedback as I am racing with time here. So which is quicker I am thinking to go with that option. Thanks

[lolo2]

You can ask for a deadline extension if you want to book a test, even if you cannot find a date to sit the test within the original timeframe, just need to notify them.

The response you received from UKVI gives you that option.

Please notify us once you have booked your tests with your booking confirmations. Should you encounter any difficulty obtaining a test date within 10 working days, please advise us and we will extend the deadline for your application.

[zimba]

Hi Zimba,
I agree however it appears it will take 21 days to receive the results after taking the test. So looks like it is time consuming given I might not have the luxury of enough time with me to get a date for exam to be booked and wait for 21 days to get results. However I will consider this option as last resort.

Do you think getting a Statement of Comparability would suffice for my situation as it is what the case work is looking for? Given I might get that quicker? I really appreciate your feedback as I am racing with time here. So which is quicker I am thinking to go with that option. Thanks

Isn't that what they are asking you ?? They are being very explicit

[ruthdra]

Thanks I will proceed on this basis.