A Guide to the ILR Life in the UK Test
In December 2019, the Home Office updated the rules on the Life in the UK test. Those reforms were not widely published or the subject of much media coverage, having been released just prior to the Christmas break and in the midst of Brexit news coverage. Now, as the New Year leads to thoughts of new starts and UK Indefinite Leave to Remain applications we look at the update to the ILR Life in the UK test and answer your frequently asked questions on the Life in the UK test.
Indefinite Leave to Remain solicitors
If you need advice about an application for Indefinite Leave to Remain or if you’ve had your application for leave to remain refused and want expert advice about your UK settlement options then call London based Indefinite Leave to Remain solicitors on 0203 959 9123 and speak to one of our experienced ILR solicitors or complete our online enquiry form.
The Life in the UK test reforms
Although the Home Office may have updated the rules on the ILR Life in the UK test it remains the case that you will need to pass the Life in the UK test if you want to settle in the UK by either applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain or British citizenship, unless you meet one of the limited number of exemptions from the requirement to pass the Life in the UK test.
The Life in the UK test reforms include:
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Applicants will now receive a unique reference number for the purposes of the Life in the UK test and their UK settlement application
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Applicants for the Life in the UK test need to produce identity documents in accordance with the Home Office produced schedule and guidelines.
Indefinite Leave to Remain solicitors
If you need advice about your application for Indefinite Leave to Remain or if you’ve had an application for ILR refused and want expert advice about your ILR options call London based OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 and speak to one of our expert Indefinite Leave to Remain solicitors or complete our online enquiry form.
The future of the ILR Life in the UK test
You may not think that the reforms to the ILR Life in the UK test published in December 2019 were wide ranging and you would be right. Back in late 2019 there was a petition for massive changes to be made to the Life in the UK test.
Most Indefinite Leave to Remain solicitors supported campaigners’ calls for change as many say that the ILR Life in the UK test does not accurately assess your knowledge of life in the UK and passing the test does not necessarily make you a good citizen. Critics of the ILR Life in the UK test say that a pass shows that you have the sort of brain that retains trivial information that doesn’t really have any practical bearing on how you live your life in the UK.
Life in the UK test petition for reform
In 2019 a petition was raised to try to make reforms to the Life in the UK test. The petition came to nothing because of the general election but there is a strong likelihood that the ILR Life in the UK test petition will be revived.
Some UK settlement applicants are asking if they should delay their application for British citizenship or Indefinite Leave to Remain in the hope that the government will listen to the clamours for reform and change the Life in the UK test to make it more relevant to life in the UK in 2020 and more user friendly.
Immigration solicitors are advising against waiting for reforms to the Life in the UK test because the government has many other Immigration issues to tackle, not least Brexit and applications for Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme before looking at making the Life in the UK test more relevant to UK settlement applicants.
Indefinite Leave to Remain solicitors
If you need advice about the Life in the UK test or your UK settlement application call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or complete the online enquiry form.
Do I need to sit the Life in the UK test?
You will need to sit the Life in the UK test if you want to apply to settle in the UK through an Indefinite Leave to Remain application or a British naturalisation application. It doesn’t matter what type of ILR application you make (for example based on five year’s residence or long residence or spouse visa) you will still need to sit and pass the ILR Life in the UK test as the test is a compulsory part of the Indefinite Leave to Remain and British Citizenship eligibility criteria.
How long does the Life in the UK test take?
The Life in the UK test is a computer-based test consisting of twenty four multi-choice questions that should be answered within forty five minutes. The ILR Life in the UK test does not take long to complete but you do need to be organised to take the Life in the UK test because:
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The Life in the UK test has to be carried out at a Home Office approved test centre. There are about sixty test centres across the country. You can't take the test at home using your computer
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The Life in the UK test has to be booked in advance. You can't just turn up at a test centre to sit the test. You have to book the Life in the UK test at least three days in advance of taking the test
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You have to provide correct government approved identity documents before being allowed to sit the Life in the UK test.
Failure to comply with the above means that the Life in the UK test won't be valid for the purposes of your ILR application or British citizenship application.
Am I exempt from having to sit the ILR Life in the UK test?
You will not need to sit the ILR Life in the UK test if you are:
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Under the age of eighteen or
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Over the age of sixty five or
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You fall within other very limited test exemptions, such as you are suffering from a long-term illness or a disability that means your mobility is restricted. If you need to claim exemption on the basis of disability you will need to provide medical evidence of the disability and prove that it is long term in nature.
ILR solicitors are often asked if an ILR applicant will be exempt from sitting the Life in the UK test when applying to settle because the ILR applicant is applying for ILR after living in the UK for many years or after entering the UK on an Investor Visa. However long you have been in the UK for or whatever the amount of money you have invested in the UK you will still need to sit and pass the Life in the UK test.
What is the pass rate for the Life in the UK test?
Many UK settlement applicants fear that they need to get every question right on the ILR Life in the UK test in order to pass the test. However, the pass rate is seventy five percent and the Life in the UK test currently consists of twenty four multi-choice questions.
Put crudely, that means you have to correctly guess or answer eighteen out of the twenty four Life in the UK test questions.
If you fail the test, then you can sit the Life in the UK test again. In fact there is no limit on the number of times you can apply to sit the Life in the UK test although one deterrent is that you have to pay the £50 Life in the UK test application fee every time you sit the test.
What do I need to study to pass the Life in the UK test?
If you asked the average British citizen to sit the ILR Life in the UK test the probability is that they would fail the test. That is because unless you know a lot of fairly random historical and cultural facts or are good at guessing the answers to multi-choice question the likelihood is that you would not reach the pass mark of seventy five percent.
As the Life in the UK test are mainly British historical , geography and cultural questions you may think that you need to study British text books to pass the Life in the UK test but that isn’t likely to work as the questions are so random. ILR solicitors say that your best study option to pass the ILR Life in the UK test is to prepare by completing on-line test questions and to purchase the official handbook specifically aimed at helping you pass the test. That is because the questions you will be asked at the test centre will be taken from the official Life in the UK test handbook.
How long is the Life in the UK test valid for?
If you pass the Life in the UK test then your pass will remain valid and you won't need to re-sit the test if, for whatever reason, you decide to delay your Indefinite Leave to Remain application.
What documents do I need to sit the Life in the UK test?
ILR solicitors say it is vital to get your documents right before sitting the ILR Life in the UK test because if you don’t:
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You won't be allowed to sit the Life in the UK test and
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You will lose your £50 application fee.
When applying to sit the test you will need to show a Home Office approved form of identity as well as have a photograph taken as evidence of your identity.
The latest Home Office guidance sets out the acceptable forms of identification for the ILR Life in the UK test but only original valid (in date) documents (rather than photocopy paperwork) will be recognised and the document must contain a photograph that is a true likeness of you. Furthermore, the identity documents you used to book the Life in the UK test must be exactly the same documents that you take to the Life in the UK test centre to take the test.
Many UK ILR applicants change their name so their new surname is different to their name on their identity paperwork. The Home Office rules say that if you have changed your name you must also provide official evidence of your change of name.
The Home Office updated guidance says that documents classed as acceptable evidence of identity for the Life in the UK test include:
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Passport
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Biometric Residence Permit
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European Union (EU) Identity Card
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UK Convention travel document
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UK Stateless Persons travel document
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UK Certificate of Identity.
If you have changed your name you will need to produce evidence such as your marriage certificate (and certified English translation if the original document isn’t written in English) or UK spouse visa or change of name document.
With all your paperwork the important point to note is that:
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Only original documents are accepted
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The paperwork must be in date
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If the Home Office believe you have provided tampered evidence of identity this could affect your Immigration records and the prospects of you securing Indefinite Leave to Remain.
When do I find out if I have passed the ILR Life in the UK test?
Like any exam applicant, you will want to know as soon as possible if you have passed the ILR Life in the UK test. Unlike many exams, you get your results at the test centre so you will know straight away if you have passed or failed the ILR Life in the UK test.
If you pass the ILR Life in the UK test you can go ahead with your Indefinite Leave to Remain application as you will be supplied with a pass notification letter. If you fail the ILR Life in the UK test then you can sit the test again but you will have to wait seven days before doing so and will need to pay the ILR Life in the UK test fee again.
Next steps
Applying for settlement in the UK is a complicated process. Passing the Life in the UK test is often seen as the first step in your journey to secure Indefinite Leave to Remain or British Citizenship. Indefinite Leave to Remain solicitors advise it is best to take expert legal advice on your eligibility to apply for ILR or British citizenship so you stand the best prospects of settling in the UK.
Indefinite Leave to Remain solicitors
Do you have questions about the Life in the UK test or need help with your Indefinite Leave to Remain application? Call the specialist Indefinite Leave to Remain solicitors based in central London on 0203 959 9123 or complete our online enquiry form.
OTS Solicitors are experts in immigration law. The solicitors in the ILR team have substantial experience in applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain and in challenging refusal of ILR applications.
London based OTS Solicitors are Legal 500 and Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession recommended Immigration lawyers and have Law Society accredited solicitor status as trusted specialists in Immigration law.
For fast and friendly advice on the Life in the UK test, your planned application for Indefinite Leave to Remain or your best UK settlement options call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 to speak to one of our experienced London Indefinite Leave to Remain solicitors or complete our online enquiry form.