To apply for a UK Spouse Visa from Ukraine, Natasha (or the applicant
in your case) had to pass an English Exam. To start off with, we did
not have a clue about the level required, where to pass this English
test, how much it was, was there going to be any preparation required,
how long the process was going to be, etc. So with all those questions
in mind, we started looking for answers.
The first place that we went to was the UK Border Agency website (which has changed now to this: https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/knowledge-of-english) where we found out the level of English required. At the time of the application (And I think now in 2014 also), it was at least A1. So now that we knew the level required, we needed to find a training school that would prepare Natasha for the test. We found quite a few on the internet, we rang one of them and arranged an assessment. Natasha went to the assessment, did it and was advised of her level of English and which level to target for her real exam. Since she already knew some English, the teacher advised her to prepare for B1 (or PET). That is two levels up from the minimum required (A1, A2, B1, B2, etc, further details here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/304853/approved_english_language_tests.pdf).
Also, at Natasha’s work place (an international language school in Kharkiv) one of her colleagues, a good English teacher sat down with her and helped her prepare for the exam. The preparation took about one to one and a half months.
Natasha went through quite a few past paper exams for PET (or B1), found some online learning sites, practiced with the teacher a bit until she was quite confident about her chances at a B1 exam. Meanwhile though, she booked her exam with The British Council in Kiev Ukraine http://www.britishcouncil.org.ua/en, since the waiting times can be lengthy.
Natasha rang them in Kiev, they advised her of dates and a place to go and pay for the exam in advance. She paid the fee and then went to Kiev to sit the exam. She could of course sit the exam in Kharkiv as well, but because a better date was available in Kiev, she went and did it there.
Also, if you prefer more choice, in the above link to the PDF file, are details of some other companies apart from The British Council that provide exam taking services, so choose your preferred one.
Once you sit the exam, you have to wait for a quite a few weeks before you find out the results. Natasha thinks that she waited for about six to eight weeks. They offer a postal service where the results (and if positive the certificate) is posted to your address.
The actual exam papers were sent to the UK in Cambridge for assessment and the results were sent back to Ukraine, hence the delay I guess.
Because this was a basic requirement, we went ahead and did this step as soon as we could. Natasha’s surname was still her maiden name at the time when she did the test, but that did not matter for the visa application since we had the certificate of marriage as well. So the advice is to do this step or at least get busy about it as soon as you can. A1 is not that difficult, so buy a book, get some audio tapes, find some websites that teach English, or get some training in a college, and get it done as soon as you can, because it can be a lengthy process.
Do some practice exams as part of your preparation so that you are confident when going for your final exam, because the process takes too much time. If you fail, that is another few months of waiting.
Once she had the certificate, we just included it in the application paperwork. It needed no translating or authenticating since it was in English and it was issued by an approved English Examination Body. And that’s it.
If you find these articles useful, please like them on Facebook, Google+ or you can even tweet about them. Buttons are provided at the top of the page or below the comments. Thanks.
The first place that we went to was the UK Border Agency website (which has changed now to this: https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/knowledge-of-english) where we found out the level of English required. At the time of the application (And I think now in 2014 also), it was at least A1. So now that we knew the level required, we needed to find a training school that would prepare Natasha for the test. We found quite a few on the internet, we rang one of them and arranged an assessment. Natasha went to the assessment, did it and was advised of her level of English and which level to target for her real exam. Since she already knew some English, the teacher advised her to prepare for B1 (or PET). That is two levels up from the minimum required (A1, A2, B1, B2, etc, further details here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/304853/approved_english_language_tests.pdf).
Also, at Natasha’s work place (an international language school in Kharkiv) one of her colleagues, a good English teacher sat down with her and helped her prepare for the exam. The preparation took about one to one and a half months.
Natasha went through quite a few past paper exams for PET (or B1), found some online learning sites, practiced with the teacher a bit until she was quite confident about her chances at a B1 exam. Meanwhile though, she booked her exam with The British Council in Kiev Ukraine http://www.britishcouncil.org.ua/en, since the waiting times can be lengthy.
Natasha rang them in Kiev, they advised her of dates and a place to go and pay for the exam in advance. She paid the fee and then went to Kiev to sit the exam. She could of course sit the exam in Kharkiv as well, but because a better date was available in Kiev, she went and did it there.
Also, if you prefer more choice, in the above link to the PDF file, are details of some other companies apart from The British Council that provide exam taking services, so choose your preferred one.
Once you sit the exam, you have to wait for a quite a few weeks before you find out the results. Natasha thinks that she waited for about six to eight weeks. They offer a postal service where the results (and if positive the certificate) is posted to your address.
The actual exam papers were sent to the UK in Cambridge for assessment and the results were sent back to Ukraine, hence the delay I guess.
Because this was a basic requirement, we went ahead and did this step as soon as we could. Natasha’s surname was still her maiden name at the time when she did the test, but that did not matter for the visa application since we had the certificate of marriage as well. So the advice is to do this step or at least get busy about it as soon as you can. A1 is not that difficult, so buy a book, get some audio tapes, find some websites that teach English, or get some training in a college, and get it done as soon as you can, because it can be a lengthy process.
Do some practice exams as part of your preparation so that you are confident when going for your final exam, because the process takes too much time. If you fail, that is another few months of waiting.
Once she had the certificate, we just included it in the application paperwork. It needed no translating or authenticating since it was in English and it was issued by an approved English Examination Body. And that’s it.
If you find these articles useful, please like them on Facebook, Google+ or you can even tweet about them. Buttons are provided at the top of the page or below the comments. Thanks.
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