Blog
Tips, guides, and insights for English learners.
A Degree Taught in English Needs an Ecctis Code
You can skip the UK visa English test with a degree taught in English. If a UK institution did not award it, a third party has to assess it and issue a code first.
Expired Test Scores That Might Still Count
Two years is treated as a wall almost everywhere. Two regulators say otherwise, and one of them asks you to send the expired certificate in anyway.
One French Route Asks B1 Where the Others Ask C1
Ontario's teaching regulator accepts four French qualifications. Three require C1 and one requires B1, and the two diplomas never expire while the two tests do.
Nigeria Counts for Ontario Teachers and Nowhere Else
Ontario's teaching regulator lists 35 countries whose English-language programmes need no proof. It includes Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Zambia, and omits Kenya.
One Province Accepts the Two Tests Another Refuses
Ontario's teaching regulator accepts IELTS Indicator and PTE Core. Nova Scotia's nursing regulator names both and refuses them. Same country, opposite answers.
Doctors and Vets Skip the Visa English Test
Five professions are exempt from proving English for a UK work visa, because their regulator already tested them. The immigration system defers to the register.
How to Check a Regulator Converted TOEFL Properly
TOEFL rescaled in January 2026 and every body citing it had to restate its numbers. One regulator published both sets, and they map exactly. Here is the check.
The Sealed Envelope a Regulator Will Not Open
One line in Ontario's teaching rules is the strictest evidence condition in this series: proof cannot come from you, even in an unopened, sealed envelope.
The Skilled Worker English Requirement Went From B1 to B2
Both UK work visas now ask for B2 English, not B1. The dividing line is 8 January 2026, and which side of it you are on decides which level applies to you.
Your University Can Set Its Own English Test
On a UK Student visa at degree level, the university may assess your English itself and ask for a different test. Below degree level, only an approved test counts.