The Home Office updated its English language guidance on 7 August 2026, and two things in it matter to any sponsor with a Skilled Worker or Scale-up hire in the pipeline.
The Skilled Worker and Scale-up rows now say B2 “except where applicant’s most recent permission was a Skilled Worker and was subject to a B1 requirement” (the Scale-up row says the same by reference to Scale Up). And the page now explains how to prove English with a degree taught in English. Here is what that means at offer stage, and what the page still doesn’t tell us.
What the guidance says
The guidance is the Home Office’s English language requirement levels for immigration applications, first published on 8 January 2026 and updated on 7 August 2026. The update note reads: “Added information on how to prove your English language ability using a degree taught in English. Also updated the requirements for Skilled Worker and Scale Up routes.”
For Skilled Worker, at both entry clearance and permission to stay, the required level is:
“B2, except where applicant’s most recent permission was a Skilled Worker and was subject to a B1 requirement”
On degrees, the page says:
“You may be able to prove your English language ability using a degree taught in English. If your degree was not awarded by a UK institution, you’ll need to apply for an assessment from Ecctis, the qualification and language assessments provider.”
Where B2 came from
From 8 January 2026 the default English level for Skilled Worker, High Potential Individual and Scale-up moved from B1 to B2 across speaking, listening, reading and writing, according to law-firm commentary from the time. Existing Skilled Worker visa holders who were extending kept B1 where their earlier permission had been granted at B1.
What we can’t tell you is exactly what the 7 August edit changed in the Skilled Worker and Scale-up rows. GOV.UK doesn’t publish a comparison, so we would rather say what the page says today than guess at what it said before.
Who it applies to
The requirement sits on the applicant, not on you as sponsor. It matters to you because it decides whether your hire’s application is likely to succeed, and how quickly.
- Skilled Worker and Scale-up applicants, whether applying from overseas or extending in the UK.
- The B1 carry-over applies only where the person’s most recent permission was as a Skilled Worker (or Scale Up worker) and was subject to a B1 requirement. That is a fact about the individual’s history. You can’t assume it from the job or the sponsor.
- The degree route is open to a person who holds a degree taught in English. If the degree wasn’t awarded by a UK institution, they need an Ecctis assessment.
What difference it makes
Most sponsors think of English as something the candidate sorts out. In practice a refused application lands on your hire, your start date and your cost.
Two things change how you plan. First, the level isn’t the same for every Skilled Worker candidate: one person needs B2, another, with a B1 history, may not. Second, a degree can now be a clean evidence route on the page, but a non-UK degree adds a step with its own lead time, and the page doesn’t say how long that takes.
What to do about it
- Ask about permission history at offer. For anyone already in the UK on a Skilled Worker or Scale Up permission, find out what level their most recent permission was granted at.
- Match the evidence route to the person. Approved test, degree taught in English, or another route the Immigration Rules allow. Don’t leave the choice until the application.
- Start the Ecctis assessment early for non-UK degrees. Build it into the timeline before you assign the CoS, not after.
- Get advice on any borderline case. A person with a mixed route history is where the carry-over wording earns its keep.
What we don’t know yet
- The exact wording before 7 August, so we can’t say what moved in the Skilled Worker and Scale-up rows.
- Any in-force date. The page doesn’t state one for the August edits.
- Which degrees qualify and what the Ecctis assessment costs and how long it takes. The page points to the Immigration Rules for the detail.
- The level for Health and Care Worker. It isn’t in the GOV.UK table, so we haven’t stated one.
We’ll update this post when the guidance says more.
How Borderless helps
Borderless is the end-to-end platform for UK work visas, from sponsor licence to settled hire. If you’d like a second pair of eyes on your offer-stage checks against this update, book a demo. For the wider picture on what has changed this year, see our checklist of guidance changes now in effect.
Source: Home Office, English language requirement levels for immigration applications, updated 7 August 2026 (GOV.UK). Read 30 September 2026. This post is general information, not legal advice.
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