TOEFL and TOEIC cancelled for UK visa applications

To those who want to apply for a visa to study in the UK, TOEFL and TOEIC are no longer being accepted as English evidence in the student visa application.


UPDATE: tests taken prior to April 17 will still be considered for visa applications, the UK's Home Office has decided.

Last week, the British Government announced they had temporarily ended their agreement with ETS, the global organization administrating some of the most popular English language exams worldwide.

TOEFL and TOEIC tests, required for the applicants as evidence of English proficiency during the UK Visa process, will not be considered for this purpose until further instructions. This measure follows the detection of alleged frauds in the examinations, caught in a BBC TV show.

After the show was broadcasted, in February, the British authorities launched an investigation to clarify these and other irregularities in the ETS testing, now suspending the validity of its exams for visa purposes.

Please note that these examinations will remain valid for university applications. TOEFL is one of the most mentioned exams by UK institutions in their admission requirements, so if you have done this test and it is listed by the school you’re applying to, you can send it along with the other documents.

However, if you have to apply for a long-stay visa and still haven't done your English language test, the British authorities recommend you to choose another exam - listed on their table provided for valid English language proficiency exams - and not those ones offered by ETS.