Who does not have to take the Life in the UK Test, and why the English requirement is separate

Most people applying for settlement or British citizenship have to pass the Life in the UK Test and prove their English. The Home Office calls the pair the knowledge of language and life in the UK requirement, or KoLL. It has two parts, and each part has its own exemptions. Mixing them up is how people end up booking a test they did not need, or skipping one they did.

Everything below comes from two GOV.UK sources, as they stood on 28 October 2026: the public pages on the Life in the UK Test and on proving your knowledge of English, and the Home Office's caseworker guidance, Knowledge of language and life in the UK, version 31.0, published for Home Office staff on 18 December 2025. The caseworker guidance is the document decision makers follow.

The two parts of the requirement

For both settlement and naturalisation, the guidance says a person must meet both parts: knowledge of language and knowledge of life in the UK. The language part means an English qualification at B1 level or above, or a degree taught or researched in English. The life part means a pass in the Life in the UK Test.

They are assessed separately. An exemption from one does not exempt you from the other unless the rule says so.

Exemptions from the Life in the UK Test

The GOV.UK booking page lists four situations in which you do not need to take the test:

Age

For settlement, the caseworker guidance is simple: people aged under 18, or 65 or older on the date of their application, are exempt.

For citizenship it works as a discretion with fixed rules. At 65 or over the caseworker must waive the requirement. Between 60 and 64, they must normally waive it if the time you would need to reach the required standard would take you past 65. Under 60, they must not normally waive it on age alone.

Either way you have to prove your age. The guidance mentions a passport, an EEA identity card (for citizenship) or a birth certificate.

A physical or mental condition

This is a discretion, not an automatic exemption. You ask for a waiver with a medical waiver form completed by a doctor, plus original, current medical reports setting out the diagnosis. If the form is missing, the caseworker should give you the chance to send it before refusing on that ground.

The guidance tells caseworkers to waive the requirement where a long-term illness or disability severely restricts your ability to learn English or prepare for the test, or where a mental condition prevents you from speaking or learning English to the required standard. It gives examples where a waiver may be appropriate: being deaf, being without speech, or having a speech impediment that limits communication.

Two points from the guidance catch people out:

• A waiver can cover one part and not the other. A condition may make it unreasonable to prepare for the Life in the UK Test while still leaving you able to pass an English test, or the other way round. Caseworkers are told to consider each part separately.
• Disability does not automatically mean exemption. The guidance notes that test centres can cater for many disabilities, blindness among them, so you may be expected to sit the test with adjustments. GOV.UK lets you make special requests, such as extra equipment or help getting into the centre, when you book.

A medical exemption granted for settlement does not carry over. The guidance says you must make a separate exemption request when you apply for citizenship, and the English language page says the same about submitting an exemption form again.

Passing it once

If you passed the test for your settlement application, you do not take it again for citizenship. GOV.UK gives exactly this case as its example. The pass itself is shown with the unique reference number you received when you took the test. If you sat it before 17 December 2019, you will have a letter with a test reference ID instead.

Routes where the whole requirement does not apply

Some settlement routes do not require KoLL at all, so neither the English qualification nor the test is needed. The caseworker guidance lists them, among others:

• victims of domestic violence
• foreign and Commonwealth citizens on discharge from HM Forces, including Gurkhas
• bereaved partners of people present and settled in the UK
• adult dependent relatives, even if aged between 18 and 64
• retired persons of independent means
• people applying for settlement as a refugee, on the basis of discretionary leave or humanitarian protection, or as a stateless person

These exemptions are for settlement. For citizenship the guidance says everyone must meet both parts, unless exempt because of age, a physical or mental condition, or under the Windrush scheme. Someone who settled as a refugee without the test will usually need it before applying to naturalise.

Exemptions from English that do not cover the test

This is where most mistakes happen. Several groups are excused from proving their English but still have to pass the Life in the UK Test.

Nationals of majority English-speaking countries. GOV.UK lists Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Ireland (for citizenship only), Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA. The caseworker guidance says these nationals are treated as meeting the English part, but must still show they have passed the Life in the UK Test.

The list is closed. GOV.UK warns that if your country is not on it, you must prove your English even if English is an official language there.

Some work visas. GOV.UK says you do not need to prove your English when settling on a Skilled Worker, T2 or Tier 2, Representative of an Overseas Business, Minister of Religion, International Sportsperson, Innovator Founder, International Agreement, Domestic Worker in a Private Household or Scale-up Worker visa, because you proved it when you got the visa. That is an exemption from English only. The caseworker guidance says that for the simplified work routes, the Life in the UK rules continue to apply.

Doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives previously granted Tier 2 (General) leave do not need to meet the English requirement for settlement. The guidance states that they are still required to satisfy knowledge of life in the UK.

A quick way to check your own case

1. Note your age on the day the Home Office will receive your application. Under 18 or 65 and over: no test.
2. Check whether your settlement route is on the KoLL-exempt list. If it is, and you are applying for settlement, neither part applies.
3. If you have a pass already, find the reference number. You will not sit the test again.
4. If you rely on a medical condition, ask a doctor to complete the exemption form, and expect to do it again for citizenship.
5. If your exemption is only from English, through your nationality, your visa or your profession, you still need the test.

When none of these applies, you need the test. It costs £50, must be booked at least three days ahead, and the name on the booking must match your ID exactly. The rules for the day itself are in our guide to the Life in the UK Test.

Preparing for the test

Our Life in the UK app has 305 questions written from the official handbook, with 24-question mock tests in 45 minutes and the 75% pass mark. Each question is in English, as in the real test, with a translation and explanation underneath in one of 14 languages. It is an independent app, not a Home Office product, and it is a free download with in-app purchases: Life in the UK on the App Store.

Sources

• GOV.UK — Life in the UK Test: book the test: when you do not need to take the test, special requests for disabled candidates.
• GOV.UK — Life in the UK Test: what happens at the test: the unique reference number and the pre-2019 test reference ID.
• GOV.UK — Prove your knowledge of English for citizenship and settling and its page on who does not need to prove their knowledge of English: B1 level, nationality and work visa exemptions.
• Home Office — Knowledge of language and life in the UK, caseworker guidance, version 31.0, 18 December 2025: the two parts, age and medical waivers, KoLL-exempt settlement routes, English-speaking nationals, Tier 2 health professionals.
• British Nationality Act 1981, Schedule 1, paragraph 2(e): the discretion to waive the requirement for naturalisation.

Immigration rules change. Check the GOV.UK pages and the guidance for your own route before you apply.