UK settlement visa KET A1 English test
The UKBA or the United Kingdom Border Agency seem to keep piling on the misery for Thai applicants requiring a UK settlement visa adding stress and pressure to both the Thai applicant and the UK husband awaiting his wife in the UK. Approximately 3 years ago the British Government added to an already difficult visa application called the UK settlement visa which was a Thai wife wanting to live with her UK husband as man and wife an English exam called the A1 test which to be fair was not over powering for most Thai Nationals and was manageable for most in a relationship with a UK sponsor as they communicate daily with social media or via webcam’s so daily the training for the Thai applicant or Thai wife at their English skills was improving, Most had also been to the UK on a UK tourist visa which gave 6 months to improve their vocabulary due to everyone they met speaking English or as most do pigeon English to a foreign national.
Even though we are not school or English teachers at Key Visa Thailand we did help many clients to get through the A1 test as it was mainly about conversation which we feel is a good step and really only needed as the first step to a new life in the UK, until the UKBA decided that this English exam was not at a level they expected so they have recently introduced what they call the “KET A1″ test which is predominately about reading, writing, speaking and listening and now the Thai applicant has to get test results of 45% or more to pass the full test, the old A1 test was mainly about speaking and listening but that has now all finished and commands a good control of English grammar and conversation skills.
For a UK settlement visa it is a requirement to have this certificate and the actual test is performed to the standards of the Cambridge University in the UK so do not under estimate the test as many do, the main company in Thailand based in Bangkok for running the KET A1 test is called Vantage Siam and as part of the process they do a 3 day course before the test which is done on the fourth day to help the Thai applicant and also give them a valuable idea of what is expected of them during the exam but they do not guarantee a pass it is done as an English refresher and also to make sure that the Thai applicant is in a position to take the English KET A1 test.
If your Thai partner is applying for a UK settlement visa and their command of the English language is limited including reading and writing then it is advisable they take English lessons a minimum of 40 hours to get them self ready for the English test and this can be done at most professional English proficiency schools in Thailand, if you are planning the UK settlement visa for the future then you can help your Thai wife by teaching them and coaching and pushing them to learn the English language as there are numerous free websites to help learn the English language and with social media you can also give your Thai wife tests and words to learn daily so they can also utilize their time if they are not working as it all helps and as stated before the KET A1 test is difficult and has a huge failure rate for the first one or two attempts so do not be disappointed or discouraged if they do not pass first time.
UK settlement visa applications have dropped dramatically at the British Embassy in Bangkok and the feeling among our profession is the main reason is due to the new English test which will make the UK Government happy as the slow down was their main intention for the introduction of the new test, so keep persevering as you want to be with your Thai wife for ever in the UK on a settlement visa.
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