TOEIC visa cancellations

Applicants for certain visas and for settlement in the UK need to prove their knowledge of English as part of the eligibility requirements. Not all visas require proof of English language skills, but it is a criterion for eligibility for most long-term visas and for settlement. Knowledge of English may be shown by passing an approved test.

On 10 February 2014 the BBC’s Panorama programme exposed cheating in some colleges which administer the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) for non-EEA students. In response the Home Office revoked or curtailed the visas of thousands of students it suspected of fraud. The evidence on which the Home Office relied in these visa decisions has been called into question, leading critics to claim that many individuals were falsely accused of cheating by the Home Office.