Written questions by Stephenson.

What engagement her Department has had with Ofqual regarding the introduction of the Home Office English Language Test.

The Home Office English Language Testing Programme remains in live procurement. We anticipate that the successful bidder will hold, or secure, Ofqual recognition. They must then continue to meet the rigorous bar required to comply with Ofqual's regulatory requirements. We are working with Ofqual through the procurement to protect the integrity of these high stakes tests and our engagement with them reflects this.In addition, given the Home Office English Language Testing programme is in live procurement, the Home Office is conscious of protecting the integrity of the procurement.

What assessment she has made of the potential risk that takers of the fully remote Home Office English Language Test may use artificial intelligence technology to circumvent testing integrity; and what safeguards her Department will put in place to help tackle the potential risks to testing integrity posed by the increasing availability of wearable technology outside of secure test centres.

The Home Office takes the integrity of the Home Office English Language Test seriously and has assessed a range of risks, including those posed by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence tools and wearable devices. The Department recognises that technological developments can present new challenges to test security in remote environments. Any provider appointed through the procurement process will be required to demonstrate that their solution includes best-in-class safeguards capable of addressing these risks. The specification includes requirements for technical and procedural controls to mitigate cheating methods, and this will be a key factor in the evaluation of bids.

Pursuant to Parliamentary Question 104261 answered on 16 January 2026, whether the ‘net positive benefit to the public purse’ of the new Home Office English Language Test will be used to support management of budget pressures in the asylum system.

The financial benefits arising from the HOELT are expected to accrue to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) budgets within the Home Office. Under the current concession model, test fees are retained by approved providers. The new model changes that financial relationship. Decisions on the use of any resulting savings will be subject to usual Home Office financial planning processes. Any income the Home Office receives from these fees will play an essential role in supporting the sustainable funding of the migration and borders system.

Pursuant to Parliamentary Question 104261 answered on 16 January 2026, if the lower cost of the Home Office English Language Test will be passed on to test takers.

The fee structure for the Home Office English Language Test has not yet been set, as the procurement process is ongoing. The Department is committed to ensuring the test is accessible to those required to take it. The final fee to test takers will be determined as part of the contract and will be subject to the approval of Parliament. The Department will provide further information on fees in due course. Any income the Home Office receives from these fees will play an essential role in supporting the sustainable funding of the migration and borders system.

Pursuant to Parliamentary Question 104261 answered on 16 January 2026, to which budgets the ‘net positive benefit to the public purse’ of the new Home Office English Language Test will be attributed to.

As set out in the answer of 16 January 2026, today's Secure English Language Testing concessions collect all applicants' fees with no return to the Department to cover the costs of managing and overseeing delivery. The new Home Office English Language Test service will deliver a net positive benefit to the public purse by changing that financial arrangement.The Department has not made a separate published assessment of the net financial benefit of a model combining digital and in-person security measures compared to the model being tendered. The procurement specification sets out the security and integrity requirements that any delivery model must meet, and cost is assessed alongside those requirements as part of the evaluation process. The overall value for money assessment will be made in the context of the full evaluation.A specific estimate of the net positive benefit has not been published, as the procurement process is ongoing and the financial arrangements will be determined at contract award.

What discussions her Department has had with Duolingo on the introduction of the Home Office English Language Test.

Prior to the Home Office English Language Testing programme publishing invitation to tender, five rounds of market engagement was conducted under non-disclosure agreements. However, there were opportunities for those who participated to share information that they wished for the Home Office to consider and ask Clarifying Questions. It would not be appropriate to disclose details of individual organisations' participation in a confidential market engagement process

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to question 104256 on Visas: English Language, which other countries' systems have been considered in development of the Home Office English Language Test.

As set out in the answer of 16 January 2026, the Home Office English Language Test will be one of the first primarily remote language testing services for government immigration purposes. In developing this approach, the Department considered a range of international systems and models.This included reviewing the approaches taken by Australia and Canada, both of which recently reviewed their English language testing requirements. The Department also drew on evidence from other government contexts where digital identity and remote service delivery have been implemented, including existing Home Office delivery models incorporating identification technology, audit and assurance processes, and robust oversight frameworks.

What proportion of higher education providers require Student Visa applicants to prove their knowledge of English before issuing a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.

To make a successful Student visa application, all international students must meet the relevant English Language requirement that applies to their circumstances, in line with Appendix Student of the Immigration Rules. The methods that a Student may rely on to meet their English Language requirement are outlined in Appendix English Language of the Immigration Rules. Whilst most acceptable methods require submission of evidence with the application, where the student is studying a course at degree level of above at a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance, the sponsor can make a self assessment. The Home Office does not record data on which methods students have relied on for the purposes of meeting the English Language requirements in a manner that enables comparative figures to be produced.All student sponsors have a duty to assess that each student’s English language ability is of the required level as specified in Appendix Student before they issue a CAS to the student. Sponsors are required to state the evidence used to assess the student’s English language ability on the CAS.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of moving to digital by default on the security of English language testing.

We have engaged the market to understand what capability is available to maintain the high standards of security and integrity of the test and have developed a robust security schedule and solution requirements to ensure this remains at the heart of the digital by default solution. Security measures will be assessed as part of the procurement process and assured during implementation.

What proportion of students obtaining a Student Visa for study at a higher education provider since July 2024 have provided a Secure English Language Test from an approved provider.

All successful Student visa applications from a Higher Education Provider (HEP) must demonstrate that the student has the required English Language.The Study Sponsor Guidance sets out the requirements for a sponsor’s duty for English Language assessment on page 31. It details how a HEP with a track record of compliance can self-assess English Language. If not a HEP with a track record of compliance, it details how students demonstrate their English language competence.Student Sponsor Guidance - Document 2: Sponsorship DutiesA sponsor who is self-assessing may use a SELT. There are no published statistics showing this breakdown.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the move to remote and digital by default English language testing for UK visas on the public purse.

Today’s Secure English Language Testing concessions collect all applicants’ fees with no return to the department to cover the costs of managing and overseeing delivery. There will be a net positive benefit to the public purse for this new HO ELT service.

Whether foreign language courses taught at UK institutions are proof of English language for visa applications.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate the required level of English Language for any visa application as per the Immigration Rules.There are a variety of ways applicants can meet the English language requirement set out on the Immigration Rules, including holding a degree-level qualification. Guidance on how a person can meet the requirements for the route they are applying under is available on the gov.uk website.

Whether her Department plans to hold a trial of the proposed remote and digital-by-default method of English language testing for visas.

As part of the procurement, we have undertaken significant Market Engagement that has already assessed the deliverability of the service and there will be robust processes for evaluation of bids and subsequent mobilisation that will assure that the service is secure, safe and delivers our intent. This will include significant IT testing including robust quality assurance testing and an implementation that follows standard agile delivery phases, including private and public beta stages with defined entry and exit criteria that must be met before progressing and scaling the solution.

What information her Department holds on the number of other countries that are using methods similar to the proposed remote and digital by default testing for English language requirements for UK visas.

Home Office English Language Testing, post procurement and implementation in late 2027/ early 2028 will be one of the first primarily remote language testing services for government, with significant benefits to customers, strengthened identity management and security and much greater visibility and control over the service for the department. The service will include proven elements of existing Home Office delivery including identification technology to assure identity, audit and assurance processes and robust oversight of services and delivery.

What proportion of Secure English Language Tests were obtained via remote testing in 2024-25.

The current Secure English Language Testing contract is one that was tendered and awarded for physical test sites therefore, remote testing is not currently offered as part of the Secure English Language Test service.

What proportion of students obtaining a student visa for study at a higher education provider since July 2024 have provided proof that they can speak English.

All successful Student visa applications to study at a Higher Education Provider (HEP) must demonstrate that they meet the English language requirement as specified in the Immigration Rules.The ways that English language can be demonstrated can be found at:Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules: Appendix Student - Guidance - GOV.UKImmigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix English Language - Guidance - GOV.UK

Pursuant to the answer to written question 78022, what proportion of the 7,130 arrests have resulted in one or more deportations since 5 July 2024.

The information you have requested is published at Illegal working and enforcement activity to the end of December 2025 - GOV.UK

If she will make an estimate of the a) number and b) proportion of dependent visa holders who are employed.

An estimate of the number and proportion of dependant visa holders who are employed is not available, as not all the required information is held. HMRC and Home Office have introduced a data sharing process to match visa data to administrative tax data. The Home Office published a research report on 12 May 2025 on the earnings, employment, and Income Tax liabilities of visa holders on Sponsored Work (Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, and Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility)) and Family routes. This report covers the cohort of visa holders (and their dependants) whose visas were granted between April 2019 and March 2023 The publication estimated that at least 45% of adult dependants of those granted Skilled Worker entry clearance visas and 63% of those granted Skilled Worker extensions of stay had PAYE earnings in financial year 2023 to 2024. For Health and Care Worker dependants, this was 67% and 70%, and for Global Business Mobility dependants, 25% and 24%, respectively.

How many visa-sponsoring organisations are B-rated; and how many visas those organisations sponsored as of October 2025.

The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are B rated in the ‘Register of licensed sponsors: workers - GOV.UK’.Please note - published data shows the number of licensed sponsors over time but does not include the number of visas associated with each organisation. The Home Office publishes data on the number of visas sponsored by organisations over the past 10 years, as well as data since 4 July 2024, in the ‘Migration transparency data - GOV.UK’.Data on the number of visas sponsored by licensed organisations is published in table SP_01 of the ‘Sponsorship transparency data: July to September 2025’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2014 Q1 up to the end of 2025 Q3.

If she will make an estimate of the average number of dependent visas sponsored by Minister of Religion visa holders.

The Home Office publishes data on dependants sponsored by holders of Minister of Religion visas in the ‘Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK’.Data on dependants sponsored by holders of Minister of Religion visas is published in table Data_Vis_D02 of the ‘Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets, year ending September 2025’.