Husband Wants To Study Esol

[kp86]

Hi all,

Thanks to all the advice on here my husbands fiance visa and subsequent FLR visa were successful and we have been living in the UK for the past 10 months.

My husband now wants to sign up for ESOL lessons. I have contacted my local college who run them and they seem to think he would be studying as an international student. With this, I assume, will come a much higher fee than the already high (£630) fee. Has anyone's partner studied ESOL and been charged international fees?

The internet is full of conflicting info, some sites say he needs to have been here for 3 years, others say 1 year? I was hoping he might be able to start a Further Education course next year, but this won't be the case if he is going to be charged international fees.

Thanks in advance for any light anyone can shed on this topic.

[MAJIC]

This is strange information you have been given,

Esol with Citizenship attachments,are usually priced at £110 for a 12 week course,including the end of term exam,which on passing will give your Husband a CITY & GUILD at Entry Level 1.

The next Term Entry Level 2, is usually £90 including the End of Term Exam.

And so on.

I would cross reference the International Fees claim,with another Colledge,if I were you,especially as he now has FLR.

[7by7]

My understanding, which may be wrong, is that during the first year of residency he would be classed as an international student and so pay the higher fees. After he has been resident for one year he would then qualify for the lower fee paid by UK residents. Whether his residency period is counted from when he entered on his fiance visa or when he obtained FLR I'm not sure.

As Majic suggests, you should check out a few more colleges and see what they will charge.

Remember, if he wants to do an ESOL course in order to satisfy the knowledge of life and language in the UK requirement for ILR then it must be an ESOL with citizenship course; ESOL alone is not enough.

[Thongkorn]

My Wife has just past her level 2. The Local collage did the course. it was about £200. Because she has been in the UK for over a year, The Time starts from the Arrival date stamped in the passport. IF your partner has not it will be more about £600.The price is up to the College that you attend, the Government cut backs have started to take there toll. My wife went for 2 mornings a week, Monday and Tuesday, again some colleges may differ.At the end of the Course the teacher/lecturer should give the pupil a Letter to say that they have attended an accredited Esol Course. that should be sent with the course documents when applying for Indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Be aware the Boarder agency do check up on Students to see that they are attending. My wifes class has had quite afew visits from the Boarder agency to check visa statuses.

[potter09]

My Wife has just past her level 2. The Local collage did the course. it was about £200. Because she has been in the UK for over a year, The Time starts from the Arrival date stamped in the passport. IF your partner has not it will be more about £600.The price is up to the College that you attend, the Government cut backs have started to take there toll. My wife went for 2 mornings a week, Monday and Tuesday, again some colleges may differ.At the end of the Course the teacher/lecturer should give the pupil a Letter to say that they have attended an accredited Esol Course. that should be sent with the course documents when applying for Indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Be aware the Boarder agency do check up on Students to see that they are attending. My wifes class has had quite afew visits from the Boarder agency to check visa statuses.

As far as I know,for purposes of ILR, one needs to show evidence(in the form of certificate or letter) that one has attended an accredited ESOL course(with citizenship material) AND gone up one level higher at the end of the course. Certification of attendance alone is not sufficient. Also, I have not noticed anywhere(in Home Office's site) that it is necessary or mandatory to send "course documents" when applying for ILR; however, if that's the case, could you please, if possible, refer me to the appropriate part/section of the relevant page.

[kp86]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

I have since contacted two other institutes in my area offering esol, both around the £150-200 mark for 12 weeks so things are looking promising. They are getting back to me regarding fees. Hopefully he will qualify after 1 year of being in the country and not 1 year since receiving his FLR (otherwise we will have to put it on hold till sept!) but will let you guys know how I get on and any information I find out.

Thanks again, useful replies as always.

[SGD]

People should make sure they are comparing like with like. There are short term, part time (maybe 2-4 hrs a week) courses with fees of around £190, discounted to around £130 and more if on benefits and some places discount it totally. However, there are also quasi degree ESOL courses with near FT study which attract full time fees from hundreds up to thousands.

Then to make matters worse, the funding body has itself been abolished and replaced. During this process, it appers as though some of the rules were changed. Many colleges simply think the rules are the same.

One rule is to be married for 12 months. It does not stipulate where or in the UK for 12 months. Another is resident in the EU for 3 years. Some say benefits reductions don't apply if you are under 3 years but that is wrong as well if the benefit is in her name, which tax credits must also be (as well as his).

Overall, there is confusion and some councils are interpretting the rules differently in different venues, merely a few miles apart !

[Thongkorn]

My Wife has just past her level 2. The Local collage did the course. it was about £200. Because she has been in the UK for over a year, The Time starts from the Arrival date stamped in the passport. IF your partner has not it will be more about £600.The price is up to the College that you attend, the Government cut backs have started to take there toll. My wife went for 2 mornings a week, Monday and Tuesday, again some colleges may differ.At the end of the Course the teacher/lecturer should give the pupil a Letter to say that they have attended an accredited Esol Course. that should be sent with the course documents when applying for Indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Be aware the Boarder agency do check up on Students to see that they are attending. My wifes class has had quite afew visits from the Boarder agency to check visa statuses.

As far as I know,for purposes of ILR, one needs to show evidence(in the form of certificate or letter) that one has attended an accredited ESOL course(with citizenship material) AND gone up one level higher at the end of the course. Certification of attendance alone is not sufficient. Also, I have not noticed anywhere(in Home Office's site) that it is necessary or mandatory to send "course documents" when applying for ILR; however, if that's the case, could you please, if possible, refer me to the appropriate part/section of the relevant page.

Course documents being the Esol pass certificate. A letter to say that the Course is an Accredited by a bonafide college with an official stamp on it.

[skinnymilinky]

We have had exactly the same problem with my partner who wanted to study Esol in the UK. He is on a partnership visa, the equvilant of a marriage visa but by the September enrolement for college he hadn't been in the UK a full year. When we went to enrol on the course they quoted around £600 for an international student but also said as the course was full, places would go to those in their second year in the UK first, or preference would be to those from Europe.

It has been a hard year as he still struggles with his English and wants to improve and get a better job but we couldn't afford the fees! Vicious circle. Looking forward to September though!!

Good luck with yours!