Can'T Pass 'Life In The Uk' What Options Do We Have?

[jmlparker]

Hi

We've just got back from my wife's third attempt to pass the life in the UK test, unfortunately she has failed again. Her existing 'further leave to remain' visa expires on the 01/04/2014, so we are running out of time.

Could somebody please advise us what other options we could use which does not involve passing the 'Life in the UK' test?

Many thanks

Jonathan & Piya

[MAJIC]

Briefly:

Assuming your wife can speak some reasonable English,a good option is to find a local College that does ESOL Courses with Citizenship Attachment Materials (which is all important)

Ask them to assess your wifes English,....assuming they estimate: Entry Level 1 (the lowest) they can then arrange to accept her for a ESOL Course and test her for Entry level 1,which will generate a City & Guild Certificate,or a similar formal qualification.

She can then attend the Course to take ESOL Entry Level 2,which is the required progression necessary for applying for ILR. (a step up from her original asessment)

To reiterate: your chosen college must be a College that is Approved for Teaching Citizenship Materials,and able to supply a College Document to that effect,at the end of the course.

Two twelve week terms of 2 hours a week is normally sufficient,but if a further term is necessary,then you still have plenty of time,to 01/04/2014.

As you already know the "The life in the UK Test" is difficult. And is considered to be generally a much more difficult route to ILR,which seems to be what you are intending.

How long this route to ILR remains is anyones guess,the rules seem to be changing quite regular,so there is no time to lose!

You can read about any new immigration laws on the UKBA Website.

Costs of ESOL Courses vary around the Country, £120 a term seems to be average,but may be higher in some areas of the Country.

Edited March 7, 2012 by MAJIC

[jmlparker]

Hi

Thank you for the response, unfortunately in my original message I entered the incorrect date, my wife's visa expires on the 01/04/2012.

Can we apply for another FLR? If so does she have to pass a test?

Many thanks

Jonathan & Piya

[Thongkorn]

You can get further leave to remain, 2 years i think, ESOL is the way for you. make certain that it is an accredited college with life in the UK material in the course, They will asses her, The first 1 is listening and speaking. that should not be to hard. The 2nd level is for reading writing, the college my wife went to help her along.Your wife would probably get the same helpful response.

Edited March 8, 2012 by Thongkorn

[falangUK]

Hi Jonathan & Piya,

Sorry to hear about the 3^rd attempt.

The life in the UK test is not a difficult test (need to get 18 out of 24 questions correct in 45 minutes, you get almost 2 minutes per question !).

You need to

1. Read the study guide or summaries
   
2. Do practice tests
   
3. Read the guide again
   
4. Do practice tests again.
   

Search for

Life in the UK Test - Free Online Training, Practice Tests and Advice

On google

Try the free 7 days course at

Sorry can't posts links yet

or try the image below

along with the practice tests , you will pass easily.

Let me know if you need any help or material.

Jack

Edited March 8, 2012 by falangUK

[Romfordboy]

The life in the UK test is not a difficult test (need to get 18 out of 24 questions correct in 45 minutes, you get almost 2 minutes per question !).

Unfortunate choice of words, considering the OP's wife has failed the test 3 times. Perhaps she does find the test difficult? But I think you probably meant well when you posted your comments

[bobrussell]

The test is difficult because of its content, not the language skills required. Much of the information required is pretty irrelevant to your wife so it is a matter of learning it. This seems to be the purpose of the test.

If your English is good enough for you to read and learn the answers you have passed. The ESOL route is almost certainly of much more use. It is very useful for building up language skills and confidence!

It is more time consuming in some ways but of more value!

[Thongkorn]

If you cannot read and write , with respect, how can you learn by trying to read off a computer. or |books.

[bobrussell]

Sorry it will have to be FLR which I believe last three years. This should give plenty of time to work on the English!

There is a lot of information that has to be learned for the LitUK test and £50 a shot. If English skills are day to day only most will really struggle!

[vinny]

A1 test required for a 2-year FLR(M) extension.

[a99az]

I feel for you and your wife. This test is so unfair, especially when you know that 60%+ of English people failed too when tested. Why not take up residency in another European country, as long as you have a job there, your wife can get a residents card that lasts for five years. She can then exchange it for a permeant residents card after five years in most countries. My wife holds a Spanish residents card and it only took two short visits to get it cost about just a couple of euros and a photo or two, now she can travel any where in the EU except England and Gibraltar.

[Billmont]

Hi Jonathan & Piya,

Sorry to hear about the 3^rd attempt.

The life in the UK test is not a difficult test (need to get 18 out of 24 questions correct in 45 minutes, you get almost 2 minutes per question !).

You need to

1. Read the study guide or summaries
   
2. Do practice tests
   
3. Read the guide again
   
4. Do practice tests again.
   

Search for

Life in the UK Test - Free Online Training, Practice Tests and Advice

On google

Try the free 7 days course at

Sorry can't posts links yet

or try the image below

along with the practice tests , you will pass easily.

Let me know if you need any help or material.

Jack

Good advice true and factual. I purchased online tests for LIfe in the UK and helped my wife with them and she just practiced everyday on her own. She passed first time. I must say after learing all about Scotand, N. Ireland Wales, the EEC my wife had more useless information in her head than 99% of British Nationals. I am certain that not many true British would pass the test but with the online study course and mock exams it is quite straight forward. Like with most exams after passing you can forget 95% of what you have learnt as it is useless information and will never be used. But that is life. Most Thai girls irrespective of education and back ground are very intellegent and just need help to get the confidence that they can achieve almost anything.

I think the the Life in the UK is easier than passing an English exam. Anyway I wish you the best of luck.

[cricketer]

My wife has failed this test twice getting 16 correct answers on each test. On her new application for an extension to TLM I added a letter from her boss and from me stating that the job she has been doing for the last 3 years involves talking and listening to hundreds of English speaking people each day. They gave her a 3 yr extension.

We are now approaching this problem more seriously as the thought of having to attend a college for 2 hours, twice a week for 16 weeks would be a real pain.

Ps. I think they will struggle to kick her out, this would infringe you and your wife's human rights, especially as she is in the UK

[Thongkorn]

My wife could could not speak any English when i met her, i taught her to speak English. She went on an ESOL course. took her level 1 and passed it. She then took her level two, She had help from other pupils on the course, also the teachers, lecturers helped her, she got her level 2. all done in about a year. Peasonally i think ESOL courses are the best, because they teach them what information they need to know.

Edited March 11, 2012 by Thongkorn

[sydneyjed]

My wife has failed this test twice getting 16 correct answers on each test. On her new application for an extension to TLM I added a letter from her boss and from me stating that the job she has been doing for the last 3 years involves talking and listening to hundreds of English speaking people each day. They gave her a 3 yr extension.

We are now approaching this problem more seriously as the thought of having to attend a college for 2 hours, twice a week for 16 weeks would be a real pain.

Ps. I think they will struggle to kick her out, this would infringe you and your wife's human rights, especially as she is in the UK

Would make a quick smart appointment at your local legal aid office...Make sure it's an appointment and also would be a good idea to also look up and talk to any legal aid immigration body that is around..Again there will no doubt be a waiting list but just do it quick smart..Many others who aren't even British nationals doing it let alone taxpayers..It's the least you deserve!!!Good luck!! Edited March 11, 2012 by sydneyjed

[Theoutsider]

Esol is the only other way but it is a lot more time consuming and if like my wife was a no go option because she was working full time. I would keep trying the tests, would you be able to get a further leave to remain? or is there requirements of a pass in a Esol? I know you don't want to be hit with the costs of another visa extension.

When the wife was doing it 5 year's ago someone this site told us of a free website where you could do mock tests. I forget what it was called but when I tried I failed 3 times then gave in a told her I did not have to do it.

A few of the questions are subjective.

Hope the best for you two.

[ExoticMatter]

Have hope, my wife passed on the 4th attempt. We thought the test is really difficult- there is a lot of potential questions and the syntax is written in a really sly double negative type way in order to catch people out. The Thai language doesn't have double negatives (or conditional tenses for that matter) and it really confuses them.

We did many many online (usually free) questions and bought books of questions, until your wife regularly hits that 21 or 22 (out of 24) level I wouldn't advise she do test again.

Btw my wife's teacher at the college paid to do the test(just to see-hes english born) and he actually failed it, can you believe that!

[jmlparker]

Thanks for all the replies and useful advice, we have time for two more attempts at the 'Life in the UK test', but I am also exploring the FLR(M) extension route, with the A1test, as one of her Thai friends recently used this successfully in the same circumstances. But finding a test before the expiry of the Visa is proving impossible, especially as the approved test centre's only seem to run one exam session a month. At the present time I am going to have to submit evidence of the intention to take the test and forward the certificate afterwards. Anybody have any experience of this or alternatively suggestions of test centres?

I've written to the UKBA (no response), I'm also writing to my MP and I will get some legal advice before we submit our application. In the past we have successfully applied for two visitor visas, one marriage visa and the further leave to remain, and have always abided by the conditions and not overstayed, so I hope the UKBA will take this into account.

In regards to the difficulty of the 'Life in the UK' test I am convinced that it is designed to build in a failure rate to get more money from applicants. My wife has studied hard, has a degree in Political Science in Thailand and using the official android app never fails to pass the example tests (she regularly gets 22 or 23 out of 24 in under ten minutes). But when she sits in the tests she says they twist the questions, and use words that are not used in the official study material. The annoying thing is that she works in a Thai restaurant in Dorchester serving English people (paying taxes), and I would assess her language skills as good.

We also live in a tiny village in very rural West Dorset, 99% of the population are White British, but she has taken this in her stride. If you were looking for a perfect example of somebody who has integrated herself into the English way of life you couldn't find a better example.

Jonathan & Piya

Edited March 14, 2012 by jmlparker

[rocketmanbkk]

Briefly:

Assuming your wife can speak some reasonable English,a good option is to find a local College that does ESOL Courses with Citizenship Attachment Materials (which is all important)

Ask them to assess your wifes English,....assuming they estimate: Entry Level 1 (the lowest) they can then arrange to accept her for a ESOL Course and test her for Entry level 1,which will generate a City & Guild Certificate,or a similar formal qualification.

She can then attend the Course to take ESOL Entry Level 2,which is the required progression necessary for applying for ILR. (a step up from her original asessment)

To reiterate: your chosen college must be a College that is Approved for Teaching Citizenship Materials,and able to supply a College Document to that effect,at the end of the course.

Two twelve week terms of 2 hours a week is normally sufficient,but if a further term is necessary,then you still have plenty of time,to 01/04/2014.

As you already know the "The life in the UK Test" is difficult. And is considered to be generally a much more difficult route to ILR,which seems to be what you are intending.

How long this route to ILR remains is anyones guess,the rules seem to be changing quite regular,so there is no time to lose!

You can read about any new immigration laws on the UKBA Website.

Costs of ESOL Courses vary around the Country, £120 a term seems to be average,but may be higher in some areas of the Country.

exactly what I was going to say, it seems the easiest option, maore time as you wife will need to go to classes an dspeak, read etc, reasonable English but the citizenship is incorporated within.

Good luck to you and especially your wife, it must be stressfull but she'll get there.

Regards

[rocketmanbkk]

I hear some of the questions are 'perculiar' in what they ask. I don't think they are in it foe cash but I am sure it's pot luck what questions come up, some are obviously easier that others.

Good luck.

[Thongkorn]

Maybe you should think whether she wants to work, or get her Life in the UK test, or ESOL course out of the way first. The UKBA will not take any Letter of explanation why You have not got a life in the UK test or an ESOL certificate.My wife has worked from week two of being here, she could not speak any English at all, The ESOL course help her along. With respect it does not matter what you think, the UKBA have set out the criteria for a settlement Visa and they will not change it.

[Guest jonzboy]

Jonathon

if Piya does not take and pass the A1 test prior to submitting her FLR application, then UKBA will refuse the visa BUT, given your circumstances, will most probably issue her with Discretionary Leave to Remain. DLR is a complex situation providing an ability for her top remain in UK for three years in the first instance but with little in the way of protection should something go wrong (e.g. commit a crime). I understand that eventually ILR can be obtained (after six years) but details of how are a bit scant.

This recently happened to a friend of mine.

[oldsailor35]

Thanks for all the replies and useful advice, we have time for two more attempts at the 'Life in the UK test', but I am also exploring the FLR(M) extension route, with the A1test, as one of her Thai friends recently used this successfully in the same circumstances. But finding a test before the expiry of the Visa is proving impossible, especially as the approved test centre's only seem to run one exam session a month. At the present time I am going to have to submit evidence of the intention to take the test and forward the certificate afterwards. Anybody have any experience of this or alternatively suggestions of test centres?

I've written to the UKBA (no response), I'm also writing to my MP and I will get some legal advice before we submit our application. In the past we have successfully applied for two visitor visas, one marriage visa and the further leave to remain, and have always abided by the conditions and not overstayed, so I hope the UKBA will take this into account.

In regards to the difficulty of the 'Life in the UK' test I am convinced that it is designed to build in a failure rate to get more money from applicants. My wife has studied hard, has a degree in Political Science in Thailand and using the official android app never fails to pass the example tests (she regularly gets 22 or 23 out of 24 in under ten minutes). But when she sits in the tests she says they twist the questions, and use words that are not used in the official study material. The annoying thing is that she works in a Thai restaurant in Dorchester serving English people (paying taxes), and I would assess her language skills as good.

We also live in a tiny village in very rural West Dorset, 99% of the population are White British, but she has taken this in her stride. If you were looking for a perfect example of somebody who has integrated herself into the English way of life you couldn't find a better example.

Jonathan & Piya

Lucky lady, what a beautiful part of the UK !.........Anyhow, i think that this test is rather cruel. Any Thai on a marriage or engagement visa to Australia is entitled to 500 hours of free English tuition at her local college of further education. I once worked on one of these courses and we had ladies from 16 different nations in the class. By the halfway mark, they were all helping each other and loving it !