Please message us if you cannot find an answer to your question.
We don't know for certain but the UK government plans to run the new test from December 2026. This means students who need to prove their English in the near future should not delay an immigration application or English test on the assumption that HOELT will be available by a particular date.
If you need to meet an English-language requirement now, check the current Home Office guidance and use an approved test where required.
The government hasn't announced the format of the new test yet. Subscribe to keep updated about any new announcements. answer to this item.
You cannot start studying for the specific format of the new Home Office English Language Test (HOELT) yet because the official question types and curriculum have not been released. Current tests remain valid. Subscribe to keep up to date with any new information.
The short answer is: the introduction of HOELT does not mean that students should assume IELTS has already been replaced for UK immigration purposes.
The current Home Office guidance continues to list approved SELTs and tells applicants that they must take an approved test at the required level if they need to prove their English.
The HOELT programme is intended to replace the current Home Office English-language testing arrangements, but the new service is still going through procurement.
In March 2026, the IELTS partnership announced that it would not bid for the HOELT tender. However, this does not by itself mean that IELTS immediately ceased to be an approved SELT for existing immigration requirements. Applicants should always check the current Home Office list before booking a test.
It is too early to say. A change in the way a test is delivered does not necessarily mean that the English requirement itself will become easier or harder.
The purpose of an immigration English test is to establish whether an applicant has the required level of English. The Home Office has also made clear that maintaining the integrity and reliability of the assessment is a central consideration in developing HOELT.
Students should therefore be wary of claims that the new test will be "easy", "guaranteed to pass" or significantly easier than existing tests.
Until the final test specifications and assessment materials are published, nobody can reliably make those claims.
Remote testing creates an obvious question: how can a test remain secure if a candidate is not sitting in a traditional test centre?
The Home Office is aware of these concerns.
Parliamentary questions in 2026 have specifically examined risks such as impersonation, collusion, hidden devices and AI-assisted cheating. The Home Office has said that its procurement requirements include measures such as strong identity verification, AI-assisted monitoring and other technical controls designed to detect and deter cheating.
The department has also said that the successful provider will need to meet appropriate cybersecurity and fraud-prevention requirements, with continued engagement with Ofqual during the development and mobilisation of the service.
For students, the message is simple: do not expect remote testing to mean an informal or unsupervised exam.
A remote immigration test is still likely to involve significant identity, security and monitoring requirements.
The final fee has not yet been confirmed.
In April 2026, the Home Office said that the fee structure had not yet been set because the procurement process was still ongoing. It also said that the final fee would be determined as part of the contract and would be subject to parliamentary approval.
The Home Office has stated that a regulated fee is intended to provide better value for applicants and the taxpayer.
Students should therefore be cautious about websites or social-media posts claiming to know the final HOELT price before the Home Office officially announces it.