Sixteen months of coronavirus restrictions combined with Brexit has had a serious impact on the UK jobs market, but there is hope.
According to the Office of National Statistics, vacancies advertised across the UK hit a post-pandemic high of 747,000 in April 2021. With many businesses struggling to find staff, there are some fantastic openings in the UK for people wishing to move to the country on a skilled worker visa.
Companies and organisations in many sectors are crying out for skilled staff, especially in jobs previously filled by people from EU member states. The challenge now is to bring back talent from overseas.
The UK government’s Skilled Worker Shortage visa shows what sector has vacancies that include health, IT, science, carers, architects, musicians, dancers, graphic designers and more, many previously filled by EU citizens.
If you now want to work or run a business in the UK, you must attain the necessary points to qualify for this type of visa. An essential part of the requirements for obtaining a visa is passing the B1 SELT (Secure English Language Test), which counts for 10 points towards the necessary 70 required to work in the UK. The B1 is the general English qualification, that proves you can read, speak, understand, and write English well enough to a certain level.
To achieve the full 70 points to qualify you must:
- work for a UK employer that the Home Office has approved
- have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you have been offered in the UK
- do a job that is on the list of eligible occupations
- be paid a minimum salary – how much depends on the type of work you do
- pass a SELT B1 exam
To pass the B1 SELT exam, you need to be somewhat fluent in English with a sufficient knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, have some understanding of sophisticated words and understand grammar structures. The SELT B1 tests are Government approved and can only be taken at approved SELT test centres such as those run by LanguageCert, an approved SELT provider.
LanguageCert is the awarding organisation that offers Home Office-approved, Ofqual regulated English language exams for UK visas and immigration. It understands that this can be a stressful process for some as the level of language ability for the B1 is quite sophisticated. With that in mind, LanguageCert has made the experience of studying, preparing, revising, and taking the B1 SELT as easy as possible, whatever your native tongue.
LanguageCert’s easy-to-understand explainer videos are freely available on YouTube and will guide you through the examination process. With proper preparation, you can feel confident that you have taken the right steps towards successfully passing the B1 SELT.
