Glossary term

SELT (Secure English Language Test)

A Secure English Language Test is a test on the UK Home Office’s approved list for visa and settlement applications, taken at an approved centre under enhanced identity checks and reported with a Unique Reference Number. Pearson’s SELTs are PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home; the other providers are the IELTS SELT Consortium, LanguageCert, Trinity College London and PSI.

Updated 23 September 2026

In plain language

The Home Office’s approved list. If the test you sat is not on it, booked as the SELT version, it does not count for a UK visa.

Where you meet it

A SELT report carries a URN, which is what the visa application asks for. Reports from non-SELT versions of the same tests have no URN.

What makes a test a SELT

Three things beyond the content. The booking is made for the SELT version explicitly. The test is taken at a centre approved by the Home Office, with identity verification beyond the standard test’s checks. And the report carries a URN that the Home Office uses to verify the result in its systems. PTE Academic UKVI meets all three; standard PTE Academic meets none, even though the questions are the same.

The gov.uk guidance lists the approved providers and the exact test names, separately for tests taken inside and outside the UK.

Levels and routes

Which SELT and which level depends on the visa route. Skilled Worker requires CEFR B2 from 8 January 2026 and is met with an academic-level SELT such as PTE Academic UKVI. Family, partner and settlement routes require A1, A2 or B1 in speaking and listening only, met with PTE Home or IELTS Life Skills. The gov.uk guidance also notes that in certain circumstances a candidate who failed one component may be allowed to sit that component again, and the IELTS One Skill Retake is accepted for computer tests at selected locations.

SELT results are valid for two years, and the URN must be current when the application is made.

The numbers that matter

Pearson	PTE Academic UKVI; PTE Home
IELTS SELT Consortium	IELTS for UKVI; IELTS Life Skills
LanguageCert	International ESOL SELT; Academic SELT; General SELT
Trinity College London	Secure English Language Tests for UKVI (in the UK)
PSI Services	Skills for English UKVI (outside the UK)
Identifier	URN on the report; quoted on the visa application

Worked example

Same questions, two outcomes

Two candidates sit PTE Academic on the same day at the same centre and score 70. One booked PTE Academic UKVI at an approved centre and has a URN; the other booked standard PTE Academic. For a UK Skilled Worker application the first result is evidence; the second is not, and cannot be converted after the fact.

What it shows: A SELT is a booking type and a verification route, not a different exam.

Tasks where it applies

Frequently asked questions

Which PTE test is a SELT?

PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home, booked as such and taken at a UKVI-approved centre. Standard PTE Academic and PTE Core are not SELTs.

Do I need a SELT for a UK student visa?

Often not, because universities can assess English themselves for degree-level study. Many accept standard PTE Academic for admission. Work, family and settlement routes require a SELT. Check the route on gov.uk and the university’s requirement.

Can a SELT be taken online at home?

No. A SELT must be taken at an approved test centre with in-person identity verification. At-home tests are not accepted for UK visas.