For Employers & Organisations

Is your team ready for the new B2 English requirement?

From January 2026, English moved up to B2 level for Skilled Worker and Health & Care Worker visas. Most employers I speak to locally haven't checked whether their hiring pipeline — or their current team — is actually ready. Take the 60-second check below to find out.

What actually changed, and what it costs to get wrong

This isn't a new compliance box for employers to tick — the Home Office checks each applicant's English directly. But it does create a real, avoidable cost when it's discovered too late in the hiring process.

From 8 January 2026, first-time applicants for Skilled Worker, Scale-up and High Potential Individual visas (including Health & Care Worker) must prove B2-level English — up from B1/GCSE level.
Care, logistics and hospitality have been named as the sectors most exposed — and most under-prepared.
If a candidate fails the English requirement after a Certificate of Sponsorship has already been assigned, the Immigration Skills Charge and visa fee already paid are typically lost.
Candidates now need 4–8 weeks longer to book, prepare for and sit the required test — enough to blow a fixed start date if it isn't planned for early.

B1 → B2

English level required from 8 Jan 2026

£3,000+

Typically lost per failed hire (skills charge + visa fee)

4–8 wks

Extra time candidates now need to test-ready

Take 60 seconds: is your organisation exposed?

Tick anything that's true for you right now. This isn't a formal assessment — it's a quick way to see where the gaps might be, based on what most commonly catches employers out.

We currently have candidates in our sponsorship pipeline who haven't yet sat a formal English test.
English ability is mostly judged at interview, not via a formal Home Office-approved test, before an offer is made.
We've had a hire delayed, or fall through, in the past because of an English test result.
No one is specifically responsible for checking English requirements before a Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned.
Some of our current team's communication — handovers, meetings, safety briefings, customer or resident interactions — could be more confident or clear.
We have staff whose visas are coming up for renewal or settlement in the next couple of years.

Looks steady for now.

Nothing you've flagged suggests an urgent gap — but this is worth revisiting whenever your hiring plans or team change. Happy to talk it through anytime.

How I can help, if there's a gap

Everything starts with the free check — nothing else is assumed or upsold from there.

Free · 20 minutes

Sponsorship Pipeline & English Readiness Check

A short, no-obligation conversation to see exactly where your exposure is — hiring pipeline, current team, or both.

For new hires & candidates

Visa-Readiness Sprint

A focused 6–8 week course to build candidates up to B2, run around shift patterns — online or on-site.

For your existing team

Workplace English & Confidence Programme

Ongoing small-group sessions built around your team's real situations — handovers, meetings, customer or resident conversations.

Years teaching English

Years focused on Cambridge & IELTS results

90%+

Exam pass rate

Book your free Readiness Check

No pitch, no obligation — just a clear, honest look at where things stand for your team. Twenty minutes, by phone or in person.

Email to book

Call or text 07838 285018