Settlement (ILR) under BNO Visa route after 1 April 2026

[Lilibet]

Hi Team,

I applied the English proficiency and qualification comparison from ECCTIS to meet the English language requirement for ILR.

I do not hold citizenship in any majority English-speaking country. A Bachelor degree was awarded by a US University in the USA; however, the location of study was delivered in Singapore via distance learning.
ECCTIS did not ask for the location of study when I applied.

The assessment of outcome from ECCTIS: Qualification comparison is bachelor degree; English level is majority English-speaking country – no English level required.

As the Home Office will ask for the “location of study” that I must declare in Singapore when I apply for the ILR.

According to the immigration rules Appendix English Language:
1/ Appendix EL 4.1: A "national" of any of the following majority-English-speaking countries is exempted.
However, I am not.
2/ Appendix EL 5.2(b): A degree or degree-level qualification "taught" in a university or college in a majority- English-speaking country listed in EL 4.1.
That I studied in Singapore although it was awarded in the USA.

My question is, to submit the above assessment outcome from ECCTIS, are there any potential misunderstandings or rejections when applying for ILR?

In my case, will the assessment outcome from ECCTIS be acceptable to the Home Office?

Thank you for the prompt reply in advance.

[zimba]

QLS is provided by Ecctis on behalf of the Home Office. If it does not meet the requirements, they will not issue you one.

https://qls.ecctis.com/

[Lilibet]

Good morning.

Thank you for your reply.

My concern is that ECCTIS never asked about my country of study and assumed that I studied in the USA.

The fact is, I have to declare the country of study was Singapore when I apply for the ILR.

Would you please inform me whether the Home Office will reject my application due to Appendix EL 5.2(b)?

Thank you so much.

[zimba]

No it will not

[Lilibet]

For apply Settlement (ILR) under BNO Visa route, my BNO visa will be expired on 14 April 2026. I applied the ILR, made the payment and received the payment confirmation on 6 April 2026.

My question 1:
Will submitting the requested documents after my BNO visa expires affect my application or constitute overstaying?

Question 2:
The requested checklist of documents:
1/ An Academic Qualification Level Statement (AQUALS) from UK NARIC confirming your degree is equivalent to a UK qualification.
2/ A degree certificate or official transcript letter from your degree which was taught in English.
3/ An English Language Proficiency Statement (ELPS) from UK NARIC confirming your degree which was taught in English.

My situation is:
- Can I upload the SAME screenshot of the Assessment Outcome from Ecctis for the requirement in 1 and 3?
- Due to Assessment outcome without my name on, whether is better to provide the booking confirmation from Ecctis to support the outcome?

Question 3:
Regarding the name on my degree certificate, it is not full in the first name, which does not exactly match with my current passport.
Can I provide the Statutory Declaration by a UK solicitor issued in Sep 2025 to clarify both names are in the same individual?
And, I suppose to submit the Proof of Graduation with my full name, which issued in Sep 2025.

Are those supporting documents acceptable for the requirements of Home Office?
Please comment and advise on the best solution to those issues?

Question 4:
Compared with the application of ILR after 1 April and before, the documents checklist is different in that I don’t have to submit the proof of residence and finance, etc. This is a mix of surprise and unease.

Together with the Cover Letter, is it better to submit the minimum documents, such as the council tax notice and tenancy agreements, in 5 years?

Although I declared the HMRC tax returns, is it better to submit the bank statements, as I have not worked for the past several years?

Thank you very much for your reply in advance.

[zimba]

1. Visa expiry is irrelevant

2. AQUALS and ELP are separate, I assume. Submitting a screenshot of those will be enough

3. You should declare all name you have been known as in the past. Providing any evidence is fine but not critical

4. There has never been a requirement to provide proof of residence at all. Refrain from making your own rules. You do not need to provide anything