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Is the Life in the UK Test Changing? The Reform Tracker

The short answer: no — not yet. As of October 2026 the Life in the UK test is exactly as it was: based on the current official handbook, 24 questions, 45 minutes, 75% to pass, £50, booked only on GOV.UK. The government has consulted on wider settlement reforms, and lawyers expect the test to be looked at as part of that — but no new test, syllabus, handbook or start date has been announced. Anyone selling you a course for a "new test" today is selling you a guess.

What has actually been proposed

The proposals sit inside the government's "earned settlement" consultation: the idea that settlement (indefinite leave to remain) should be earned over a longer period, with weight given to work, contributions and integration. Immigration lawyers analysing the consultation note that the Life in the UK test is expected to be reviewed within that programme — how it fits the longer route, and possibly what it covers. A consultation is a question, not a decision: nothing in it changes any rule until the government publishes its response and lays new rules before Parliament.

What has NOT changed

The test itself — same handbook (3rd edition), same format, same pass mark, same fee.
Booking — still only on GOV.UK, at least 3 days ahead, at the 38 published test centres.
Your result — a pass still gives you a unique reference number for your settlement or citizenship application.
The English language requirement — separate from the test, and also unchanged.

What it means for you

Test coming up? Prepare for the current test with confidence — it is the one you will sit.
Applying under today's rules? A pass earned now is earned under the rules as they stand; passes do not expire.
Worried about a deadline? Rule changes in UK immigration normally apply from a set future date and are announced in advance — there is no announced date to beat today. If that changes, this page will say so, with the GOV.UK source.

Timeline of developments

2025–26 — The government consults on "earned settlement" reforms to the settlement system; legal commentators report the Life in the UK test is within the review's scope.
October 2026 — No government response, new rules, replacement test or new handbook has been published. The current test continues unchanged. (This tracker's latest check.)

We check this page against GOV.UK and the consultation record and update it whenever something actually changes — proposals are labelled as proposals, and law as law. Sources: the Home Office's earned-settlement consultation coverage by immigration law firms (Blake Morgan; Connaught Law) and GOV.UK's Life in the UK test pages.

Practise for the current test — free

Last reviewed: October 2026.