scribe123

Well, that's our IELTS application forms filled out and sent off... or at least they will be tomorrow morning, special delivery to get there Monday. Called today and the earliest exam date is the 8th Oct, and there were only 14 places left.

6 weeks until the test, and assuming we pass another 2 weeks to get the certificate. So that's 8 weeks until we can submit the FSW application (hopefully we can have all the other documentation in place by then).

As it stood a few days ago, my wife's FSW occupation category has had 252 applicants. I really hope they don't get a glut of new applications over the next month or so

We are both really excited and on a bit of a high now we are putting things in place to apply for PR. Many, many thanks to Christmasoompa, for stating the obvious and pointing out that we may qualify for FSW. We were looking at the TWP route and missed an obvious flaw in our logic about not qualifying for FSW.

Christmasoompa - Our target is the Calgary area of Alberta, so if that's where you live, the drinks are on us if our application is a success!

Cheers

Chris

christmasoompa

Awwww, shucks. Glad to have helped.

Just one thing, you say 'assuming we pass', but you are aware that only your wife needs to take the IELTS?

scribe123

Thanks for pointing that out.

Just looking through the document checklist and for each section on the list before the language proficiency test, it explicitly states whether it applies to the principal applicant, the spouse or common law partner, or both. The section about the language tests isn't specific like that so we just assumed that all adults on the application would need to do the test.

It also says 'Applicants' - Would that be applicants as in the collective, or all people on this application (that's rhetorical btw).

I guess the ambiguity is confusing. I have friends who are applying from Canada where the husband is principal applicant, but both he and his wife took the tests.

Cheers

Chris

Geordie Lass

Hi

Just clarifying... you do know the difference between PR and going over on a TWP and going in on FSW under the NOC list...???

(Only took me about a month to figure it out with a lot of help from yes... you guessed it christmasoompa!)

scribe123

Just replied to your PM.

As you will read, a lot has changed in a shot space of time.

Chris

Canuck Fan

Sitting my ielts exam today in fact, written tests done this morning, just waiting to go in for the spoken test.

scribe123

Canuck Fan

Well I just made a right mess of that

Geordie Lass

Which bit? the spoken bit?

Hubby just got his results back... spoken was his best score. Am sure you will have done a lot better than you thought??? Hope so anyway...

christmasoompa

Nope, it's only the principal applicant - it's for point purposes, so dependents don't need it.

Oh bum. Did you get the revision material after all as recommended after your last post about it?

trevorandjo york

Hi New to the site today, just surprised anyone is buying books, we went to the library obtained all 4 IELTS books and as a result, my wife acheived 8.5 across all 4 tests. Get them for free, you pay your council tax for something.

trevorandjo york

Chris, get your books from the Library, Jo did her test three weeks ago and got 8.5 across all the tests. Our completed signed forms are now with Brazolot for processing next week. We are very worried that we will not get one of the remaining 248 placed for RN, if you have to travel to do the test earlier, do it, we travelled to Sunderland as they had spare places, it is worth it believe me. Trevor

scribe123

Thanks Trevor,

Only Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Norwich, Peterborough, and Southampton with test places available for the general exam this year (other people reading and wanting to take the test this year may want to note that).

The only place with an earlier date is Cambridge (2 weeks earlier). The annoying thing is you can't book, or even reserve a place over the phone, therefore even if we did send in another application, there is no guarantee we'd get that date.

As of yet we're not certain we have a test booked on the 8th Oct as our application is in the post. Called the centre late Friday afternoon and they had 14 places left, so we posted the application by special delivery yesterday. They'll get it by 1pm on Monday, so hopefully 14 applications won't arrive ahead of ours

helcat12

This was always going to happen when they made it a requirement for all FSW applicants to take the test.
The test centres have not increased capacity, it seems and there are so many more people taking it now in the UK, where applicants whose native language was English didn't need it before.

We travelled from Derbyshire to Aberystwyth last August for my OH to do his!!
It was such a long way we decided to make a night of it - stayed in a lovely little cottage B&B and I went to see dolphins at New Quay while he sat the test.

trevorandjo york

Just remenber, you are trying to get one of he 500 RN NOC's, take it as early as possible, or you could be waiting until next year or looking for another route in via a job offer. Stressfull isn't it, once you make your mindup to go, the stress builds. Luckily, like me, you have a partner with a soughtafter qualification. With luck we should be ok. Keep in touch and perhaps we can help each other through this. This is a great site by the way.