Duolingo, the popular language-learning app, is currently in talks with the UK government about offering visa applicants a “cheap and secure” online alternative to the current approved test-centre based English-language test.
Currently, the test, which is required by UK visa applicants wishing to work or study in the UK, must be performed at an approved test-centre, but these aren’t available everywhere.
Test-centres currently only operate in 134 countries, meaning that individuals from countries such as, Guatemala, Paraguay, or some Caribbean islands, must travel to other countries in order to take the English-language test.
This can increase costs significantly for visa applicants, especially students who need to pass the test in order to study and to be accepted at the university of their choice.
However, Duolingo’s CEO and co-founder, Luis von Ahn, has recently confirmed that he is in talks with the UK government regarding plans which could see visa applicants being offered an online English-language test through the popular language app.
At present, the test offered by Duolingo is under £50 and is accepted at over 75 universities within the UK.
However, it is not yet accepted by the UK government as part of the visa application, but this may be about to change, thanks to Duolingo.
According to Luis von Ahn, the Duolingo test, first released in 2016 was a “pioneering digital-first, high stakes exam that is both reliable and more accessible than other English proficiency exams.”
The test is now “accepted by thousands of higher education programmes, and it is taken by hundreds of thousands of people around the world” in order to demonstrate their English-language proficiency in a secure and inexpensive way.
Even prestigious universities such as, Harvard, MIT and Stanford now accept the Duolingo test, especially since the Covid pandemic when education had to move online, and improvements were made regarding technology and security for online testing.
In the UK (the second most popular destination for international students after the USA) there are more than 27,500 students from the MENA region, and almost 10,000 of these are from Saudi Arabia.
Middle Eastern students account for just over 6% of all international students in the UK and all of them would have to obtain a visa, and prove their English-language proficiency, in order to study.
If the Duolingo English-language test is accepted by the UK government, it will make the process easier for students from the MENA region to demonstrate their language abilities and should help promote equality by making the test more affordable for all.
