The British Council backtracked on a statement attributed to the UK cultural and educational organization challenging the validity of IELTS certificates of Iranian students applying for a UK visa.
It expressed regret and sympathy with Iranian students “who suffered from the news that the United Kingdom Visa and Immigration department (UKVI) does not hold valid IELTS certificates of Iranian students who took the exams in test centers in Iran, from April 5, 2015,” reported IRNA from London.
The council said it would do its best to resolve the problem.
Iran and the UK do not have diplomatic ties since November 2011. Protests at the British Embassy in Tehran by hundreds of students over Britain’s key role in the new set of western sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program and its meddling in domestic affairs, led to the shutting down of their respective embassies in Tehran and London.
Based on the statement by the UKVI, students who got their IELTS certificates before April 5 will be accepted till November 5, but the certificates would be double-checked by immigration and visa section.
The UKVI underlines that IELTS applicants can take the exams in centers approved by Britain’s visa and immigration department.
The British Council apologized for the inconvenience caused to Iranian students by the UKVI which deemed that the current IELTS test centers in Iran are not listed “among safe test centers owing to the absence of the UK representation in Iran.”
‘We do our best so that students in Iran will have direct access to IELTS tests as before,’ BC said.
IELTS tests carried out in Iran have the same value in terms of quality and standard with other IELTS tests round the globe and recognized internationally, the statement said.
British Council Manger for Iran region Danny Whitehead told IRNA that IELTS is co-sponsored by the British Council, IDP Australia and University of Cambridge, and IELTS is carried out under their supervision.
“We hope the issue will not make Iranian students disappointed with applying for academic studies in Britain as we believe that education and educational cooperation help bring Iran and Britain much closer through a better mutual understanding,” he said.
