Get Your Pakistani Degree Checked for a UK Visa: Ecctis QLS Costs £210, Takes 20 Working Days
A Pakistani degree used for a UK visa is checked by Ecctis QLS for £210 in about 20 working days. Your university must confirm it. See documents and every step.
To use a Pakistani degree for a UK visa, you get it checked by Ecctis through its Qualification and Language Service (QLS) at qls.ecctis.com. Each check costs £210 and takes about 20 working days. If it passes, you get a Unique Person Identifier (UPI) code to put in your Home Office application. Your university, not an affiliated college, must confirm the degree is genuine.
QLS is the new name of what used to be the Ecctis Visa and Nationality Service. Ecctis runs it on behalf of the Home Office. We read the QLS website and Ecctis's UK government services page on 20 October 2026, along with the gov.uk visa pages that send applicants there.
QLS has two checks, both at £210
QLS offers two services at £210 each. The English Proficiency and Qualification Comparison confirms your degree matches a UK bachelor's, master's or PhD and states the English level it needed. The Qualification Comparison checks the degree level only.
Most Pakistani applicants who studied in English need the first one, because it lets an English taught degree count as proof of English. If you are not sure which you need, QLS has an online checker on its website. Pick carefully, because the fee is not refunded once review starts.
| QLS service | What it confirms | Typical use | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Proficiency and Qualification Comparison | UK degree level and the English level needed for it | Proving English with an English taught degree | £210 |
| Qualification Comparison | UK degree level only | PhD points for Skilled Worker, or HPI without English proof | £210 |
QLS names eight visa routes it serves
The QLS website lists eight routes, including Health and Care Worker, High Potential Individual, Indefinite Leave to Remain, Innovator Founder and Minister of Religion. Do not use it for a degree awarded by a UK institution, even one you studied for outside the UK.
There is a gap worth knowing. The gov.uk pages for the Skilled Worker visa and family visas still tell people with an English taught degree from abroad to get an Ecctis assessment, but QLS's own list does not name those routes, except PhD points for Skilled Worker. If you are on one of them, run the QLS checker before paying.
For a nurse or doctor, the check sits inside the UK Health and Care Worker visa process. For a graduate of a top ranked university, it is a step in the UK High Potential Individual visa.
Your university must confirm the degree within 20 working days
QLS asks your awarding institution to confirm the degree is genuine. If that does not arrive within 20 working days, the outcome is "Unable to verify" and the fee is not refunded. Some institutions want the graduate to contact them first.
This is where Pakistani applicants get stuck. QLS says it accepts documents only from the awarding institution, not from an affiliated college. Many Pakistani degrees are taken at a college but awarded by a public university. Your transcript and letters must come from that university. Call its examinations or verification office before you apply and ask how it answers QLS requests.
You upload five kinds of document
For the English check, QLS asks for your final degree certificate, official transcripts that are signed, stamped and dated, certified translations if needed, a Medium of Instruction letter from the awarding institution, and your passport or ID card.
The Medium of Instruction (MoI) letter is the university's statement that your course was taught in English. Ask for it on the university letterhead. If your name changed after marriage, add the nikah nama or another proof. Uploads must be clear colour photos in JPEG, PDF or BMP, up to 5 MB each, with all four corners visible.
- Get the MoI letter and a signed, stamped transcript from your awarding university.
- Create one QLS account at login.qls.ecctis.com, in your own name.
- Pass the live identity check, which scans your passport and your face.
- Choose the right service, upload your documents and pay £210.
- Track the order status in the portal, and answer any request quickly.
- Copy the UPI code into your Home Office visa application.
QLS lists £210, and gov.uk lists £252 with VAT
QLS shows the price as £210. The gov.uk High Potential Individual page says to pay £252 for Ecctis to check your qualification and notes this includes VAT. £210 plus 20 per cent UK VAT is £252 on our arithmetic, so budget for £252.
Pay by card in pounds. A Pakistani debit card works only if it is open for international payments, so check with your bank first. The fee buys the review, not a pass: QLS says no refund is given once it has started, including when the outcome is negative.
Why a QLS check fails, and what to do
QLS lists five reasons a check fails: the degree is not genuine, the institution did not confirm it within 20 working days, the degree is not eligible, you failed the identity check, or, for the English check, the course was not taught in English.
QLS also asks for proof of any name change, such as a marriage certificate. Most of these failures are avoidable. Line up the university's verification before you pay, and make sure the name on your passport matches the degree. Keep the degree itself in order at home too, through HEC degree attestation, because UK employers and later visa stages may ask for it separately. QLS has its own complaints and appeals process on its website if you think a result is wrong.
Common questions
What is QLS?
The Qualification and Language Service, run by Ecctis for the Home Office. It was previously called the Visa and Nationality Service.
How much does an Ecctis QLS check cost?
£210 on the QLS website. The gov.uk HPI page shows £252 including VAT.
How long does the QLS check take?
QLS aims for 20 working days. The clock restarts if it asks for more documents.
Can my affiliated college send the documents?
No. QLS accepts documents only from the awarding institution, which for most Pakistani affiliated colleges is the university.
What do I get if the check passes?
A Unique Person Identifier (UPI) code in the QLS portal, which you give in your Home Office visa application.
Can I get a refund if the check fails?
No. QLS says refunds are not available once it has started reviewing your application.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 20 October 2026. The two services, the eight routes, the £210 price, the 20 working day timeframe, the documents, the affiliate college rule, the steps and the failure reasons come from the Qualification and Language Service website and its service pages, which we read on 20 October 2026. The former name and the Home Office link come from Ecctis's UK government services page. The £252 including VAT comes from the gov.uk High Potential Individual visa page, read the same day; the VAT working is ours. We did not order a check, and we did not test how any Pakistani university answers QLS requests.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
