Apply for QLTS waiver
10 January 2022
In order to apply for a waiver it will be necessary to complete our application form.
You should submit the completed waiver application form at the same time as applying to us for admission. You must do this before 1 September 2022.
Information you will need
Qualified lawyers applying for a Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme (QLTS) waiver must show that the circumstances of the application meet our criteria for granting a waiver.
The SRA replaced the QLTS with the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) on 1 September 2021. The SQE is the new single route to qualification as a solicitor of England and Wales. It is in the public interest to move to the SQE without delay.
However, in the exceptional circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have decided that where applicants can satisfy us that they meet the limited circumstances set out below, we will allow those with the MCT exemption to apply to us for a waiver of the requirement to have applied for admission by 1 September 2021.
We are satisfied that by doing so, we will be assisting in meeting the regulatory objectives – principally: c) improving access to justice and (f) encouraging an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession.
The limited circumstances set out below are not intended to include all candidates who have an exemption from the MCT.
Requirements for this waiver application
This application form should only be used for applications for waivers from the SRA Authorisation of Individuals Regulations who meet the following conditions:
- You have been admitted as a qualified lawyer in a recognised jurisdiction before 1 September 2021; and
- You have been granted a full exemption from the multiple choice test (MCT) part of the QLTS; and
- You have taken and passed
- the April/May 2021 Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) and there are exceptional reasons for why you did not meet our deadline to apply for admission; or
- the July 2021 OSCE; or
- the November 2021 OSCE, where you were originally booked to take the July OSCE and were subsequently prevented from travelling to it due to the UK Government preventing travel from countries on its ‘Red List’.
If we are satisfied that you meet these conditions we will consider granting a waiver of the requirement in Regulation 11.4 of the SRA Authorisation of Individuals Regulations that individuals must have passed the MCT of the QLTS assessments before 1 September 2021.
It is for you to demonstrate that you meet our criteria.
You will need to provide information or evidence to support your application.
If we grant this waiver, it does not confirm admission. You must also meet our other requirements for admission as a solicitor of England and Wales, including our character and suitability requirements.
Help with your application
If you have any questions before you submit your waiver application, please contact us.
How to tell us
Then complete the waiver application form and send it to us by email, along with your evidence.
Is there a cost for making a waiver application?
No, the waiver application process is free.
What happens next?
Once we have received it, we will acknowledge your application form within one working day.
We may contact you if we have any questions about your waiver application.
How long do we take to respond?
We aim to decide on your waiver application within 90 days. Where the waiver is for the Innovation Space this is normally 56 days.