I doubt whether this programme has ever accepted a candidate from outside of the EU even if they were streets a head of the "standard".
Um? what does that have to do with a standard? and why should they be required to accept someone from outside the EU?
The standard includes proficiency with the English language, and the right to live and work in the UK.
If you have the right to live and work in the UK, then you're not "outside" the EU, whether or not you're inside or outside when you apply.
The result then, is that someone who doesn't have the right to live and work in the UK doesn't meet the standard - so they can't be "streets ahead" of the standard.