Migrants who move to Britain for living and working purposes will face stricter requirements to have significantly improved English skills as part of a new rigorous measure proposed by Sir
Keir Starmer
‘s
Labour
government.
Next week, as part of a comprehensive reform of the immigration system set to be detailed in an upcoming white paper, government officials plan to require that foreign employees demonstrate a substantially better command of the English language before they can obtain a UK visa.
Currently, migrants are required to demonstrate only a fundamental understanding of the language, which equates to a GCSE-level qualification; however, this standard is now considered inadequate for effective integration into British society.
The updated proposals will elevate the standards to a much higher degree, akin to an A-level qualification, requiring candidates to possess strong speaking skills and the ability to articulate themselves effectively when addressing intricate subjects.
This step follows growing demands for Labour to address Britain’s highest ever net migration figure of 728,000 recorded last year.
The government aims to reintegrate over 9 million individuals presently unemployed in the UK back into employment.
According to reports, under the revised proposals, migrants will clearly be informed that they must make significant contributions to enter Britain—this includes acquiring knowledge of the English language and adopting British values.
It is clear that individuals granted asylum must achieve a higher level of proficiency in English prior to being eligible for permanent residency—typically following a period of five years.
The upcoming immigration blueprint will also set out tougher checks on English knowledge and is expected to include measures to ensure new arrivals are aligned with ‘British values’ such as democracy, religious tolerance and respect for the law. But ministers are still working on how this will be tested in practice.
At present, inquiries regarding British values are solely included in the ‘Life in the UK’ exam, which individuals must undertake once they have resided in the nation for multiple years.
As part of an ongoing effort to reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign labor, British companies will receive guidance emphasizing the importance of investing in local workforce development.
Sectors experiencing labor shortages such as engineering, technology, and construction will be required to increase their number of apprenticeships. If they fail to do so, they might lose the ability to employ foreign workers.
Every sector will receive tailored workforce strategies, monitored by respective departments, designed to enhance skill development and hiring within the UK.
The shake-up is also expected to include a frank admission by the Prime Minister that the points-based immigration system introduced after Brexit has failed to deliver what was promised.
A senior government insider told The Times that the plans will ‘take tighter control to deliver a system that is controlled, selective and fair’.
But the plans have already been dismissed by the Conservatives as too little, too late.
Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, criticized Labour’s strategy, calling it ‘superficial adjustments’ that will not prevent immigration from increasing.
Labour will yet again be tweaking the system through another superficial declaration that will have minimal real impact.
If their intention was genuinely to reduce immigration levels, they would support the Conservative Party’s suggestions that we plan to push for debate in Parliament next Monday: implementing an annually binding parliamentary decision to establish a limit on migration numbers, removing the Human Rights Act from issues related to immigration to prevent ridiculous claims being made in British courts, and increasing the minimum wage requirement for immigrants universally.
This announcement follows warnings from fiscal monitors that the expense for housing asylum seekers, which includes accommodations in hotels, is expected to amount to £15 billion for taxpayers over a decade.
The total cost has exceeded three times the initial projection made by the Home Office, according to data released by the National Audit Office (NAO).
The contracts were initially projected to cost £4.5 billion over a ten-year span starting in 2019; however, they are now anticipated to total £15.3 billion during the same timeframe due to the explosion of the Channel crisis.
This indicates that, on average, taxpayers will incur an expenditure of £4,191,780 per day for housing asylum seekers throughout the duration of these contracts.
A separate breakdown from the NAO showed overall costs in 2024-25 were £1.67billion.
That amounted to £4,567,123 a day on average, or £3,172 a minute.
The government’s official auditors stated that asylum hotels could potentially yield higher profits for companies with the contracts compared to other forms of accommodation.
The Home Office granted the contracts to three providers — Clearsprings Ready Homes, Mears Group, and Serco — with each operating across two or three regions of the UK.
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