Government raises English requirement for key UK work visas

Local TV Sport

Ministers say the move to A-level equivalent English will help ensure migrants can fully contribute to national life. Critics argue the change could exclude skilled workers the UK economy needs.

Transcript

00:00The Government is preparing to raise the English language requirement for many people who want

00:07to live and work in the UK. Applicants will need to reach a B2 level, that's equivalent

00:14to A-level English, before they can start major visa routes or move towards long-term

00:19settlement.

00:20It's very interesting. In opposition, Labour talked a good fight about the sort of things

00:25they were going to do, particularly smashing the gangs, bringing people over. That's

00:29not happened. It's a really difficult one. And indeed, the number of people I speak to

00:33sort of ask, why can we not defend our borders? Because of course, that's what Brexit is about.

00:38All of that notwithstanding, and of course, the most recent ONS statistics indicated that

00:42those coming through illegal routes, which of course, these days is mainly across the

00:46channel, constitute 44%, almost half of the migration to the country. And indeed, what's

00:51also worrying is the number of people, particularly younger people, who also desert this country

00:55for a whole variety of reasons.

00:58Under the new rules, first-time applicants on routes such as the skilled worker, high-potential

01:03individual and scale-up visas must take a secure English test to A-level standard. The government

01:10says this will help people contribute more fully in the workplace and in their communities.

01:16But others warn it may lengthen the journey to permanent status for those who need time or

01:21support to reach that higher level.

01:25So why are the label doing this? Well, it's in many ways, of course, they fear the sort

01:30of the reform. And indeed, all the opinion polls suggest that reform will sort of win big

01:34at the next election. They're trying to out-reform reform, as it were. And of course, the sort

01:38of the rhetoric has moved accordingly. The whole aspect of immigration has become a complete,

01:43not a mess. But of course, what really drives people sort of crackers, in my opinion,

01:47is the fact it's costing a lot of money. You know, we're talking so many billions of

01:51pounds to keep people in hotels and whatever else. And of course, that will probably cease

01:56by the end of the parliament. But nonetheless, where are these people going to go? In conclusion,

01:59what I would say is that we are sort of a multicultural society. We're, you know, made of many,

02:04many strands. There's always been freedom of sort of entry and exit, as it were. So, you know,

02:10the arguments, of course, of purism and nationalism, it takes us down a sort of dangerous route.

02:15But hey, you know, that's the sort of the argument and narrative that we're in. And the government

02:20need to sort of be really clear about what it is they're going to achieve and then stick

02:23to it. But it's going to dominate the sort of the politics up to the next election and

02:28probably beyond.

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