APPG has proposed that the English language Proficiency be made must for UK immigration
As an aftermath of the much hyped Dame Louise Casey report that got published in December, 2016, the All Party Parliamentary Group publishes a report where it proposes that all immigrants to UK should learn English before they get approved for UK Immigration. In case they do not have proper knowledge of the language, they need to undergo a compulsory language course ESOL (English for Speakers of Other languages) when they get inside the UK.
The Casey report
This is looked upon as a reform against the lack of social integration of immigrants, which is primarily caused by increasing language barrier. The findings of the Casey report highlighted the facts that several areas of Britain are suffering from lack of social integrity after they immigrate to UK and are struggling badly to cope up with the scale and pace of change, which is caused by the increased rate of UK immigration.
The Casey report had proposed that British values of democracy, tolerance and respect be thought to school children to ensure that the communities are socially integrated with each other. It also proposed that immigrants should be made to take the integration oath, wherein they would swear to uphold British values during their stay in the UK.
Jon Yates, External Affairs and Operations Director at The Challenge has expressed his concerns over the fact that while focus is tremendous on the number of immigrants settling in UK, there is little or no focus on finding what happens to these immigrants or their host communities once they settle there.
Aims of APPG
With this report, APPG has made it clear that they are looking at English to be the prerequisite for UK Immigration for immigrants to be able to engage meaningfully with British people. They believe that English is the key to full participation in their society and economy. With this proposal, APPG aims to foster the one country, one society belief, wherein immigrants and natural citizens of UK would live and integrate as one society.
In addition to the proposal of compulsory English speaking skills, the group has proposed new policies to govern the distribution of immigrants throughout the country, especially in communities that need a higher level of UK immigration.
How the new proposal affects the immigrants to UK?
The proposal has caused a stir amongst the immigrants of the UK as most of UK’s population jump over the last decade has been caused by increased number of immigrants to the country.
What would happen to Immigrants from Non English Speaking Countries- As per reports, 27% of babies born in 2014 were born to mothers who had non UK origins. This makes it evident that the current social mix of the country is certainly quite imbalanced and that is why APPG has taken a stance to bring in some parity with its mandate of making immigrants speak English upon their arrival in the UK.
There is an Integration debate still going on whether English language is a must for UK immigrants.
Related Read- UK Visa Crackdown on Non-EU Immigrants