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Migrants who want to come to the UK for work will have to speak fluent English under Labour’s latest immigration crackdown.
Under plans due to be published next week, people applying for a UK work visa will have to demonstrate they can speak English to A-level standard.
Home Office officials have decided that the current standard, which is equivalent to a foreign language GCSE, is too low for people to fully integrate.
The new standard, equivalent to a foreign language A-level, will allow people to express themselves “fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions”, The Times first reported.
Applicants will also have to demonstrate the ability to write detailed text on complex subjects.
Responding to the reports on Thursday, the prime minister’s spokesperson said the government was focussed on “bringing down the last government’s record high and tackling the root causes behind it”.
“The immigration white paper will set out a bold package of measures to do just that. Language, being able to communicate are central parts of integration," they added.
The government’s immigration white paper is due to be published next week and is also expected to include plans to restrict asylum seekers’ ability to stay in the UK due to family connections.
A senior government source told The Sun that lawyers were “weaponising” Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to claim that people should stay in the UK because of their right to a family life.
They said: “The ECHR has taken the mickey for far too long and we will change the law to give primacy to our sovereign parliament.”
Further restrictions on students and workers bringing dependents to the UK are also expected.
Visa applications from certain nationalities, who are deemed most likely to overstay and claim asylum in the UK, could also be restricted under the plans.
It comes after concerns that many people who come to the UK on work or study visas are later lodging claims for asylum, and living in Home Office hotels until their claims are decided - at a huge cost to the taxpayer.
The white paper will be seen as a chance to show voters that Labour is serious about bringing down levels of immigration.
The party is reeling from poor results at the local elections, which saw Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration party Reform UK take control of 10 local councils and add a fifth MP to its ranks.
Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, admitted on Wednesday that Labour faces a “generational” battle against “a nationalist politics of the right”.
A government spokesperson said: “Under our Plan for Change, our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system, linking immigration, skills and visa systems to grow our domestic workforce, end reliance on overseas labour and boost economic growth.”
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