World Immigration News

English lessons shouldn’t be an immigration test – why the UK’s new policy risks deepening exclusion

Release Date: 2026-01-13
Media: The Conversation
Summary: The article argues that the UK government’s proposed immigration reforms risk turning English learning from a bridge into society into a high-stakes “belonging test” that people can fail. It says higher language thresholds, stricter testing, fewer exemptions, and staged progression requirements for settlement/citizenship would make English proficiency a condition of acceptance—effectively a border—rather than a public good that empowers participation.

The authors warn that language learning is rarely linear: trauma, health, caring duties, work patterns, and disrupted education (especially for refugees) can slow progress, so a decade-long, benchmark-driven pathway can become punitive and moralising—where test success is treated as virtue and failure as lack of effort or “deservingness.” They also argue the policy is practically detached from reality because ESOL provision is already underfunded and uneven, with no matching commitment to resources like childcare, transport access, or teacher support. The piece calls instead for well-resourced, trauma-informed, learner-centred ESOL and assessments focused on real-world communication and civic participation, stressing that integration is a two-way process and linguistic diversity strengthens democracy.
Tags: United Kingdom

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