Migrants required to pass A Level Standard of English

[onceuponatimeinneverland]

www.gov.uk/government/news/migrants-will-be-required-to-pass-a-level-standard-of-english
Just heard this on the news. Is it me or is it totally mad? Especially when you look at the relatively poor standard of speaking, listening, reading and writing that exists already for those actually born in the UK rather than migrating in.

I'm presuming that applicants won't actually have to sit A Level English language as that would be even madder.

Or maybe its entirely sensible. I'm all for having a literal workforce.

What do other countries request I wonder (can't be fussed to actually look).

Yes I am BU - A Level standard English is the bare minimum
No you aren't BU - Its mad

Completely agree 👆

All those British people in Spain…

Maybe " they" should concentrate on improving the standards of UK citizens.

You're right about migrants having a basic grasp of English and also being willing to learn, but A level?

The difference being that Brits in Spain are economically self sufficient and are not a burden for the Spanish tax payer to support.

I don’t know the latest, but it did used to be funded - for medical, welfare and legal appointments.

Except people hate it when immigrants are more successful than the natives.

All of them?

And are all immigrants to the UK a burden?

THIIIIIIISSS!

Well I don’t. What a bizarre comment. Why do you think that?

Well I am an immigrant. This is my lived experience.

Worked, since 16. Moved here as a young adult in shortage occupation and worked since.... Over heard with regularity... I probably got my job because of a quota rather than skill. Or because there was a shortage because this country "doesn't look after their own" and that's why they allow immigrants like me in. I am the wrong colour. I am the wrong religion.

I'm only as useful as my tax contribution. Immigrants must never get sick, never get disabled, never get old.

Been far more successful than most of my British peers. I can never understand why those here who gave had every opportunity of this country have not had the same success as myself. Until I look around and see - I was always there the latest, educating myself further, saying yes to everything shit asked of me.

Not welcome when you're poor. Not welcome when you're midling. Not welcome when you're successful.

The vast majority of British residents in the EU are economically self sufficient - either retirees living off occupational pensions and paying for health insurance or people working in skilled jobs who are paying taxes and social insurance contributions.

That is not true of the vast majority of immigrants to the UK. There are indeed many highly skilled, economically self sufficient foreign nationals working in the UK. . There is also a small number of hugely wealthy immigrants who contribute enormous amounts to the Exchequer. These groups - particularly the second group - are perhaps better described as “foreign residents” as they are highly mobile and leave if the tax burden changes significantly.

But there is also a huge number of immigrants who contribute little or nothing while using the health care system and collecting benefits. Since they have few if any skills and little prospect of acquiring any this will not change. They are able to bring over dependants who will also never contribute which exacerbates the problem. Many of these groups are concentrated in the Northern mill towns where they do not learn English and inhabit their own parallel societies. Local councils in the SE also send such families north where it is cheaper to accommodate them and the problem is compounded.

It is not difficult to distinguish between these different groups of migrants to the UK. We need more net contributors and fewer net recipients.

@HeatonGrov

The vast majority of British residents in the EU are economically self sufficient - either retirees living off occupational pensions and paying for health insurance or people working in skilled jobs who are paying taxes and social insurance contributions.
That is not true of the vast majority of immigrants to the UK.
That is not true of the vast majority of immigrants to the UK.

Source?

Don't forget the put downs some people do whenever you say something smart or valuable.
"oh hahaha sorry I didn't understand that accent I thought you said >enter something stupid< haha sorry". Yet they understand you absolute fine outside of, for you, important settings.
I call it doing Marjorie.

You only have to look on Facebook or apps/websites like NextDoor to see that the standard of literacy in this country is abysmal. Sone of the posts I've read,I struggle to understand,they are so poorly written.

I totally agree that you'd hope someone moving to work in Spain would speak the language. I'm not sure for the Anglophone retirees in Spain the burden of inconvenience is all on them. I've witnessed some crazy scenes of Brits ploughing on in English and acting as if the person serving them is a bit thick for not speaking English.

Have you even done A Level French/German etc? Because this is still way above the level of understanding of a language that a care worker wiping your butt in future or someone picking up your strawberries would require. And not having it STILL does not make you illiterate.

It’s not A level in English, it’s B2 certificate in English. News outlets for some unknown reason are trying to spin B2 as equivalent to A level English. They can’t really be compared.

B2 is the standard in the rest of Europe to get permanent residency or naturalised so I don’t think it is that bad to require.

If I move to France or the Netherlands, I’d have to learn French/Dutch to B2 to stay.

Proud job-stealing Aussie migrant here! 😜

Vast majority of
huge numbers of
small number of

etc etc

Stats to back up your claims?

Yes. I have a B in A Level French.

Well as this is social media and not academia I have not written an essay with footnotes.

But:

For statistics on the British population in the EU look at the ONS who draw their stats from Eurostat.

For foreign billionaires look at the Sunday Times Rich list.

And for the huge numbers of non contributors, take a trip round the Northern Mill towns.

You can of course live in France for many years and never manage to speak a word of french.

I think acquiring a reasonable standard of English B2 or whatever as not sure what level that is. However I think a greater concern is around assimilating into British culture, no.1 on my list is understanding and upholding women's rights. I read with concern the guardian article around the park run "for men, boys and girls under 12years." By a mosque in East London (or may be the feminism thread)
No segregated schools should be paid for at the tax payers expense. No fringe teaching of one religion at the expense of others.
Well those for starters.

I didn't remember A level English language being offered, and I went to a Grammar school, so the kind of place that you would expect to offer it if it was a thing. So I looked up the syllabus and it is more like the linguistics that I did at Uni.... About language changing over time, in different contexts and geographical areas. Fascinating but no real use to migrants. I was wondering why "A-level" rather than B1, B2 etc and I see a PP says it is actually B2 which seems fair enough to me, although it is easier to gain fluency when you live in the country (if you make the effort, rather than staying in your "ghetto"), so perhaps B1 for a first visa then B2 for a renewal or citizenship would be more logical.

I’m not sure the news outlets can be blamed for the spin when that’s the wording they’ve got on the gov.uk website linked in the OP.

I think it’s perfectly reasonable to insist that those moving here are fluent. Not sure A level English standard is the best measure.