Migrants to require A-level English to work in UK under Labour immigration crackdown

The Home Secretary said it was "unacceptable" for migrants to come to the UK "without learning our language".

She claimed that meant they were "unable to contribute to our national life".

Migrants coming to the UK on the skilled worker, high potential individual or scale-up visa routes will have to prove they can speak B2 level English - that is the equivalent of A-level standard.

That will come into effect from January 8 next year.

It is up from the B1 level which is already required for these visa routes.

For migrants coming to the UK on the skilled worker visa, they will have to earn a minimum annual salary of £41,700 or the "going rate" for their type of work - whichever is the highest.

For the high potential visa, migrants must be awarded either a university degree, masters or PhD.

This scale-up route is used for businesses in Britain that are considered fast-growing and require foreign workers.

However, only 116 scale-up visas were issued in the year ending June 2025.

The Home Office has said increased language requirements will also be in place for other visa routes, including on dependents.

Changes to the requirement were first reported in May when the Government published plans in the immigration white paper.

Migrants will need to express themselves "fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expression" and they "must be able to communicate flexibly in social, academic and work situations".

A language test must be passed by migrants wishing to come to the UK which is to be conducted by an approved Home Office provider.

The Government's impact assessment of the policy changes, published on Tuesday, shows an increase in English standards would result in an estimated decrease of between 400 to 1,500 visa applicants in 2026 to 2027.

Home Office analysis of the skilled worker route found that 97 per cent of visa holders could speak English at least fairly well before arriving in the UK.

About 69 per cent said they could speak the language very well.

In England, 18 per cent of adults between 16 and 65, roughly 6.6 million people, had very poor literacy skills, the National Literacy Trust indicates.

Work Rights Centre Chief Executive Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol said the change "demonises migrant workers and arbitrarily moves the goalposts on what counts as integration".

"The last thing anyone needs after a summer of far-right violence is more tough talk based on bad data," she added.

"By the Government’s own admission, most migrant workers are already fluent in English. Increasing English language requirements from intermediate to upper intermediate won’t make any difference to integration - this is already happening”.

Other Government plans include the time for international students to find a graduate-level job after finishing their studies being reduced from two years to 18 months.

That comes into effect on January 1, 2027.

Ms Mahmood said the country "has always welcomed those who come to this country and contribute".

"It is unacceptable for migrants to come here without learning our language, unable to contribute to our national life," she added.

"If you come to this country, you must learn our language and play your part."