At the beginning of the week, Downing Street confirmed information circulated by the British press the day before: all those arriving in the United Kingdom to take up skilled work will have to pass an English language exam.
The initiative comes from Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Observers link it to a general tightening of the screws in the country: according to the Sunday Telegraph, Brown is gradually leaning toward the right-wing circles of the political spectrum. This is evidenced, in particular, by his recent statements about a possible revision of the status of marijuana. In 2004, marijuana in the UK was reclassified as a ‘less serious’ category of drugs. However, recently the head of government announced the possibility of reversing that decision and returning cannabis to a higher danger class of substances. In July, opponents of the prime minister recall, Brown, without consulting the cabinet, abandoned his predecessor Tony Blair's plans to build a supercasino in Manchester and turn the largest metropolis of the British North into Las Vegas.
Others, primarily representatives of the opposition Conservative Party, see in Brown's latest initiative only pro-British rhetoric that will have no real impact on immigration rates. Finally, business representatives fear that measures restricting the influx of foreigners into the UK could slow economic growth.
According to British immigration law, workers from non-European Union countries are divided into three categories: highly skilled, skilled, and unskilled. Applying for permanent residence in the country, as Reuters clarifies, is allowed only for the first two categories. At the same time, highly skilled employees have long been required to prove that they have a sufficiently high level of English. Thus, the new measure will only affect the middle category.
The initiative is to be made public after Brown announces it in a speech at the trade union congress. Moreover, a twist that could become a sensation is not excluded — in his speech, the prime minister may declare that the language test will also be mandatory for the third, low-skilled category of workers.
Over the past year, 96,000 foreign workers who fall under the definition of ‘skilled’ entered the UK. Of those, 35,000 would certainly have failed the language test, claims a Sunday Telegraph source in the British government. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith firmly supports Brown's position: ‘Those we invite to the United Kingdom and who settle here permanently must understand our traditions and feel part of our common national culture. They must assimilate into the country, learn English, and speak it.’
David Frost, Director-General of the British Chambers of Commerce, in turn, says he is concerned about these measures. ‘In recent years, migrants have ensured steady growth of the British economy. They possess professional skills and a work ethic that many young Britons simply lack,’ the official states. ‘Of course, knowledge of the language is important, but I would not like those who want to work here and contribute to the growth of our economy to be forced to apply their talents and knowledge in other countries.’
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