Following the new year, a new UK immigration law came into effect that has raised concerns among practitioners, volunteers, and community organisations working with migrant communities. Since January 8th, 2026, immigrants to the UK have been confronting a new barrier to settlement: an English A-level. This is the British equivalent to a B2 level in English, according to the British Council. Considering the British Council’s guidelines, immigrants at this level are expected to speak comfortably. However, the UK Government raised the level of English required from immigrants at the expense of future applicants. Also, now British college students – who are fluent in English – and immigrants are both expected to speak to the same level of English. We feel this is unfair. We believe, entry to the country should not require immigrants to forfeit their heritage.
But now any applicants’ case, for settlement in the UK, involves an assessment that tests their English: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. According to the UK Government, these tests supposedly help immigrants fit within British culture.
However, the new eligibility requirements risk reducing and deterring future applicants from living in the UK. Yet the current UK Government prefers immigrants to be fluent in English – to an A-Level standard, whereas past UK governments did not. But this change could disadvantage many applicants seeking to immigrate to the UK. In contrast, applicants before this change could have been considered with lower levels of English fluency (a lower grade at GCSE – British secondary school –
standard). So, the new law damages immigrants’ chances of settling in the UK, even if they need a new home. While the UK may continue to appeal to immigrants as a place to live, immigrants may now experience challenges applying for citizenship in
the UK.
However, current immigrants with British citizenship will be unaffected. While new applicants to the UK need an A-Level in English, immigrants already settled in the UK do not need to be reassessed – according to the UK Government. Every U immigration case is assessed within the context of when it is processed. However, concerns have been raised about how the new law could reduce immigration to the UK. For example, according to a 2025 UK Government estimate, as many as 1,500 visa applicants may not be considered between 2026 and 2027.
But the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, claims that immigrants without a B2 level in English are “unable to contribute to our [British] national life”. Yet we believe that this imposes an unfair barrier to immigrants. Particularly as, according to the
National Literacy Trust, 18% of British citizens do not have a strong English level. Around 6.6 million people have very poor literacy skills. But the UK Government is asking all immigrants to speak better English than a significant number of British
citizens. In summary, the new language requirement has raised concerns about its potential impact on immigrants to the UK.
References
Borrett, A et al. (2025). UK toughens English language rules for immigrants. Financial Times. Available at: UK toughens English language rules for immigrants Devlin, K et al. (2025). Migrants will need A-level standard English to work in UK.
Available at: Migrants will need A-level standard English to work in UK | The Independent
GOV UK (2026). English language requirement levels for immigration applications. English language requirement levels for immigration applications – GOV.UK GOV UK (2026). Immigration Rules Appendix English Language. Government UK.
Immigration Rules – Immigration Rules Appendix English Language – Guidance – GOV.UK
The British Council (2026). B2 English Level. Available at: B2 English level | British
Council
Written by Terrel Mollel