Requiring immigrants to speak english breaches human rights?

[peppekalle]

What is your opinion?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... uling.html

[December31]

Yes, I believe it does breach human rights.................Everything the Teresa May does is a little extreme and facts are tweaked a little bit........for example only 29% of Tier 1 migrants were doing unskilled jobs(most of which are Tier 1 PSW), but you see Teresa May saying a third(i.e.33.3%) of the Tier 1 migrants are doing unskilled jobs, which is the justification given for closing Tier 1 all together. In fact if you exclude Tier 1 PSW a very high percentage were doing skilled jobs.

Just to clarify, I am not against Tier 1 PSW, I understand that is uphill task getting a job without a prior experience.

[Bob44]

What is your opinion?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... uling.html

i fully support the home secretary's decision. if you wan't to live in rome you do what the romans do, it's never too late to learn. instead of moarning this lady should help her husband learn English and stop wasting taxpayers money refering this case to the courts simple as that.

[alekos]

What is your opinion?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... uling.html

i fully support the home secretary's decision. if you wan't to live in rome you do what the romans do, it's never too late to learn. instead of moarning this lady should help her husband learn English and stop wasting taxpayers money refering this case to the courts simple as that.

I'm looking really hard, but I can't find anyone who can point me in the right direction. English is not de jure official language in the UK. I've said it before, Mr. Chapti should just learn Welsh or Gaellic and he would be British by now.

The issue is settlement not citizenship. I believe it could be discriminatory to expect non-EEA partners of British Citizens to know a specific language before being able to settle. An EEA Citizen, sometimes including British, can come here with their family and language is not a requirement to settlement.

In effect, it could be discrimination against being British.

[mulderpf]

I'm looking really hard, but I can't find anyone who can point me in the right direction. English is not de jure official language in the UK.

I don't get why you keep going on about that - it doesn't matter that it's not a de jure official language - it is still the acceptable national language of the UK. All schoolchildren in the UK has to learn English, English is the language used everywhere in the UK, English is the language understood by most in the UK (and by most, I'm not just talking a majority, I'm talking fairly close to 100%).

The fact of the matter is, how is Mr Chapti going to survive in this country without being able to speak a word of English - sure, he will probably go and live in a community where he may not necessarily need to speak English all the time, but English is the acceptable standard for everything. Say his wife had to fall ill and he needed to phone for help, how is he going to explain to emergency services where to go? Say he doesn't pay his bills and gets taken to court, how is he going to understand the judge, unless, at the taxpayer's expense, they hire an interpreter? Say his wife goes away to India (as she apparently travels between the UK and India often) and he needs hospitalisation, how is he going to understand what treatment he needs or how to take his pills? The list just goes on and on and on.

It may be easy to say that it's discrimination against people who cannot speak English, but I simply don't understand how people can think it's okay to come live in the UK and not speak or understand a single word of English. It may not be the de jure official language of this country, but it sure as hell is the language that everyone speaks and understands.

[alekos]

I understand the points you make mulderpf, and I agree with them in principle. I also want integration and as a migrant I do try to integrate. I try hard to uphold the values this country stands for.
I am very uncomfortable with the British State meddling with the rights of a British Citizen to bring her husband to the UK to live together.

I personally blame the lawmakers, rushed and poorly written legislation. Certificate of Approval, Gurkhas, et al. Poor quality judicial review, to make sure new laws don't contravene existing obligations the UK has signed up for.

Over 600 MPs, 900 plus Lords, and Judges are almost every day finding holes in their legislation. Of course, it's the migrants we should blame, after all we won't get endless, relentless, grinding enquiries from them.

I think I've had my rant for today.

[sensitivesoul]

I don't believe it breaches human rights. If your going to a country to stay it's only logical that you should learn it's language. That way it makes things easier for the person whose learning it to communicate with other people and become part of the community.

Yes it does add the the number of things you have to do to immigrate to the country. Not to mention for some people it's hard learning other languages (my french is terrible!). Still I definitely don't see how this a breach of human rights when all they are asking you to do is learn to communicate more efficiently with those around you. They aren't asking you to abandon your first language or your culture that comes along with it.

[Obie]

I strongly believe it breaches human right. The right to live with your family cannot be dependant on you intellectual ability to learn a new l;anguage an read and write it it.

The Brits are the worst in learning the languages of other countries the are established at, why should such measures be imposed on other.

So long as the marriage is legal, i see no underlying reason to restrict the families right to be in the UK.

They can charge for translator, when these people want to access services, but to demand they learn english, before they could live as a family in the UK, is plainly wrong and rather dodgy in my view.

[Casa]

Sensitive Soul, you're Canadian, but consider for a moment how this will affect those whose spouse only reads and writes Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Farsi or Brahmin script for example. How long would it take to study English to the higher proposed level required before they could apply to join their husband or wife here? Some don't even have access to the language classes in their home country that they would be able to attend once they were living in the UK.
Discriminatory? Yes.

[batleykhan]

The British ruled the Indian subcontinent for over 200 yrs, but at no time did they forgo their mother tongue, dressed like the locals,or followed the Indian culture.

However at the present moment the British insist and demand to such an extent that that they are keeping families apart, that the same Indians speak English, dress like the British and demand that British social cultures are followed.

I wonder what happens to the term "Do as the Romans do when living in Rome" when it comes to Brits living in foreign land????.

The English test requirement for some people is nothing short of beloved and a breach of their human rights and a way of restricting certain immigrants from entering the UK.

I do however agree that prior to some one getting indefinite leave to remain on the basis they are married to a British citizen, makes no attempt to learn English should be refused. There is no excuse for not learning it when they will have opportunities to do so, unlike in their own country where the facilities might not be available

[Casa]

Well said Batleykhan. Let's not forget that the KOL test (for those with level 3 English) or the ESOL option are mandatory for those applying for permanent residency (ILR)..and was introduced to 'encourage' integration.
The spouse has 2 years to prepare for this.
Denying a spouse visa to someone who isn't able to achieve the required level of English prior to entry is a step too far.

[drjabberwocky23]

Casa's point was one that was mooted on BBC Radio 4 (arguably a more objective source than the Daily Hate Mail). This lady's husband apparently lives in some remote region of Gujarat and the opportunities for him to learn English somewhere both financially and logistically reasonable are limited. I don't personally know how true this is, but I do have sympathy for their situation.

I believe it is entirely reasonable for someone to have to learn English in order to proceed through the settlement process, but just in order to enter the country on a spouse visa seems harsh.

[mochyn]

As in immigration problems each case is decided on its own merits but in my humble opinion the length of time this marriage has survived makes the thought of refusal ridiculous