Planning to reside at the United Kingdom with your British spouse? Yes? Then brush up on your English skills, because as of this June, immigrants are now required to have knowledge of, at least, primary-school English.
This new law, according to Home Secretary Mrs. Theresa May, aims to cut down illegal immigrants, as well as to stop sham marriages, which is one of the reasons on why illegal immigrants are rampant. It is also required to have knowledge of Basic English as a prerequisite for taking on the "Life in the UK test".
Reports show that faking a marriage is one of the main causes on why there are so many illegal immigrants in the UK, and according to a BBC reporter, "it was a thriving business".
In fact, in 2004, there were 3,500 reported cases on that year alone. This alarmed the UK government and began to impose new and tighter rules for immigrants. The next year (2005), it showed promising results, as cases of sham marriages have plummeted from thousands to only hundreds. This was good until 2009, when the Law lords agreed that the new laws are a violation of the human rights, due to being unfair to all nations wanting to be immigrants of the country, and were ordered to be reviewed. The removal of the imposed laws resulted into an overwhelming 54% increase on cases with regards to fake marriages the next year.
As of today, only a few cases of sham marriages have been documented. And with the enactment of this new law, it will further cut off those trying to illegally immigrate into the United Kingdom.
Before, to be a legal immigrant, you must pass the Life in the UK test, have the necessary documents to be passed on the Home Office, and you'll get your British citizenship. Now, with the new law, before you can even enter UK territory, you must pass an oral test in your country (on an agency) representing the Home Office, and then afterwords, you can take the Life in the UK test (in the United Kingdom).
Immigrants who are currently residing in the UK countries are safe, the Home Office assures, as long as they have the proper documents, and the letter given to them after they pass their Life in the UK test. "It is a privilege to come to the UK, and that is why I am committed to raising the bar for migrants and ensuring that those who benefit from being in Britain contribute to our society", Mrs. May explained.
Mrs. May said, this is only the first step in combating sham marriages and illegal immigrants, as they seek new and implementing tighter rules in order to further control and limit cases of sham marriages in the future, that won't violate human rights. Meanwhile, the UK government has also stopped giving visa applications to other countries like Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, fearing that these visas / visa applications might help shady workers help immigrants to illegally enter the UK territory.
