Arrivals to 'need better English' to work in UK

THE Government will crack down on record high levels of migration in a forthcoming document, No 10 has suggested, amid reports migrants will need a higher standard of English to work in the UK.

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The immigration White Paper is expected to be published next week and is likely to include measures aimed at reducing net migration into the UK, which stood at 728,000 in 2024.

Sir Keir Starmer is aiming to counter the rise of Reform UK with a tougher approach to migration in the wake of his party's local election losses.

Migrants may have to learn a higher standard of English to work in the UK and wait for longer before they can settle permanently as part of the White Paper's reforms, newspaper reports have suggested.

Downing Street would not directly comment on the reports, but insisted ministers were "focused on bringing down the last government's record high levels of migration and tackling the causes behind it".