[lg policy] Britain ’s new romance language is English

[Harold Schiffman]

Britain’s new romance language is English


LONDON: Love may have its own language — but that’s not good enough
for the British government. It wants English, too. Starting this fall,
the spouse of a citizen who is coming from outside the European Union
and wants to live in Britain will have to prove he or she has a basic
command of English. The move, announced Wednesday by the new
Conservative government of Prime Minister David Cameron, comes as
countries across Europe tighten their rules on immigration amid rising
unemployment rates and concerns about the ability of newcomers to
integrate. The famously tolerant Netherlands was holding an election
Wednesday in which a far-right party that wants to ban all immigration
from nonwestern countries has a shot at doubling its seats in
Parliament.

In Britain, the government is casting the new policy as an effort to
promote integration — not to keep out foreigners. “I believe being
able to speak English should be a prerequisite for anyone who wants to
settle here,” Home Secretary Theresa May said in a statement. “The new
English requirement for spouses will help promote integration, remove
cultural barriers and protect public services.” Couples already have
to meet other criteria, like proving their marriage is genuine and
demonstrating they can support themselves financially. And language
tests are required for skilled workers and people applying for
permanent residency or citizenship.

The changes to Britain’s rules follow a hard-fought general election
campaign in which immigration policy was a key, and contentious,
issue. The new measures have been  criticized by civil libertarians,
lawyers, and activists. Some say the changes discriminate against
people from countries with few English speaking traditions, such as in
Africa and Asia. Others call them an intrusion into citizens’ private
lives. Some also argue that English is best learned in a country where
it’s spoken everyday, rather than forcing people into classrooms
abroad, which could be of varying standards and potentially costly.
Spouses will have to show evidence to British authorities that they’ve
passed an English test with a government-approved provider.

Language requirements vary across Europe.

Some nations, such as France, require basic proficiency before
arrival, while others, such as Italy, are in the process of phasing in
a system in which an immigrant will have to achieve a certain number
of points through language and culture tests. In bilingual Belgium,
where language is a hot issue, Flemish political parties argue loudly
that language skills should be tested, especially for North African
immigrants who may manage to learn French — the language of former
colonial masters — but not the country’s other main language, Dutch.
In the United States, despite an increasingly vociferous movement to
stem the influence of Spanish and make English the only official
language, there is no requirement for a spousal visa applicant to
speak English.

Indeed, such a move would likely go against the grain of even the more
conservative elements of American society, where the diversity of
languages has widely been seen as a sign of cultural vibrancy.
Demetrios Papademetriou, president of Migration Policy Institute, a
non-partisan Washington, D.C. think-tank, said different viewpoints in
Congress would make it highly unlikely a move like Britain’s could
ever be adopted in the United States. “We also don’t focus purely on
integration, the way Europe seems to have latched on integration,” he
said.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokeswoman Kelli Fraser said
Canada only requires economic immigrants to prove their language
ability. Language is not a selection factor for any other immigration
category, including those applying in the family class. But some
Britons argue that it’s only natural for newcomers to learn the
language of their host nation. Dennis Weeks, a 38-year-old civil
servant from east London, said he wouldn’t be able to participate in
another country’s culture if he didn’t speak the language, so it seems
fair that immigrants to Britain learn some English.

“I don’t think it is a bad thing. I think to be able to properly
partake in a society and be involved with things with society, you’re
going to need to communicate,” he said. “So having a basic
understanding of English must only be a good thing, surely.”
Currently, spouses are granted visas which allow them to come to
Britain for about two years, after which they can apply for permanent
residency — which requires a citizenship and language test. “Forcing
husbands and wives to take language tests before they even arrive in
the U.K. will rip families apart,” said Hina Majid, the policy
director of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, a
London-based advocacy group.

“These new rules are likely to hit people from South Asia and Africa
where English is not the main language. It may also hit women harder
and discriminate most against the poorest.”  Besides, cultural
integration is dependent on far more than just understanding certain
words, said lawyer Danielle Cohen, whose London practice focuses on
immigration and human rights. “Being part of a culture is a gradual
thing,” Cohen said. “Cultural barriers are not going to be lifted
immediately just with the command of basic English.” The measures were
first tabled by Britain’s Labour government in 2002. Last year, about
38,000 spousal visas were approved, and another 21,000 people were
granted permanent residency.

Cohen called the changes to the rules an intrusion into the personal
lives of citizens. “The problem for me with this measure is that I
don’t think the English language is a prerequisite for love,” Cohen
said. “If you can communicate in your own language, what business is
it of the state to interfere?”

http://www.pkliving.com/britains-new-romance-language-is-english
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