If implemented, the proposals would be far stricter than those in force in most EU countries, the US and Canada, says Thomas Huddleston, a researcher for the Brussels-based Migration Policy Group, who compiles statistical comparisons of countries' migration policies in the Mipex index.
"After these changes, families, including non-EU immigrants, would face some of the most restrictive policies in the UK with a family reunion ranking of only 27th of 31 countries in Europe and North America," he stated on his blog.
He claims that a testing regime based on the Life in the UK test would be equally detrimental to the UK's current ranking. "Mipex found the UK's current approach to be slightly favourable and flexible for learning English, scoring 68/100. Requiring all to take the Life in the UK Test would set unrealistic bars for many willing learners to succeed, scoring only 18/100"...
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Guardian: UK proposes tougher English language test for family migration
Thomas Huddleston
Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Group
Thomas Huddleston is a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Group, a European think-and-do-tank. He coordinates MPG’s research for European cooperation on national integration policies, including the second and third editions of the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) (published in February 2011) and the third edition of the European Commission’s Handbook on Integration.
