Shocking £350m bill for English lessons for migrants revealed – ‘Insane’ | Politics | News
Shabana Mahmood is under intense pressure to cut net migration. (Image: Getty)
English language lessons for immigrants are costing taxpayers nearly £350 million, a shocking study has revealed.
Last year, approximately 168,730 people were enrolled in taxpayer-funded English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses.
Figures obtained by the Immigration Control Center have revealed that the Department for Education has spent £347 million on lessons since 2018.
The think tank stated that almost one in three Syrians cannot speak English at all or well, while 25.6 percent of Bangladeshis have difficulties with the language.
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More than 100,000 Pakistanis living in the UK do not speak English.
Critics slammed the “insane” sums, warning that politicians were “devising an endless series of ‘integration’ strategies that amount to nothing more than a morning cup of coffee”.
Zia Yusuf, Head of Policy at Reform UK, said: “This is crazy. British taxpayers have had to spend £347 million teaching immigrants to speak English in the last 5 years. 168,000 immigrants were enrolled in taxpayer-funded English courses last year, which is a 35% increase in 5 years.”
“A staggering 1 in 5 immigrants from China and Pakistan arrive in the UK unable to speak English.
“Why are we letting someone in who doesn’t speak English? The British people have voted time and time again to stop this madness, but the Conservatives have betrayed them time and time again.”
An estimated 898,000 people moved to the UK by June, while 693,000 emigrated – the highest level since 1923.
According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, net migration has reached a staggering 944,000 by June 2023, fueled by an influx of foreign students, a rise in the number of non-EU workers, particularly in the health and social care sectors, and the introduction of Ukraine and Hong Kong refugee visa schemes.
The think tank said there were “a total of 980,266 foreign nationals living in England and Wales who said they ‘can’t speak English’ or ‘don’t speak English well’.”
“This includes 111,000 Pakistani-born individuals, 104,000 Polish-born individuals, 97,000 India-born individuals and 73,000 Romanian-born individuals.”
Robert Bates, CMC’s Director of Research, said: “What a ridiculous waste of money. If people cannot speak English they should not be in the country. Asylum seekers would be better served by seeking residence in countries with which they are linguistically and culturally familiar, rather than coming to Britain.”
“ESOL languages have exploded because low-level politicians and Government officials have devised an endless series of ‘integration’ strategies that are nothing more than a morning coffee and teaching people how to say hello.”
Mr Bates fumed: “The taxpayer deserves better than this. The British people deserve better than this. It’s time to scrap ESOL courses and put money into improving the lives of British people.”
Minister of Internal Affairs Shabana Mahmood announced that foreign nationals applying for indefinite residence permit must speak English at A-level standards.
He said immigrants who receive aid must wait 20 to 30 years to obtain the right to settle.
And foreign nationals arriving in the so-called ‘Boris Wave’ face a 10 to 15-year wait for settlement rights, particularly due to fears about an influx of low-skilled workers due to abused health and social care visas earlier this decade.
The new rules will apply to around 2.6 million people arriving after 2021 but will not affect those who already have settled status.
