Britain moots tougher English test for new immigrants

New migrants will have to meet a defined minimum standard of English or take a compulsory course of the language and citizenship classes.

Britain is expected to introduce tougher English tests for new immigrants as a row broke over the Home Secretary David Blunkett's fresh attempt to outlaw incitement to religious hatred.

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New migrants who want to become British citizens will have to demonstrate a defined minimum standard of English or take a compulsory course of the language and citizenship classes for which those who can afford it will be expected to pay.

The tighter than expected requirement will come into force this autumn as a result of a parliamentary order laid by Blunkett on Wednesday.

The original proposal put forward by an expert panel, chaired by Professor Sir Bernard Crick, rejected the idea of a minimum standard and instead argued that new citizens should merely demonstrate that they had made some progress in learning English.

The minimum has been set at entry level three of the international English Speakers of Other Languages standard, which says that people should have a basic grasp of reading, writing and speaking English and be able to understand the main points of a conversation and deal with situations regularly encountered at work, school and leisure.