Migrants will have to learn English 'to A-Level standard' to get work visa under new UK immigration reforms

Migrants will reportedly be expected to learn higher standards of English to work in Britain and wait for longer before they can settle permanently under the Government’s new immigration proposals.

The immigration white paper, due to be published next week, will lay out Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to get tougher on migration rules in the wake of Reform UK’s sizable wins at the local elections last week.

Strict new measures under consideration are said to include raising English language standards required for people from abroad applying for a UK work visa.

They will need to have the equivalent of a foreign language A-level standard of English, the Times reported.

The qualification, known as a B2, means people can ­express themselves “fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions” and speak English “flexibly and effectively”.

Currently only a GCSE standard is required.

A Government source told the newspaper that the new rules will “­deliver a system that is controlled, ­selective and fair”.

Reports suggest that migrants will also be required to wait as long as a decade before they can apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Most people who come to Britain on time-limited work visas can currently make an application for indefinite leave to remain after five years, which paves the way for them to apply for benefits and a path towards UK citizenship.

The wait could be extended to 10 years if too much time is spent outside the UK after their initial arrival or if there are questions about their financial status, it has been reported.

The Government’s immigration white paper is designed to bring down record levels of net migration to Britain, which last year stood at some 728,000 people.

Similar plans to extend the waiting period for indefinite leave to remain were set out by the Conservatives on Tuesday.

Both the Tory "Deportation Bill" and Labour's plans to toughen its migration response come as both parties aim to win back voters from Reform UK.

Leader Nigel Farage has positioned himself and his party as tough on migration and they won hundreds of local council seats and wrested control of the Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary constituency from Labour on May 1.

Visa applications from nationalities considered most likely to overstay and claim asylum in Britain could also be restricted under the new Government plans.

Work and study visas for people from countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka are among those that could reportedly be curbed by the Home Office.

Under the proposed crackdown, applications from people who fit the profile of someone who may claim asylum and who are from countries with high rates of asylum claims will be rejected.

Work visa applications have significantly fallen since tough new restrictions on eligibility were introduced in early 2024 under the previous Tory Government.

However, asylum applications have rocketed.

Home Office figures show a total of 108,138 people applied for asylum in Britain in 2024, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

A Home Office spokesman said: “To tackle abuse by foreign nationals who arrive on work and study visas and go on to claim asylum, we are building intelligence on the profile of these individuals to identify them earlier and faster.”