While many countries are making their immigration rules and regulations flexible pertaining to people who want to immigrate to accompany their spouses, United Kingdom is just doing what seems to be contrary to the above scenario. The nation is trying to make the immigration rules stringent for prospective brides/grooms in India and Pakistan. The UK government is intending to introduce an English language test which would become mandatory for everyone in these countries to be able to join their spouses who are living in the UK.
The UK government’s intentions have already led many people criticize its move towards having the language test for the spouses. UK boasts large communities of Indians and Pakistanis and they have been an integral part of the British economy. The government’s aim to introduce such a regulation is a matter of concern for these communities since it would appear as hurdle in marriages for their children who would be making relationships with partners in their home countries.
If the move comes across as legislation in the UK, it is likely to create tensions between the UK government and the governments of the India and Pakistan. The government’s proposal to make the English language test compulsory for spouses who wish to join their partners in the UK seems to be a measure of the new Coalition government to have a check on the immigration level to the nation. The move has already been criticized as a racist approach, complete disappointment and sheer violation of basic human rights.
If the move passed on to as law, it would not applicable for people from European countries. It is most likely to bring obstacles for people who are immigrating from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The UK, even today requires people from non-English speaking nations to take up an English language test. But, the new move does not raise the question of immigration being harder, but raises the debate over the legitimacy of the new regulation. The UK government’s new rule is likely to conveying the message to the outsiders that ‘you are free to marry anyone, as long as they are educated and to some extent rich’.
