New UK Immigration Laws to Impact TEFL Teachers

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New rules to be brought forward by ministers will require all non-EU immigrants marrying British citizens to have a basic command of English before they are allowed to live in the UK.

Dingwall, Ross-Shire, June 16, 2010 (PressReleasePoint) -- New rules to be brought forward by ministers will require all non-EU immigrants marrying British citizens to have a basic command of English before they are allowed to live in the UK.

Applications will not be approved unless immigrants can prove they have a certain level of English and the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has stated that “this is only the first step” and the government plans to further tighten language requirements in the future. It has been estimated that the measures would reduce applications by 10%.

The plans have faced some criticism from groups claiming that they are not necessary with Hina Majid from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants claiming that they “will tear migrant families apart”.

Once an application is approved a two year visa would be granted, after which immigrants can apply to stay but will have to sit a test on British life and language. Teachers of English as a foreign language may benefit from the government’s plans to promote a higher level of English amongst immigrants, particularly if there are intentions to introduce further changes to language requirements.

TEFL Scotland co-founder, Joe Hallwood, states that his company are in a good position to respond to a potential increase in the number of people requiring English tuition: “We’ve seen a 23% increase in the number of people wanting to teach in the UK rather than abroad and we’re well placed to train further teachers using our online ESOL course which enables people to teach in the UK”.

59,000 people from outside the EU were granted a visa to live in the UK with their partner last year and while this number is likely to decrease if immigrants are required to pass an English test it is probable that within the UK there will be an increase in demand for TEFL teachers.

About TEFL Scotland:
TEFL Scotland Ltd is the foremost TEFL course provider in Scotland and also the most accredited in the UK. It was recently winner of HBWCs Most Enterprising Business of the Year award and has trained over 2,000 students in the last twelve months. All graduates are offered a recruitment service for paid teaching positions in several countries in Asia and Europe and are trained by a team with over 25 years teaching and training experience.
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