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Hello all It appears as if this government is following Sarkozy's steps to curb immigrationfrom africa where potential spouses will have to travel to the capital city to take the language test and have an ADN test to prove their children are biologically theirs. There is a debate going on in the French Senate and I will not be surprised if this becomes a concerted European new law on specifically targeted communities. >>> James Simpson <[log in to unmask]> 06/12/2007 16:12 >>> Hello all I've just sent this letter to The Guardian. It might or might not get published - who knows. Best wishes James ****** The government's new measures to curb immigration from outside the EU (Smith seeks to restore trust in immigration system, December 6) include a proposal to require spouses joining their husbands and wives in the UK to first pass an English language test while they are still in their home country. The proposal is for people to prepare for, sit and pass an English test before they arrive in the UK. This means that only those with access to high quality English language lessons in their own country will be eligible to join their spouses in the UK; people who have no access to English classes will be ruled out. These are more likely to be poorer people, people from less developed countries, people from rural areas, and women, who tend to have fewer educational opportunities than men. It is wrong to insist that people show an ability to use a language before they come to a country, and is blatant discrimination on grounds of language. The government claims to be serious about cohesion and integration. If so, rather than presenting people with impossible language demands before they can join their families, it should be bending over backwards to provide free and accessible classes in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for people when they arrive in the UK. Instead, it has cut funding for ESOL and has made it increasingly difficult for new arrivals and more established residents alike to find an ESOL class. Yours faithfully Dr James Simpson *********************************** ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds. To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at: http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm To contact the list owner, send an email to [log in to unmask] This e-mail and any files that accompany it are intended only for the use of the addressee/s, and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or exempt from disclosure. If the reader is not an intended recipient, any disclosure, distribution or other use of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please delete it from your system and notify the sender immediately. Any views or opinions presented do not necessarily represent those of the College. *********************************** ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds. To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at: http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm To contact the list owner, send an email to [log in to unmask]