The Home Office last Thursday filled in a few more details about a new English language requirement for family route migrants seeking to extend their stay in the UK.
Prime Minister David Cameron announced last Monday that migrants who fail language tests after two and a half years in the UK may be forced to leave.
According to the Guardian, Cameron said all those who entered the UK on the five-year spousal settlement programme would soon have to sit language tests halfway through that period.
"They can't guarantee they will be able to stay, because under our rules you have to be able to speak a basic level of English to come into the country as a husband or wife. We made that change already, and we are now going to toughen that up, so halfway through the five-year spousal settlement there will be another opportunity to make sure your English is improving. You can't guarantee you can stay if you are not improving your language," Cameron was quoted as telling BBC Radio 4.
On Thursday, a Home Office press release said that non-EEA national partners and parents on the family route will need to pass a speaking and listening test at level A2 in order to qualify, after two-and-a half-years in the UK, for further leave to remain on the five-year partner or parent route to settlement.
The Home Office added that the Government recognises the need to give those affected sufficient time to prepare for the new test and so the new requirement will not be implemented before October 2016. The Home Office confirmed that it will, therefore, not affect those required to apply for further leave to remain before then.
The precise timing and further details will be confirmed by the Home Office in the next few weeks and published on GOV.UK.
As news media noted, the original Home Office press release attracted attention by misspelling the word "language" as "langauge".
The Telegraph reported that the blunder was said to be "beyond parody" and led to a response from Number 10 at a press briefing for journalists.