If you want to apply for a skilled worker visa in the UK, you now need a B2 level of English.
And if you're thinking of permanently settling into the UK, you have until March 26th 2027 to get to a B2 level of English.
That's right.
The UK government has recently raised the minimum level required of proficiency in English for immigrants.
So let's talk about it.
Hey everybody, how's it going?
Thiago here and welcome to the first episode of a new series here on the channel.
The series is called The Trending Edge.
In this new series of videos here I'll be selecting recent piece of news that I find relevant and sharing them with you here, explaining some English and also how it relates to the main topic of the channel, which is B1 to B2 English and then C1 and C2 levels of proficiency how to get to those higher levels of English proficiency.
Let's get started here.
In case you're new here, I'm Thiago.
Nice to meet you.
And I wanted to share this BBC news story with you because I found it really interesting.
I'm going to read it to you now.
Take a look.
Migrants will need A-level standard English to work in the UK.
A-level standard means advanced level, okay?
Advanced level English to work in the UK.
Let's see what we got.
Some migrants coming to the UK will need to speak English to an A-level standard under tougher new rules set to be introduced by the government.
Tougher new rules.
That means the rules now for immigration and for work permits there are getting more strict.
Tougher.
The changes, which will come into force from the 8th of January, 2026, will affect some graduates and those applying for skilled worker or scale up visas, which are for people employed by fast growing businesses.
Well, the 8th of January, 2026.
Look, I'm filming this in March.
That means that this is already being enforced.
The new rules from part of wider plans to cut levels of immigration to the UK outlined in a white paper in May.
You know the white paper is basically the official document that you know the parliament there uses to change legislation policies, you know, introduce new ones.
Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, I think, said if you come to this country, you must learn our language and play your part.
This country has always welcomed those who come to this country and contribute, Mahmood said.
But it is unacceptable for migrants to come here without learning our language, unable to contribute to our national life.
Yeah, I must say I agree with this.
I mean for the most part.
You know, if you are thinking of immigrating to another country, you have to be willing to embrace that new country, that new culture and that new language, that way of speaking.
You know.
And even, I would say, the way of thinking, because the languages you speak also influence the way you think.
For example, I find the English language much more objective compared to Romance languages like my native language Brazilian, Portuguese.
Because of that, I feel like...
I've learned to be more objective in my life, partly because I speak English as a second language.
English is a more straightforward, direct type of language.
It's simpler compared to other languages, you know.
So it changes the way you think as well.
So if you are thinking of immigrating to a new country, you've got to be willing to also change and evolve constantly the new country that you're moving into.
Right, let's continue here.
Applicants will be tested in person on their speaking listening, reading and writing at home office approved providers with their results checked as part of the visa process.
You see they test all the four skills, so you need a b2 level of english now for speaking listening, reading and writing.
And I talk about this all the time here on the channel.
Don't overlook other skills like reading and writing.
I find that many people just wanna speak, I wanna speak, I wanna speak.
But speaking well also involves listening well, which also involves reading well and writing well.
So make sure you are having a more balanced approach in your English studies.
Okay.
Try to prioritize a balance between all these four skills.
All right.
Do you speak English?
Okay.
But wish you could say things better.
Maybe you understand most TV shows, but when you talk, your words feel a little bit too simple.
You are a solid intermediate learner, but you want to feel truly confident and fluent.
I know that feeling exactly.
It's frustrating to be stuck.
That's why I've created the B2Edge app.
Many of you come to me asking for private lessons and, while I love coaching, private lessons with me are very expensive and I can only help a few people at a time.
I needed a way to help everyone who is ready to move to that B2 level.
The B2 Edge was created to solve that problem.
This app is the most affordable way for you to get access to my coaching methods, and it's like having me as your language coach in your pocket 24-7.
So, how does the B2 Edge get you to B2?
First, you get a structured and personalized curriculum right away.
You follow a full 10-module B2 curriculum every single day.
You never have to guess what to study next.
Plus, you get to practice with daily quick lessons.
These are micro lessons that don't take much of your time.
It's perfect for the busy professional and you get to practice speaking with the AI coach built inside the app.
It's always ready to talk, help you feel comfortable, and correct your mistakes in a friendly way.
Moving to B2 is about learning how to use the words you already know with more precision and power.
It's about speaking in a more sophisticated way.
If you are ready to stop feeling stuck and start speaking English better, faster and with more confidence, it's time to try my newest app, the B2 Edge.
Don't wait.
Click the link on this page and get started on your B2 journey today.
Time to get you fluent.
Those applying for skilled worker, scale-up and high-potential individual visas will be required to reach B2 level, which is a step up from the current B1 standard, which is equivalent to the GCSE.
I am surprised.
Because in my professional opinion as an English teacher of 20 years, B1 is not enough for that.
With B1 level English, guys, you can survive.
You survive in the language.
But It's much harder for you to successfully integrate the culture, the workforce, get better work opportunities, better positions.
So a B2 level is actually the minimum.
I mean, I'm surprised to see that the government is only doing this now, actually.
With a B2 level of English.
Yes, you have enough English to operate in your everyday activities, use public service as well, talk to people, get instructions directions, make friends and also work successfully, you know, and successfully, let's say, integrate the workforce in that country.
But a B2 level of English is the minimum.
Let's continue here.
To come to the UK on the skilled worker visa, migrants have to work for a government-approved employer and earn at least £41700 a year or the going rate for their type of work, whichever is highest.
The scale-up visa is open to migrants coming to work for a fast-growing UK business.
Migrants can apply for a high-potential individual visa if they have been awarded a qualification from a top global university within the last five years.
According to the British Council, which offers English language courses, learners who achieve B2 level can understand the main ideas of complex texts or concrete or abstract topics.
They can express themselves fluently and spontaneously and communicate comfortably with other English speakers.
They can also produce clear, detailed text on many subjects and explain a complex viewpoint.
Yeah, that is the typical description that the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, gives us of the B2 level.
If you want to learn more about what being a B2 level speaker of English means, I have some videos here on the channel talking specifically about that.
I'm going to leave some links in the description so you can watch them later and learn more about what is expected of a B2 level user of English.
All right um further english language requirements for other visa routes and family dependents are expected to be introduced in due course, home office minister mike tapp told parliament on tuesday.
The prime minister previously said the changes outlined in the white paper would make the uk's immigration system controlled, selective and fair.
Yeah, i can understand why they are tightening um the rules here a little bit, because It's a delicate topic right, this thing of immigration.
But the truth is, if the government just allows anybody and a huge influx of people to come in, it has to ensure that it has enough infrastructure to accommodate all those people.
And apparently it's not what we have been observing in some countries in the world lately, you know.
I think even Canada, I heard, is not really the same as it used to be because of that.
It's this large influx of people coming in, but it's more people coming in and fewer facilities or infrastructure, little infrastructure, to retain them.
Let's say
Home Office estimates suggest the measures could reduce the number of people coming to the UK by up to 100000 per year.
Net migration to the UK, total permanent arrivals minus total permanent departures fell to 431000 in 2024, down almost 50 on the total in 2023, when it reached a record high of 906000 thousand.
Dr madeleine sumption, director of the migration observatory at the university of oxford, said the government faced a trade-off between ensuring migrants speak good english and enabling employers to recruit workers who are expected to bring economic benefits.
Yeah, that's interesting.
A trade-off is basically a sacrifice.
If you face a trade-off, you are willingly sacrificing one thing in favor of the other.
So she's basically saying here that by making the minimum level of proficiency in English higher, like the B2 level yes, the government is ensuring that new immigrants speak good English.
Therefore, they're going to be able to navigate the country and the culture successfully without many hiccups.
But, on the other hand, the number of skilled workers coming into the country might reduce, because think of industries like construction sites, for example.
Many times those kinds of jobs.
They don't require the person to have an advanced level of English to work with.
That
So maybe there is a professional from another country who is not at a B2 level of English yet, has a lower level of proficiency, but is a great professional and could work very well and produce well, maybe in a construction site.
So that's the trade-off here that Dr. Madeline is talking about.
Many graduate jobs already require language skills above A-level standards, she said.
The new language requirements will have more impact in middle-skilled jobs involving technical and manual skills, where employers sometimes do not require high language proficiency.
Like I just mentioned.
Yeah, think of construction sites.
Yeah.
So there might be a reduction in the number of skilled workers in those areas coming into the country because of the level of English now.
Immigration lawyer, Afsana Akhtar, I believe, told BBC News she thought it was unfair that migrants had to reach such a high standard of English, because even many people in the UK probably wouldn't be able to pass English A-level.
Okay, that's an interesting point.
Although...
You know, she's referring to B2 as a high standard of English, such a high standard of English.
I personally don't agree with that.
I don't think that B2 level is such a high standard of English.
I think the B2 level... is the minimum.
It's the minimum you need to communicate successfully in a foreign language.
It's the minimum.
If the government were asking for C1 or C2 proficiency levels then yes, I would totally understand her comment here.
But referring to B2 as such a high standard of English, it's not.
It's not.
In my professional opinion, it's the minimum.
Think about it that way.
B1 level of English is survival English.
You have enough English to survive.
Now to have enough English to live in the new country and successfully integrate.
B2 is the minimum.
All right?
So it's not high standard.
It's just the minimum.
It seems like the government is only catching up with this now, you know?
This would rule out even skilled workers who want to come and contribute to our British economy, she said.
Yeah, that is definitely the double-edged sword that I was talking about.
Yeah, maybe in areas of work where a high level of proficiency in English is not required.
Those industries will suffer with lack of talent.
You know it's a double-edged sword.
The GCSE standard is sufficient, which is the level below the A level you know.
And then when they come live here and integrate into England and the English way of life, their English will improve inevitably.
I'm not sure I agree with this statement as well, that this immigration lawyer is providing here.
She's basically saying that look, you don't have to require new immigrants here such a high level of English such as B2, you know, just ask for a B1, you know.
As it has been the case,
And once they come here to the country, and once they immigrate and start living their lives here, their English will improve inevitably, simply by living there.
That's.
I don't really agree with this because in my 20-year career as an English teacher, I have met so many people who spent years, if not decades, living in English-speaking countries and who still didn't have good enough English.
Why does this happen?
Because many times I find the person saddles into basic survival English.
Think of a person who immigrates to an English-speaking country with an A2 level.
That happens a lot, you know, very elementary, basic level of English.
Living there on the day-to-day life.
That person will eventually get to a survival floor of language.
Let's call it a B1 level, intermediate level, and that's it.
Once that person has learned enough English or language to survive there and do the basic things the person has to do, usually I find that many people just settle into that new comfort and they never really try to study and get to B2 C1, forget about it.
So people become comfortable Yeah, with survival English.
So I'm not sure I agree 100 with what she's saying here because you know yes, there are people who successfully learn the language living abroad.
Like, you know, they get to an advanced level.
But many people, they just settle into the comfort, the survival comfort, and they stay there.
All right.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
Let's continue here.
Other measures in the white paper include cutting the time period international students can stay in the UK to find a graduate job after the course ends, from two years to 18 months, which will take effect from January 2027.
The Global Talent Visa for high achievers in technology, arts and academia fields has also been expanded to include winners of more prestigious prizes.
The number of migrants on the visa is expected to double from 2000 to 4000, But there will be a cap.
A cap is a limit of 8000 applications each year.
Okay, so that was the story about skilled worker visas now requiring the candidate to have a B2 level of English at least.
And this is already in vigor.
You know, it started in January this year.
So it's important for you to know about that.
And I also found another new story here about permanent residency specifically.
Look, new UK immigration rules increase English threshold for permanent residency.
Check it out.
The United Kingdom will raise the English language requirement for permanent residency from B1 to B2 under new immigration rule changes announced by the Home Office, with a new standard set to take effect on March 26th 2027.
The change was outlined in the latest statement of changes in immigration rules released by the UK government.
Under the revised requirement, applicants seeking indefinite leave to remain will need to demonstrate a higher level of English proficiency than is currently required.
Then it says here that at present settlement applicants must demonstrate English proficiency at the B1 level.
All right.
And the new B2 requirement represents a higher standard, broadly equivalent to A level or senior secondary school level in the UK, while B1 is generally considered comparable to the GCSE level.
All right.
So that's another change that the UK government is implementing.
So starting March next year, if you want to apply for a permanent residency in the UK now, you need a B2 level.
Again, I mean, I am shocked.
I am surprised to see that up until this moment, a B1 level was the minimum required to settle permanently in an English-speaking country like the UK.
Again, I mean, I don't believe it's enough.
My professional opinion tells you it's not enough.
It's enough to survive, not enough to thrive in this new country, in a new culture, new workforce, new everything.
So yeah, I mean, a B2 level is the gold standard for minimum level required for immigration purposes.
Of course, this conversation is much more nuanced.
Like I said, what about areas that don't require you to have a high level of proficiency and that need skilled workers there?
That's definitely another side of the coin.
But I wanted to share this news with you today because I found it interesting and relevant.
And now I want to ask you, what did you think of this news?
Do you think that it makes sense for the UK government to enforce that new immigrants from now on, whether to live permanently or to work in the UK, need at least a B2 level of English?
What do you think?
I want to know your comments.
I want to know your opinions about that.
And that's pretty much it for this video, you know?
If you are serious about getting to a B2 level of English, I highly recommend to try my app, the B2 Edge.
I designed this app, the B2 Edge, to be the companion you need daily to go from B1 level of English to B2 level of English and then C1 English.
Eventually, the app is powered by AI, which is trained by me and my 20 years of knowledge and teaching experience.
And we focus on quality over quantity in the app, because every day you have a select number of activities to do which will take about 20 or 30 minutes to complete.
Once you're done with your activities for the day, your practice is over.
But if you want, you also have the option to generate more practice for that day.
But it's a great way for you to...
Follow a structured curriculum that will take you to B2 level without taking hours of your day.
So I'm going to leave the link in the description for you to learn more about the app.
I highly recommend to try it.
And that's it for now.
I want to know your comments, your opinions about this piece of news.
And thanks for watching.
I'll talk to you soon.
