BRIEFING - English language use and proficiency of migrants in the UK

BRIEFING English language use and proficiency of migrants in the UK AUTHORS: M ariña Fernández-Reino Ben Brindle PUBLISHED: 12/03/2024 www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk BRIEFING: English language use and proficiency of migrants in the UK This briefing examines data on how well different groups of migrants living in England and Wales speak English, and the r. [...] The share of migrants speaking English as a main language was higher among those who had lived in the UK for longer or had moved to the UK at a younger age Migrants’ language abilities are expected to improve over time because they are exposed to the language spoken. [...] In 2021, migrants who had lived in the UK for longer were more likely to speak English as their main language, and the share saying they had limited English language skills was lower: 8% of those who moved to the UK over 20 years ago could not speak English well or at all, compared to 17% of those who had arrived within the previous two years (Figure 2). [...] UK PAGE 5 BRIEFING: English language use and proficiency of migrants in the UK Figure 3 The similarity between the language spoken where migrants were born and where they live is also an indicator of language skills (Isphording, 2015). [...] UK PAGE 7 BRIEFING: English language use and proficiency of migrants in the UK Figure 5 Around 150,000 ESOL places were funded in England in 2022/23, the highest number in a decade Certain migrants with limited English language skills can to enrol onto English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses, which aim to improve English speaking, reading and writing abilities.