Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will call for a ‘joined-up international response’ to illegal migration as she gathers with European allies on Wednesday
Shabana Mahmood is set to warn a failure to bring order to borders is eroding trust in politicians and the “credibility of the state”.
The Home Secretary will call for a “joined-up international response” to illegal migration. It comes as she gathers with European allies on Wednesday in an attempt to tackle criminal gangs using the Western Balkans as a major people and drug smuggling route.
The Home Office said almost 22,000 people were smuggled along routes in the region in 2024, “filling the pockets of the vile gangs profiteering on human misery and risking lives”.
Ms Mahmood is expected to be joined by ministers across the continent including Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, France, Greece and Italy.
She will say: “The citizens of each of our countries have a very simple expectation of us. The public rightly expect that their government will be able to determine who enters their country, and who must leave. Today, in this country, and I know in many if not all of yours, that is not the case.
“And the failure to bring order to our borders is eroding trust not just in us as political leaders… but in the credibility of the state itself.”
It comes after a new law was introduced to Parliament on Tuesday requiring migrants to learn English to an A-level standard to work in Britain.
Those applying via certain legal routes must meet an A-level equivalent in speaking, listening, reading and writing. They will be required to take a Secure English Language Test, which must be conducted by a Home Office-approved provider.
The results will then be verified as part of their visa application process. The move is part of a tightening of visa rules under Labour’s flagship Immigration White Paper and plans also include cutting the time for international students to find a graduate-level job after completing their studies from two years to 18 months.
The change will come into force from January 2027. The Immigration Skills Charge (ISC), which is paid by employers sponsoring skilled foreign workers, is also being raised from £364 to £480 per person, per year for small or charitable organisations, and from £1,000 to £1,320 for medium and large organisations.
The money raised from the fee is reinvested in training the UK’s domestic workforce. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “This country has always welcomed those who come to this country and contribute. But it is unacceptable for migrants to come here without learning our language, unable to contribute to our national life. If you come to this country, you must learn our language and play your part.”
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