35% increase in number of migrants having taxpayer-funded English lessons

The number of migrants enrolled on taxpayer-funded ESOL has increased to 168,730 in 2024/25.

This research was first reported by GB News.

English language proficiency

The 2021 Census of England and Wales showed almost one million migrants spoke little to no English.

There were a total of 980,266 foreign born individuals living in England and Wales who responded that they “cannot speak English” or “cannot speak English well”.

This includes 111,000 Pakistan-born individuals, 104,000 Polish-born individuals, 97,000 Indian-born individuals, and 73,000 Romanian-born individuals.

Of the 5 million people for whom English is not a first language, 880,000 cannot speak it well. But there is a huge disparity between different nationalities and the proportion of those aged over 16 who “cannot speak English” or “cannot speak English well”.

English proficiency by country of birth

% aged 16+ who cannot speak English/ cannot speak English well (2021 Census England & Wales):

Syria: 31.3% (10,494 of 33,425)

Bangladesh: 25.6% (68,794 of 265,032)

China: 21.8% (38,179 of 174,643)

Pakistan: 18.4% (108,757 of 590,934)

Japan: 8% (2,480 of 30,817)

France: 1% (1,457 of 139,180)

Germany: 0.3% (799 of 247,748)

It is also worth noting the gender disparities prevalent:

35% of Bangladeshi women speak little to no English (46,153 of 133,075)

26% of Pakistani women speak little to no English (77,187 296,307)

Schools

Nationwide, one in five schoolchildren do not speak English as their first language. That is 1.8 million schoolchildren who primarily communicate in a language other than English. This rises to one in three pupils in Glasgow schools who do not speak English as a first language.

It is sadly inevitable that English-speaking students will suffer, through no fault of their own, as a result of these huge language barriers. The pace of teaching will be set by those with a less firm grasp of English, resources will be directed away from those who are fluent and towards supporting those for whom it is a second language.

Language is an acute expression of culture and these figures are demonstrative of the utter transformation seen in many parts of the country in just a few decades. Mass migration and the twin ideology of multiculturalism are harming the people of this country, especially those who live in neighbourhoods that are culturally divided.

Interpretation and translation costs are obscene.

It is the taxpayer who is suffering as a result of poor English language skills becoming more widespread.

In 2024/ 25 the NHS spent £130,000 a day on translation costs for non-English speakers, (£64m), It has also recently been revealed that the NHS has earmarked a further £73m for translator contracts.

The Department for Work and Pensions is spending £8m a year on interpreters for those claiming Universal Credit.

In 2023/24 HM Courts and Tribunal Services spent £12.7m a year on translation and interpretation, and a total of just under £42m since 2020, reflecting the large number of migrants who go through the court system.

English for Speakers of Other Languages

Following a freedom of information request by the Centre for Migration Control, the Department for Education has revealed that the number of foreigners receiving taxpayer-funded ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’ lessons increased to 168,730 in 2024/25.

This is an increase of 44,090 from the 124,640 receiving the training in 2019/2020 - an increase of 35.37%. See the published data here.

The data shows that since 2018/2019 the Department for Education has spent £347m in funding for ESOL.

This, however, is just a small part of the overall cost placed on the shoulders of taxpayers. ESOL funding comes from the Adult Education Budget/ Adult Skills Fund (ASF), which in 2019 was devolved in large swathes of the country to mayoral combined authorities and the GLA. 62% of the ASF budget is now administered by these devolved bodies.

The FOI responses from most of these combined authorities indicated that there is no fixed funding designated explicitly for ESOL, and that English language skills are increasingly being subsumed into broader skill courses.

This was the case for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority who told the CMC “whilst The Combined Authority does not allocate funds directly for ESOLtraining provision, Adult Skills Funds are allocated annually for all publicly funded curriculum to Colleges, Local Authorities and independent training providers to be delivered to Liverpool City Region residents.”

Some, such as the West Midlands Combined Authority and Tees Valley Combined Authority, were able to provide a response and the data shows hundreds of millions pounds have been spent since the ASF was devolved:

In addition, the North East Combined Authority has spent over £17m since 2020,

However, it is safe to say that, at the devolved level, it is not possible to get a full picture of how much has been spent on itemised ‘ESOL’ courses.

It is therefore only partially true when groups complain that ESOL funding has been ‘cut’ since 2010. The reality is that the devolution of the ASF and the incorporation of English language training within wider budgets makes it difficult to obtain a full picture.

What we are able to see, however, is that there has been a surge in number of people undertaking explicit ESOL courses and this shows us two things:

Firstly, that the language requirements for legal migrants - which are only being raised under this Labour government for a small number of visa routes - have been too lax.

Secondly, given a large number of these will be refugees, the argument that illegal migrants/asylum seekers come to Britain “because they already speak English” is patently untrue.

It is worth noting that areas of Britain with a large foreign born population are increasingly ghettoised and the need for recent arrivals to develop their English language ability in order to function in society is diminished as they are able to get by in segregated areas with their native tongue, the increase shows these gehh

Nonetheless, money is being directed away from the public’s priorities in order to facilitate the “integration” of those who arrived in the country without the basic needs to get by. It is often argued that such funding is essential because communities will fracture without the largesse of the Treasury being extended to those who cannot speak English. But surely a better way to ensure communities do not fracture is to operate an immigration policy that requires competence in the language to be an essential pre-requisite….

The government plans to increase English language requirements for some legal migrants

Earlier this month, new language requirements were introduced by the Home Secretary that will require migrants on certain visa routes to meet A-level English language standards before being given a visa.

It is welcome that we are moving away from the previous rules, which only required GCSE standards. However, this will only apply for those on certain work visa routes.

Moreover, the government is scrapping requirements for applicants to sit tests in overseas centres overseen by examiners, and moving towards an online-only approach that leading test providers claim will lead to widespread cheating through AI, impersonators sitting the exam for applicants, and the use of secret devices.