U.K. gov't mocked over embarrassing spelling error
LONDON -- Britain's Home Office officially announced Friday new languange requirements for foreign nationals applying to remain in the U.K. on spousal visas.
As any non-native speaker will tell you, the English language is riddled with difficult-to-grasp grammar rules and spellings made daunting by silent letters and illogical pronunciations.
But the thousands of foreign applicants for British visas facing stricter criteria from this point forward may still have little sympathy for the Home Office, which managed to misspell the word "language" in its own eight-word headline heralding the rule change.
The mistake was duly noted by British journalists and broadcasters, and screengrabs were gleefully spread across social media before the Home Office could correct the embarrassing error.
The new rules were first announced Monday by Prime Minister David Cameron, along with a new $28.5 million initiative to teach immigrant Muslim women English language skills. Cameron said the move was aimed at enabling immigrants to integrate into British society, and to help alleviate isolation and alienation in the Muslim community.
Along with the promise of help, however, came the threat that anyone applying for a spousal visa in the U.K. will henceforth have to demonstrate English language skills to what the government calls "level A2" after two and a half years in the country. If an immigrant isn't able to pass the written and spoken test, they could be refused an extension to their visa and potentially deported.
"I think it's quite right to say to people who come to our country that there are many rights that you have here - it's a fantastic country to live in - but there are also obligations that we should put on people who come to our country, and chief amongst them should be obligations to learn English because then you can integrate, you can take advantage of the opportunities here and you can help us to build the strong country that we want," Cameron said.