Home Office written question – answered at on 23 April 2026.
Yuan Yang
Labour, Earley and Woodley
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of raising the language requirement for settlement from B1 to B2 on BNO visa holders.
Mike Tapp
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
Being able to communicate effectively in English is essential for accessing public services, participating in civic life, securing employment, and building strong connections within local communities.
The Government is continuing to consider whether the B2 standard should be extended more widely and future decisions will take into account responses to the consultation on earned settlement.
In the meantime, the current B1 English language requirement for settlement under the BN(O) route continues to apply.
Yes1 person thinks so
No1 person thinks not
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
