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DPA
London
Immigrants to Britain must learn English before they arrive or be enrolled in compulsory language classes straightaway, a report released on Thursday has advised the government.
The first report from the all-party parliamentary group on social integration makes recommendations for the government's approach to economic migration.
A focused integration process which starts immediately after arrival is at the centre of the report's suggestions, and a lack of language skills and knowledge of UK~laws and traditions are highlighted as one of the main barriers to integration.
The group also advocates exploring the introduction of region-specific visas based on the Canadian model, which could see quotas set locally by governments in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales as well as city regions.
Directing the flow of economic migrants to particular areas according to population and economic need may also help to tackle negative views on immigration that have become prevalent in areas dealing with rapid changes to their social makeup.
The report also says the government must take care in how they frame post-Brexit immigration policy announcements so as not to create further social division avoid immigration rhetoric being conflated with issues of counter-terrorism.
Lawmaker Chuka Umunna, who chairs the group, said the government's failure to address the lack of integration had"left a vacuum for extremists and peddlers of hate to exploit".
Umunna advocated a new approach to immigration"between the laissez-faire multiculturalism favoured by successive British governments and the assimilationist politics of the French burkini ban" to help rebuild a divided post-referendum Britain.
