yes speaking English
should be the norm.

She doesnt want to waste the money on them.

She has already started on the criminals

Only kidding, I'm for free healthcare for all!

no Healthcare needs a major overhaul so people cant waste time crying because they got a splinter

If someone intends on living here for the rest of their life then they should make the effort to learn the language.

I've never met an immigrant who doesn't speak English though so I'm not sure how much of an issue this is really.

I don't even think it is that big an issue ^

Kavos,Benidorm and Magaloof are English provinces anyway.Oh and oiibeefa.

...have ya seen wor national debt? just make sure prospective immigrants are loaded

Mark L

I say no.
I think it would make things easier to be able to and anyway I'd guess picking up some of or the language would come over time.

I know when I've been abroad Just on holiday,it is amazing what you pick up as to other languages.

Anyway no for me to have to be able to.

You should be able to speak the main language of the country you want to move in. Even if you dont know you should study and learn that language.

People escaping rare conditions to live are an exception however they should also try to learn the language because if you dont know the language how are you going to do your daily works and fit with the society?

This for me too. It would be ideal if they could speak English, but mandatory? What are the problems we'd face by those people coming over? Inconvenience that we wouldn't be able to overhear their conversations? The real problems would be faced by the immigrants themselves not us so I don't why it's something we should force onto them. If someone decides to emigrate to a country where they can't speak the language then there must be pretty important reasons for them doing so.

Maybe British Citizens should get a vote on whether immigrants who don't bother learning the language should be entitled to any financial assistance and those that don't think they should then get a reduction in their taxes if the yes vote won or those that do get an increase in theirs. Let them put THEIR money where their mouths are. Why should those that disagree contribute for such people.

Because it's not all about language

Or it costs the NHS, police etc a fortune for interpreters. Why should we help people who won't help themselves.

Thought not - no one wants to back up their words with actual cash. Let others pay.

Try telling that to all the Brits who move to France and can't/won't speak a word of French

Actually I think you'l find that most of them work or want to work and they only have a right to free NHS treatment if they are part of the EU and have medical card.

Most, if not all, Brits that move to France pay their own way - they don't sponge off others.

How would 'speaking the language' be assessed?
There are plenty of British adults that struggle with the language, sometimes due to developmental disorders. Is anybody proposing that those with developmental disorders should be banned from Britain indefinitely? Thats a bit dark. What about migrant children? How much English should they know? Those that just want to retire here, like the thousands of British expats? What kind of test are those that voted yes proposing? Is there an exclusion criteria? Has anybody who voted yes actually thought about any legitimate element of this past their mindset?

As do most of the expats in Britain

"There shouldnt be migrants that cant speak the language because I want to put language interpreters out of work" (also source? Id imagine most families are perfectly fit to help for free)

We're not talking about expats though are we.

Expats and immigrants are synonyms.

The money is desperately needed elsewhere in the NHS and shouldn't be wasted on interpreters for those that don't bother to learn the language.

I work for the NHS - and if no one can speak the patient's language no one can be sure the family are giving the patient the correct info/interpretation. It is a safety issue.

Meh, the adavcancement of online translation tools will make that job and your concern obsolete eventually I suppose
Do you assume those that dont speak the language simply 'can not be bothered to do so'. I think you should give this line of thought a bit more of a sitdown if ya do.