\n\t\t\t\t\tIn Spain there is no language test for British people who seek to gain residence in the country\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
MADRID \u2013 Spain <\/a>was surprised by Sir Keir Starmer\u2019s crackdown on immigration<\/a> in which new arrivals must pass an English test \u2013 something which has never been a requirement for British expatriates<\/a> in the Iberian nation. <\/p>\n About 410,000 Britons <\/a>are registered to live in Spain and some have never learned Spanish.<\/p>\n Anyone applying for Spanish nationality does have to take a Spanish language test and pass a general knowledge exam about the country.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s prime minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez, from the Socialist Workers\u2019 Party, has adopted a radically different policy towards migration <\/a>than the UK, welcoming more migrants to a country with a low birth rate and a jobs shortfall. <\/p>\n \u201cSpain needs to choose between being an open and prosperous country or a closed-off, poor country. It\u2019s as simple as that,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Spain\u2019s economy grew 3.2 per cent last year and was named as the world\u2019s best by The Economist <\/a>in 2024.<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez said migration was the only way to grow the economy and pay for the welfare state in a country which has one of the lowest birth rates in the European Union.<\/p>\n In contrast, Britain appeared to be lurching to the right on immigration<\/a>, according to commentators in Spain.<\/p>\n One newspaper said after Labour\u2019s immigration White Paper was published on Monday it meant there was no need for Nigel Farage <\/a>to become prime minister.<\/p>\n \u201cFarage doesn\u2019t need to govern: it\u2019s even harder (if possible) to live and work in the UK if you are a foreigner\u201d ran the headline in El Confidencial<\/a>, a respected online newspaper.<\/p>\n The article reflected on Starmer\u2019s plan to cut immigration to the UK, make it harder to get British nationality and restrict access for graduates. <\/p>\n \u201cIt comes after the anxiety caused by the rise of Reform UK<\/a>. The populist not only triumphed in local elections but beat Labour by six votes to the only seat up for grabs in the Commons,\u201d Celia Maza, the journalist, reported.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems that Farage \u2013 the man who inspired Brexit, the close friend of Trump, returns to dictate the language in Westminster<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n Toni Per\u00e9z, the mayor of Benidorm, where Britons make up about 5 per cent of the population, said having no policy on learning Spanish made for a more tolerant society.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really good to have this tolerant attitude,\u201d Perez told The i Paper. <\/p>\n In Albox, a town in Almeria in southern Spain, many British retirees struggle to learn Spanish but most younger UK citizens are fluent.<\/p>\n \u201cThis attitude towards learning Spanish works well here. We want to be welcoming to people who come here, even if they cannot speak the language,\u201d Mari del Mar Alfonso Per\u00e9z, mayor of Albox, said.<\/p>\n Miriam Suarez, of the Spanish Commission for Refugees, an NGO which works with migrants, said no language test was required for British people who seek to gain residence in Spain.<\/p>\n \u201cFor residence and for work purposes there is no language test,\u201d she told The i Paper.<\/p>\n