To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information the Simplification of Rules Taskforce office used to reach the decision that Nigeria was not to be included in the Majority English Speaking Countries list.
Answered on
26 April 2022
To be included on the Majority English Speaking Countries list (MESC list), the Home Office must have evidence over half the population in the country in question speaks English as a first language.
If a country meets this criteria, it means it is more likely than not any individual applicant from that country can speak English with the level of fluency required to integrate in the UK and complete the course they are coming to study, or the job they are coming to do without them having to provide further evidence.
Evidence we look for includes census data and official statistics. Academic studies, data on literacy, languages in which schooling or university courses are taught, and evidence of languages spoken in the home are helpful, but not definitive.