London, August 4
There are so many Gujarati speakers in the east Midlands town of Leicester that there is no need to learn to speak English, according to a Gujarat-based farmer whose wife has launched a keenly followed legal case against new immigration rules.

Indian-origin British citizen, Rashida Chapti, 54, has been trying unsuccessfully for several years to get a UK visa for Gujarat-based husband, Vali Chapti, 57, so that he could join her in Leicester.

The prospect of Vali getting the visa has been further complicated by recent rules that spouses and immigrants must have English language skills before they come to the UK to ensure their integration in local communities.

Rashida has challenged the English language rules in the High Court on the ground that they breach her human rights to family life. The court is expected to rule on the petition in September.

On radio chats and Internet forums, Chapti’s review petition has been severely criticised, with people stating that if she wanted a family life, she should return to India instead of bringing her farmer-husband to the UK and then allegedly claiming financial benefits from the taxpayer here.

Speaking to the Daily Mail from his village of Valan in Gujarat, Vali Chapti said he could get by speaking Gujarati in Leicester.

His comments sparked more anger with nearly 1,000 readers reacting to them, an overwhelming majority critically. “It’s not easy to learn a foreign language late in life, especially when I have not even finished my proper education at school in India. Except for Gujarati, I don’t speak any language properly. My wife can speak and understand some English and relatives speak it very well. Why should it be a problem?” he said.

He said, they will fight, however long it takes, till they get the justice. “If we are rejected, we will appeal again and again for our human rights to be respected,” he added.

He said if he came to Leicester, he planned to work with his wife at a clothes factory where ‘he would not need to know English’.

Rashida Chapti said, “He is a 57-year-old farmer who lives in a tiny village in India - it is impossible for him to learn English.

I have my family here who have been supporting me, but it is very difficult to be here without him. I will keep fighting until the law is overturned and he is with me,” she reiterated. The couple, who have been married for 37 years, have six children.

It is feared that if Rashida’s review petition is upheld, it could lead to many more foreign nationals with poor English language skills coming to the UK at a time the David Cameron government is tightening rules to curb immigration. A Home Office spokesman termed the ruling on spoken English as “entirely reasonable”. “Last November, we introduced requirements that those intending to marry in the UK demonstrate a basic knowledge of the language and we are currently consulting on proposals to strengthen requirements and ensure those applying to settle here can readily understand everyday English, the spokesman added. — PTI