Instead foreigners who intend to marry a British citizen and settle here will be required to take language lessons once they are in the country.

Immigration minister Liam Byrne said the introduction of English tests before spouses moved to the UK would be a "medium term goal".

But he claimed it would be impractical to demand tests before arrival because English lessons were not widely available overseas.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced in February that a new English requirement would be introduced for those "planning to settle in the UK".

The UK Border Agency will check up on spouses who have promised to learn English and "failure to prove this could be grounds for leave to stay in the UK being cancelled", a Home Office document said.

Ministers also announced a ban on teenage foreign brides. The minimum age for a marriage visa will be raised from 18 to 21 by December as part of a crackdown on forced marriage.

Nearly a third of cases dealt with by the Government's Forced Marriage Unit involved victims aged between 18 and 21 - last year they totalled 69 out of 215 cases.

Other new measures to tackle forced marriage included requiring all Britons to register their plans to marry before they leave the UK, to stop youngsters being bullied into a marriage overseas. They will have to name their prospective partner before travelling abroad, possibly in a face-to-face interview with an immigration officer.

In another move, the law may also be changed to revoke someone's permission to stay in Britain if a marriage visa has been abused.



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