The government’s Integrated Communities Action Plan, published on 9 February, is worth a quick look. It is naturally enough published by the department with “Communities” in its name but in fact a lot of the proposed actions are for the Home Office to carry out.

One commitment that I think is new: “consulting on including an explicit reference to forced marriage in the immigration rules to demonstrate that forced marriage is unacceptable in the UK”. The plan also:

• Confirms the Home Secretary’s party conference announcement that the Life in the UK citizenship and settlement test will be revised “to give greater prominence to British values”
• Confirms that work on toughening up English language requirements for citizenship is “ongoing”. The Home Office is also “keeping under review the impact of English language requirements on visas”.
• Says that the government will provide visa applicants with more information about life in the UK in advance, “so that those applying for a visa to come to the UK are aware of our values before they arrive”.
• Talks about giving migrants and refugees more information to help them integrate
• Aims to “improve co-ordination of existing services for refugees recognised after arrival in the UK so that initial support can be accessed more quickly”
• Talks, in a general way, about helping refugees find jobs
• Says that an “outcomes fund for refugee integration” will finish feasibility testing by May 2019

On the forced marriage issue, the paper says that the consultation on changing the Immigration Rules will be launched in early 2019. The Home Office is also to talk to judges to “examine whether anonymous evidence of forced marriage can be admissible as closed evidence in the appeals process”.