The Language Introduction Program (Swe. Språkintroduktionsprogrammet) is a preparatory education intended for immigrant students to acquire a minimum grade of grade-school level knowledge of several different subjects. The most important subject measured both by the time allocated to it, and as manifested in educational and political discourse, is Swedish. The English language is commonly afforded high status on the linguistic market in Sweden. However, students within the language introduction program stem from all linguistic backgrounds whereas some students occasionally speak L1 or L2 English prior to arriving in Sweden. This study examines how students within the language introduction program perceive and values English in a setting where Swedish is (1) mandated for continuation on to the national education programs and (2) discursively positioned within and outside of the program as the key to successful integration. The study aims to answer how and what conceptions of English as a phenomenon are narratively constructed in this ideological site i.e. the school, and what authorities on implicit and overt language ideology are addressed. The study analyses the narratives of three students enrolled on the Language Introduction Program. To do this, the study uses a mix of a language portrait and an interview. The results show that English has a strong status in regards to practical utility, but English is not equally regarded in terms of community and social togetherness. In this, the Language Introduction Program is a strong ideological site and ideological modifier.