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British citizenship tests planned

News taken from BBC

Immigrants who want to become British and settle permanently in the UK will need to pass more tests to "prove their worth" to the country under new plans.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said migrants would need to demonstrate their contribution to society beyond simply working and paying taxes.

Some migrants may also have to pay into a fund to cover some of the extra burden on public services.

Foreigners would also have to pass a period of "probationary citizenship".

Revealing the proposals, Ms Smith said reforming how people become citizens was the unfinished business of the UK’s migration system.

She said that future migrants would need to "earn" citizenship. This scraps the current system which allows people to apply for naturalisation on the basis of how long they have lived in the UK.

’Transitional fund’

Ms Smith said migrants from outside the EEA would no longer have an option of living in the UK without becoming more committed to society over time.

In the future, she said, they would be encouraged to "move on" through a system that leads to citizenship - or choose ultimately to leave the country.

The package of measures includes:


Raising visa fees for a special "transitional impact" fund

More English language testing ahead of nationality

Requirements to prove integration into communities

Increasing how long it takes to become British
Ministers say the impacts fund and its fees are yet to be worked out but would be designed to ease pressures caused by the movement of people.

Press reports suggest it would raise £15m a year.

The system could see migrants with children or elderly relatives expected to pay higher application fees. Migrants would find their route to citizenship and full access to benefits, such as higher education, accelerated if they can prove they are "active" citizens.

This would include proof of charity work, involvement in the local community and letters from referees.

At the same time, those who break the law would find the process far harder - or would be barred completely from becoming British.

’Gimmick’

The Home Office said that it would still be possible for someone to be permanently resident as a foreign national in the UK - but it would be preferable for them to seek citizenship because of the benefits it would bring.

"Our new deal for citizenship is clear and fair," said Ms Smith.

"The rights and benefits of citizenship will be available to those who consider who can demonstrate a commitment to our shared values and a willingness to contribute to our community.

"This is a country of liberty and tolerance, opportunity and diversity. These values are reinforced by the expectation that all who live here should learn our language, play by the rules, obey the law and contribute to the economy."

But the Conservatives said the proposals were a "gimmick" and called for an annual limit on immigration instead.

But shadow immigration minister Damian Green, for the Conservatives, said the plans were a "gimmick".

"There is much less to this Green Paper than meets the eye," he told Today.

He said the £15m it was proposing to raise was a "drop in the ocean" compared to the extra expense for schools, hospitals and the police caused by immigration.

He said the only answer was to place an annual limit on migration - but backed plans to insist on migrants learning English to gain citizenship. saying it was essential "to play a full part in modern Britain".