Britishness test for citizenship applicants

FOREIGNERS who apply to become British citizens will have to swot up on British regional accents, the Church of England and a wide range of cultural information, it was revealed yesterday.

Details of the new “Britishness test” were revealed by ministers on the day before the examination becomes compulsory to people who apply for naturalisation.

The questions, which will be multiple choice, will not include British history.

Applicants will have to pay £34 (€50) to sit the 45-minute exam.

They will have to answer 24 questions in the “Life in the UK” test and answer about 75% correctly to pass, a Home Office spokeswoman said.

Examples of areas which will be tested include:

Where are the Geordie, Cockney, and Scouse dialects spoken?

What are MPs?

What is the Church of England and who is its head?

What is the queen’s official role and what ceremonial duties does she have?

Do many children live in single parent families or step-families?

Candidates who fail the exam will be able to re-take it as many times as they wish.

From today, the computer-based examination will be available at 90 test centres around the country.

Candidates will not be allowed to refer to the source book for the exam, the Life in the UK Handbook, during the test.

Immigration minister Tony McNulty said: “Becoming a British citizen is a milestone event in an individual’s life.

“The measures we are introducing today will help new citizens to gain a greater appreciation of the civic and political dimension of British citizenship and, in particular, to understanding the rights and responsibilities that come with the acquisition of British citizenship.”

The test will not be compulsory for applicants with poor standards of English.

If a candidate’s English abilities are below the official English for Speakers of Other Languages entry three standard, they will take a less rigorous test.

Last year more than 110,000 people were awarded British citizenship.

When the Government previously introduced new requirements for applicants to pass an English test there was a sudden rush to beat the deadline.

But a Home Office spokeswoman said there was no evidence that people were applying ahead of today’s date to avoid taking the exam.

Mr McNulty said there are Government plans to extend the test to refugees who have been granted indefinite leave to remain in Britain and consultation is currently taking place on the proposals.

Mr McNulty revealed that he had taken a practice test and passed.

“I looked at random through 20 questions and managed to get 19,” he said.

“I’m not telling you which one I didn’t get.”