Britain to require new citizenship tests for foreigners

LONDON, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said here on Wednesday that new migrants will be required to demonstrate their contribution to the country at every stage of the process towards full citizenship, or leave the country.

She told the House of Commons that full access to benefits would be delayed until after a probationary period had passed, SkyNews reported.

Migrants would also be expected to contribute to a new fund form an aging the transitional impacts of migration, providing extra financial help to communities experiencing change from migration, she said.

In a speech on Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Gordon Brown insisted the payments would be in addition to existing fees and the 50 million pounds (some 100 million U.S. dollars) for community cohesion which was announced last year.

"It will be specifically aimed at making sure that temporary and probationary citizens are contributing to the services they are provided with and that public services can manage short-term changes in their population," he said.

Under the biggest revamp of the immigration system in Britain's history, anyone who commits a crime resulting in a prison sentence will be barred from citizenship, and those guilty of minor offenses will find their probationary period extended.

Green Paper "Path to Citizenship" was published on Wednesday to "make the journey to citizenship clearer, simpler and easier for the public and migrants to understand," said Smith, the Home Secretary.

"Our proposals for the future of the immigration system set out an approach which ensures that we manage and control immigration in a way that is to the benefit -- not just for the economy, but for our society, our citizens, and our way of life," she added.

Under current rules, people taking British citizenship are required to take an oath of allegiance or a pledge at a public ceremony, and learn English, Welsh or Gaelic to certain standards.

They also have to pass a citizenship test, answering questions about British traditions, government and laws.