British Citizenship Planned

[MrsExpat2B]

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 towards public services and have a period of "probationary citizenship".

The Tories called the plans, which do not cover EU citizens, a "gimmick".

Unveiling 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 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.

Shadow home secretary David Davis called it "a complicated, expensive, bureaucratic set of mechanisms to deal with the adverse consequences of out of control immigration".

"The sensible approach is very simple. Deal with the original cause of the problem. Put a limit on the level of immigration. Bring it down to manageable levels. It is simpler, it is cheaper, and it is better for Britain. "And it will preserve Britain's excellent history of good community relations that is being put at risk by an immigration policy that is both incompetent and irresponsible."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7253933.stm

Looks like I may have to wait a little longer (and pay a bit more) now

[buffcoat]

Not sure about this but the brief report I noticed talked about the new requirement extending the existing five year waiting period to six years....if so I assume (very dangerous) that this does not impact the position of spouses/partners.

Hope that those with a better handle on these points will clarify.

Looks like a feeble headline grab rather than a sensible proposal to me.

[samran]

Next time someone whinges about the Thai authorities changing their tune on visas, making it harder, more expensive etc etc....I'll point them to this article.

The Brits are the world masters at changing their immigration rules.

[madjbs]

While many people who live in Britain may see this as a good thing, for those of us who don't choose to live there anymore it can only be negative. My view is that if Britain is tightening its policies then other countries might follow suit, which could include Thailand. I personally would prefer to see the opposite trend and have more and more countries becoming more open to foreigners.

[vinny]

See also Current consultations > The path to citizenship: next steps in reforming the immigration system.

[vinny]

See also Lord Goldsmith QC Citizenship Review.

[davidxl]

Don't particularly have a problem with further pressure to learn English. The idea of raising visa fes again is a bit of joke though, the main extra demands on services is coming from migrants with the EU particularly Eastern Europe and they aren't getting any extras fees or lanaguage requirements. Are Thai immigrants and other non EU migrants meant to subsidise the EU immigration?