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Immigration: Language and Citizenship Testing

My honourable friend the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality (Mr Liam Byrne) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. I am announcing today the date for introduction of the requirement that those seeking permanent settlement in the United Kingdom should demonstrate a knowledge of the English language and of life in the United Kingdom, as those seeking British nationality are already obliged to do. This requirement will come into force on 2 April next year. Knowledge of English increases both employment prospects and the ease with which people can carry out their day-to-day lives in this country. Knowledge of life in the United Kingdom will help those who settle here gain a greater appreciation of the civic and political dimensions of life here, as well as giving them practical help and support in areas such as the law, housing, education and engaging with the wider community. It will also help to generate a greater sense of understanding of the rights and responsibilities that come with the acquisition of British citizenship, should they choose to seek this in the future. In 2004 the Government introduced the language requirement for people wanting to obtain British nationality. In 2005, we introduced a second requirement that prospective citizens should show they know something of life in the UK. The citizenship testing system we introduced last November has worked well and has attracted considerable interest in other countries; Australia, for example, has recently published a public consultation document on the possible introduction of a similar system there. We now need to move ahead once again. Applications submitted therefore to IND on or after 2 April next year will need to be accompanied by evidence that the applicant has passed the Life in the UK Test or, alternatively, that they have progressed from one English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) level to the next, on a course that has utilised specially developed citizenship materials. A person who meets these requirements when seeking permanent settlement will not have to take any other form of test when he or she becomes eligible to apply for citizenship. The handbook Life in the UK: A Journey to Citizenship, which needs to be studied by those intending to take the Life in the UK Test, has been rewritten with the new requirements in mind and in the light of reactions to the first edition. Tests for both citizenship and settlement purposes conducted on or after 2 April 2007 will be based on the new edition of the handbook, which will be available early in the new year.