Thread: UK-Immigrants to be forced to show they can speak English to

Immigrants to be forced to show they can speak English to gain citizenship

By Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:31AM BST 12/07/2008

Immigrants will be forced to show they can speak English and understand the British way of life before they can gain citizenship in future.
Under proposals to be put before Parliament next week, new arrivals will also be required to contribute to a fund to be spent on lessening the impact of sudden mass immigration on local public services.

Ministers are keen that recent arrivals prove they can integrate into general British life, rather than just their own close community, before they are allowed to apply for a British passport.

They are concerned that many young women in particular arrive from abroad to marry and never leave their new family or establish roots in the wider community before being granted citizenship.

In future, as well as showing they are continue to improve their capacity in English, those wishing to make the UK their home will have to prove they will not be a drain on the benefits system and can "give something back to the community".

Under one of the most radical proposals contained in the Draft Immigration Bill, published on Monday, an effective ``immigrant tax" is proposed to help pay for the schools and hospitals they use.

The special levy on entering the country is designed to respond to concerns that high immigration levels can lead to a drain on public services in communities which lack the funds to support a large influx from abroad.

MPs in some parts of the country had complained that local services such as schools and hospitals in their constituency were at "breaking point" as a result of a sudden swelling of the population.

An additional levy of around £20 will be added to the usual £200 visa need by those wishing to stay in Britain longer than six months, and is expected to bring in an extra £15 million a year.

The Bill is based on a series of proposals contained in a Green Paper called "The Path to Citizenship" launched by Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, earlier this year, which the Daily Telegraph understands has been accepted by ministers virtually in full.

It will usher in a three-stage process for becoming a citizen, including a new probationary period during which migrants will be required to demonstrate their contribution to the UK or else leave the country.

No one will be able to claim benefits until they have completed the probationary period.

Anyone who commits an offence resulting in a prison sentence will be barred from becoming a citizen altogether, while those guilty of a minor crime will have to serve a longer period of probation.

But there will be a fast-track system for migrants who get involved in volunteering in their local community.

When she launched the green paper in February, Mrs Smith said: "This is a country of liberty and tolerance, opportunity and diversity - and 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 community."

The Conservatives have warned however that the extra fee could put key workers such as nurses off coming to the UK.

Link

I wish that our "leaders" had the good sense to adopt policies like these for our immigration laws,but then again a brain would be needed to do anything that benefited America or Americans and so far I am not sure there would be too many brains to be found in our government.