London: British Home Secretary Theresa May has brought changes to a test taken by foreign nationals who wish to become British citizens of the country. The revised version of the test, 'Life in the United Kingdom, ' will focus on British history and achievements and less on the practicalities of daily life in the country. It has widely been criticised as 'unfit for purpose.' Immigrants will also have to learn the first verse of the country's national anthem before they can be eligible to become UK citizens. May is understood to have scrapped sections of the test, which dealt with claiming benefits and the Human Rights Act. "Putting
our culture and history at the heart of the citizenship test will help ensure
those permanently settling can understand British life allowing them to properly
integrate into our society," A Home Office spokesperson said. Alp Mehmet, vice
chairman of the Migration Watch think tank, welcomed the planned changes. However,
Habib Mirza, who runs citizenship courses at BSGS College, in Whitechapel, East
London, said the proposed changes would represent 'a massive barrier for anybody who
wants to settle down in the United Kingdom, the vast majority of whom cannot speak
English anyway'. He said that asking people from non-Christian backgrounds to
learn the National Anthem 'might be against their religious beliefs, it might
be against their personal beliefs' and it was therefore 'unfair' and not to purpose. The test, which sometimes contains factual errors also, was introduced for naturalisation in November 1, 2005 and settlement in April 2, 2007. It is a requirement under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
