Today the Home Secretary, has announced measures to place
our collective British values at the heart of the immigration
settlement process.
Those who choose to make Britain their home need to have a good
understanding of British values and the English language. We will
achieve this by firstly reforming the Life in the UK test by
bringing British values to the fore, ensuring the test is more
relevant to daily life and culture in the UK and secondly by
raising the standard required for English language so everyone
has the chance to participate in society.
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· We
will be bringing forward a public consultation on putting British
Values at the heart of Life in the UK test and by amending the
accompanying handbook. An understanding and
appreciation of British values is vital to integration and
playing a full part in national life. It is something all those
who settle here should have. The current Life in the UK handbook
gives only a brief account of British values. We will shortly
bring forward a public consultation to help define what should
feature in the handbook.
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· Raising
the language requirement for British citizenship We
are raising the level of language proficiency expected for adults
seeking to naturalise as British citizens. Language ability
is a key skill which aids the effective integration of adults and
their families into the UK and promotes positive outcomes. We
want to see people who want to become citizens to make a
commitment to their integration by investing in the skills they
need to integrate as quickly as possible.
, the Home Secretary, said:
“Today I am setting out how we will put British values at the
heart of our immigration system, so we can help people integrate
and make the most of the opportunities the UK has to offer.”
“By strengthening the English language test and focusing on
British values in our Life in the UK test we will make the
criteria for settlement more useful and relevant to daily life.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Applicants for British citizenship and settlement have to
pass Life in the UK and English language
tests. Applicants for British citizenship and
settlement are tested on knowledge set out in a Home Office guide
on Life in the United Kingdom last updated in 2013. This includes
basic information on values and principles of the UK, Britain’s
long and illustrious history, and the UK government, law, and
citizens’ role in it. They must also separately demonstrate their
English language ability.
The Life in the UK test has been
improved since 2010 but could be further focused of British
values. The current Life in the
UK handbook gives only a brief account of British
values, and there is only one question in the Life in
the UK test specifically on values.
There is no difference in the English language
requirement for settlement and for
citizenship. There is no difference in the standard
that must be met for settlement or for citizenship. This fails to
recognise the greater significance of British citizenship, or
give the incentive for those who have settled here to continue
developing their English language skills as they
The Racial Disparity Audit showed that low levels of
English proficiency correlated with low levels of engagement in
the job market. This relationship was particularly
strong for women from ethnic minority groups.
