Lords Committee to compare citizenship tests across borders
The Justice and Home Affairs Committee is holding its second oral evidence session as part of its inquiry into the Life in the UK test.
Meeting details
At 10:00am: Oral evidence
Inquiry
The Life in the UK test
GERME Department at Université libre de Bruxelles
Senior Researcher and Lecturer in Government and Policy Research at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Professor of Immigrant Integration and Law at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
The Committee seeks to explore how other European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway) test the civic knowledge of prospective citizens, identifying best practices and lessons learnt. The Committee also considers the opinion international experts have of the Life in the UK test, which those applying for British citizenship or Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK must pass.
Possible questions include
- In other countries where prospective citizens are expected to demonstrate “civic knowledge”, how is it assessed – via a test, an interview, a course, or some other mechanism?
- What consequences do applicants face if they fail the test (or alternative thereto)? What do you think these consequences should be?
- Of the various mechanisms used to assess “civic knowledge” (tests, interviews, courses, etc.) discussed today, which do you consider the most appropriate? Why?
- What do you view as the most important lesson (or lessons) this Committee should learn from other countries?
- Seen from abroad, is anything particularly noteworthy about the Life in the UK test?