Lords committee to compare citizenship tests across borders
Monday 4 April 2022
The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee will tomorrow draw international comparisons on the use of citizenship tests in several European countries, as it considers the merits of and alternatives to the Life in the UK test.
During the evidence session the committee will seek to explore how other European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway) test the civic knowledge of prospective citizens and permanent residents, identifying best practices and lessons learnt.
The committee will also consider 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.
The session will take place on Tuesday 5 April at 10am and can be followed on Parliament TV.
Giving evidence will be:
- Dr Ricky van Oers, Programme Manager, Centre for Professional Legal Education, Radboud University, the Netherlands
- Dr Djordje Sredanovic, GERME Department at Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
- Dr Elisabeth Badenhoop, Senior Researcher and Lecturer in Government and Policy Research at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
Questions the committee is likely to ask 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?
