Citizenship Points Test UKBA Analysis of Consultation Responses

The consultation was undertaken by many significant groups including; The Immigration Advisory Service, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Liberty, Mayor of London, Refugee Action, Scottish Government, The Law Society, The London Assembly, TUC.

POLLING SURVEY RESULTS

Do you agree or disagree that a points-based test should be introduced as part of the application process for gaining British Citizenship?

Agree – 74%
Disagree – 17%
Don’t Know – 9%

What do you think people should be given points for? (up to 3 suggestions)

Professional, Vocational or Academic Qualifications – 43%
English Language Skills – 29%
Skill Shortages – 22%
Artistic, Scientific or Literary Skills – 18%
Earning Potential – 12%
No Criminal Record – 4%
Location (time spent in areas in need of Immigration) – 3%
Financial Stability – 3%
Relatives in the UK – 3%

Do you agree or disagree with the suggestion that points should be deducted or penalties applied if someone fails to integrate into British life?

Agree – 63%
Disagree – 22%
Don’t Know – 15%

For what reason(s) do you think points should be deducted or penalties applied?

Criminal Offence – 42%
Unwilling to integrate into British Life – 38%
No / Limited English Language Skills – 34%
Unwilling to behave in accordance with British Law – 29%
Not wanting to work in an Industry where there are Job Shortages – 14%
No / Limited Professional, Vocational or Academic Qualifications – 12%
Limited Earning Potential – 10%
Special Artistic, Scientific or Literary Merit – 8%

Mentoring schemes are currently in place to support refugees to integrate into life in the UK and their new community (e.g. pairing up a new migrant with another person to help them with English language, accessing services and getting to know their new community. Do you agree or disagree with the idea of making the mentoring scheme available to everyone applying to settle in the UK?

Agree – 73%
Disagree – 16%
Don’t Know – 11%

Do you agree or disagree with the idea of organising orientation days for people applying to settle in the UK? (to help them integrate into the UK by learning more about services and resources, the law, British values and their rights and responsibilities.

Agree – 74%
Disagree – 14%
Don’t Know – 12%

WRITTEN CONSULTATION FINDINGS

Do you agree that we should operate a flexible system that allows us to control the number of migrants progressing to Probationary Citizenship?

Yes – 51%
No – 45%
Don’t Know – 3%
No Answer – 1%

Do you agree that a point’s based test should be introduced in the application process for permanent settlement?

Yes – 41%
No – 56%
Don’t Know – 3%
No Answer – 1%

Do you agree that the test should be applied before entry to the Probationary Citizenship stage?

Yes – 38%
No – 55%
Don’t Know – 7%
No Answer – 3%

Which attributes should attract points?

English Language – 73%
Qualification – 70%
Earning Potential – 54%
Shortage Occupation – 39%
Special Merit – 30%
Location – 17%
Other – 34%

Should points be deducted or penalties applied for failure to meet requirements for integration into British life?

Yes – 39%
No – 51%
Don’t Know – 10%
No Answer – 4%

For which attributes should points be deducted or penalties applied?

Criminal Behaviour – 44%
Failure to Learn English – 17%
Anti Social Behaviour – 8%
Failure to Integrate – 5%
Unemployment – 4%
Accessing Benefits – 3%
Qualifications – 3%
Not undertaking Voluntary Work – 0.5%
Other – 3%

Should we require applicants to meet English and Knowledge of Life requirements at both Probationary Citizenship and British Citizenship stages?

Yes – 46%
No – 51%
Don’t Know – 3%
No Answer – 3%

Should this two-stage test require a higher standard of English for the second stage?

Yes – 31%
No – 61%
Don’t Know – 9%
No Answer – 6%

Do you think that mentoring schemes should be extended to cater for non-refugees?

Yes – 49%
No – 30%
Don’t Know – 21%
No Answer – 6%

Do you think that orientation days for migrants should be introduced to encourage integration?

Yes – 59%
No – 30%
Don’t Know – 11%
No Answer – 5%

Do you think that it should be compulsory for migrants to attend an orientation day?

No Answer – 6%
Yes – 39%
No – 52%
Don’t Know – 9%

Do you think that migrants should be awarded points towards Probationary Citizenship for attending an orientation day?

Yes – 40%
No – 50%
Don’t Know – 10%

Who do you think orientation days should be run by? (select all that apply) Local Authorities? Employers? Local Authorities and employers? Other? Please specify.

Local Authorities – 37%
Employers – 9%
Local Authorities and Employers – 32%
Other – 22%

How do you think orientation days should be funded? (Please select one) By the migrant? By employers? Other?

By the Migrant – 19%
By the Employer – 23%
Other – 45%

What do you think an orientation day should involve?

Rights and Responsibilities – 16%
British Culture – 15%
Accessing Services – 13%
Community Interaction – 4%
Understanding Different Cultures – 2%
UK Politics – 1%
Keeping our Environment Clean – 0.3%
Other – 8%

COMMONWEALTH CONTRACTORS

These findings have been taken from the UK Border Agency’s ‘Earning the Right to Stay: A New Points Based Test for Citizenship’ report.

At Commonwealth Contractors we work with OISC Registered Immigration Firms and Tier 2 Licensed Healthcare & IT Consultancies. Our Consultancy Partners hold ‘A Rated’ Licenses and may be prepared, where required, to sponsor a Tier 2 General Visa (formerly UK Work Permit). Our OISC Registered Immigration Partners specialise in Tier 1 Visa Applications and Extensions (formerly the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme) for professional consultants working in the UK and abroad. If you are a Medical Professional (Doctor, Nurse, Allied Health Professional) or an IT Professionals our partners may be able to assist you.

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