Live in the UK, Life in the UK, Come to the UK

The UK is one of the most popular countries for settlement in the last 10 years. There is no wonder that in 2005 the British government decided to implement a strict immigration and citizenship policy. As part of these changes we earned the brand new Life in the UK test. From 2005 to 2007 the test included 2 testable chapters that went from the geopolitical, historical, electoral system in the UK. Most recently a committee was appointed to modernize the test. The content was enhanced with two extra chapters about the every day life in the UK.
This new content goes from Housing (mortgage, real estate agents, Making offers, leasing, Tenancy agreements and such), regular services as Water, Electricity, gas and its suppliers. How to ask for them, who to pay. Money is also included with a small review of the different currencies used in the UK, credits, cards, banks, insurance and social security.

Health matters are also included in the guide as a fundamental piece of advice for the new citizen. Finding a doctor, going to the hospital, dentists, Orthopedist, birth and registration among some subjects.

No why is this information even relevant for the Citizenship application? Is someone looked at an immigration chart for the United kingdom will find out that the majority of the immigrants come from Asia and countries currently at war. The cultural gaps between those immigrants and eastern Europeans are considerable. The UK needs to make sure that a new citizen will be armed to face every day life aspect before falling in social security. There is no point to allow an immigrant that doesn’t know how to use a bank or open an account in the country. Even more importantly the UK wants to ensure that every new comer has the capability to become a civic citizen in full spectrum. In other words an immigrant has to be able to play its role in the electoral system.

A different aspect of the Life in the UK test is the language assessment. The test does not contain grammar or English language questions at all. The fact that the candidate is able to understand the English used to build the questions is enough to ensure he is capable to live in the UK. However this requirement varies from candidate to candidate. If it happens that the applicant comes from a non English speaker country he or she will have to take a course prior the test. The course was developed by the Border Agency as a complement of the Life in the UK test. The English for Speakers of Other Language course can be booked any time. The course not only holds English grammar and talking classes it also comprehends civic content to help applicant with their citizenship test. There is the possibility of taking an English test to see if the course is indeed needed. We strongly recommend to book the test prior jumping to the curse since many would find the 250 pounds fee a little high.

Hope this short review helps you to have a grasp on what the citizenship test is really about. Welcome to the UK!