A system of "earned citizenship" for new migrants to Britain

A system of "earned citizenship" for new migrants to Britain, which may include periods of community and voluntary work, is to be outlined today by Gordon Brown and the home secretary, Jacqui Smith. A Home Office green paper proposing a new "pathway to citizenship" - designed to enhance the integration of individual migrants into British society - will also be published.

The immigration minister, Liam Byrne, signalled the change this month when he said the results of a three-month consultation around the country had shown that Britain was not "a nation of Alf Garnetts". But he said people wanted newcomers to "speak the language, obey the law and pay their taxes like the rest of us".

The scheme is thought to include proposals to make more rigorous the five-year probationary period that most migrants must go through before they can apply for a British passport. Those who come to join a spouse must wait three years before they can apply for citizenship. The proposed earned citizenship will include a system of rewarding those who integrate quickly through work or voluntary effort and penalise those who commit serious crime during the five-year period.

Potential immigrants will pay higher application fees if they are more liable to use public services. The levy, likely to raise an extra £15m, is being dubbed a "British Trust fund" by ministers.

"Money for the British Trust Fund will be raised through increases to certain fees for immigration applications, with migrants who tend to consume more in public services - such as children and elderly relatives - paying more than others," the document states.

Ministers believe the extra money can help fund councils forced to increase public services, such as housing and education, due to an influx of immigrants. Local authorities have been complaining for two years that the government does not take enough account of immigrant demands.

Ministers are believed to have ruled out a plan for a fast track to citizenship for high earners or people with special skills. Instead, they have opted for a level playing field...

~ From Migrants must earn citizenship, says Brown ~