The rejection came in the form of an official UK Border Agency letter stating the reasons why your application was denied. Of course non of this impacted in your permanent residency status. It only impacted in your tax per year and your civil rights since you are not a citizen. For the appeal process you needed to send a letter to the UK B. Agency explaining why you where in disagreement with the decision based on their own letter. If there was a paper missing or a miss interpretation you had to send the copy of the originals with the letter for them to be reviewed. It the best of cases you could have an interview with an administrative to walk through your lodge and finally clarify the situation.

From September 1^st 2010 this same process will have a FEE applied to it. By the price of £100 you will be able to appeal your citizenship application. That is only to start the process at the Border Agencies. They will review the paperwork you submitted and take a decision based on your dispute. If you are unlucky and the Agency rejects the application again you won’t be refunded a penny, UK needs to cover the administrative expenses of reviewing your lodge.

If you are indeed lucky you will be refunded £20 since the remaining £80 will be used for the ceremony expenses. Oh!, you thought you paid for that when you submitted the lodge in the first place? Well we understand your mistake; the fact that we at the UK Border Agency made a mistake and rejected the lodge in the first place so you had to appeal and pay an extra fee of £100 to finally be reimbursed 20 for a citizenship ceremony you already paid for is just a small detail in your mind. Don’t pay attention to it.

And don’t even remember the fact that you paid for the Like in the UK booklet and later to sit for the test, careful as many times as you needed to reach the passing score.

What are you going to do next with your rightfully reimbursed £20? A Guinness?

The test is notoriously difficult, with applicants required to commit to memory a wealth of facts, figures and statistics of varying degrees of relevance to day-to-day UK life. Statistics show that in 2009 just under a third of those taking the test failed, although these failed to show how many of these were first time or repeated tests. There was no official reason given for allowing applicants to sit the test as many times as needed. Perhaps it sends out a positive, welcoming message to would-be applicants. Or by making the questions difficult and drawing all the questions from government-produced material is it a case of money-spinning? Those applying for citizenship or settlement will already have spent many hundreds of pounds in application fees, what would a few more hurt?

There is little doubting that tighter immigration controls, such as the mandatory Life in the UK Test, were introduced to alleviate the burgeoning immigration levels that the UK has experienced in recent years. There seems little point then, in introducing the requirement of passing a difficult test, peppered with statistics to be committed to memory and regurgitated if the exam then becomes little more than a memory test, one which those who fail can take over and over again. Detractors could argue that this sends out a confused message to would-be immigrants, that the government is attempting to take a bold stance on immigration, without upsetting too many people – seeming to say, ‘We want to make it tougher for you to come here, but not that tough’. Indeed at times, the guide can seem more like a brochure promoting the benefits of British political correctness and multi-culturalism than the study material for a citizenship test. Perhaps the British authorities should look to Canada, which offers those who have failed the citizenship test the chance to undertake a brief interview with a specially appointed immigration judge. A more personal approach, with oral interaction and a chance to show off understanding and intelligence might prove a more appealing option than a banal computerised test, and might giver those applying a greater incentive to study and pass first time.

In 2009 the highest number of applications came from India, with 79.2% of the 100,001 who sat the test passing. Elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent, Pakistan provided the second most (63.8% of 68,279) and Bangladesh the fifth most although with a much lower success rate (44% of 38,085).

The third most came from the Philippines where 78.1% of the 53,609 passed the test, and the forth from Iraq with only 47.9% of the 40,200 applicants achieved the 75% pass mark. There appears a correlation between language proficiency and success in the test, with applicants from English-speaking countries in general faring much better. Applicants from the USA, Canada and Australia, for example, scored 97.7%, 96.9% and 98.0% respectively. Turkey (30,014) and Afghanistan (29,650), although providing the eighth and ninth most applicants, only achieved pass rates of 45.% and 47.8% respectively.

The multiple-choice test, which comprises 24 questions covering such subjects as the politics, culture and history of the UK and lasts 45 minutes, has faced its fair share of criticism since its introduction in 2005.

The scarcity of questions related to key moments in British history has been met with disapproval, especially when obscure questions ask, for example, what year British women were given the right to divorce their husbands (answer: 1857). According to historian Dominic Sandbrook, ‘the questions betray a  weird obsession with immigration, multiculturalism and the intimate workings of the welfare system’. Critics have argued that in attempting to capture the essence of ‘Britishness’ the makers of the test missed the mark, with the result an irrelevant quiz which the majority of British citizens by birth would probably fail.
The scepticism of the ‘Life in the UK Test’ was recently echoed by American author Bill Bryson, a long-time resident in the UK. He recently told an audience that although he is eligible for British citizenship and would like to apply, he is afraid of failing the ‘Life in the UK Test’ and what the reaction in the media would be.

Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Mail

Life in the UK Test Results in Full

Note that this change does not affect Northern Ireland.

For more information about the change in the tobacco law, visit Smokefree.

A) an African dish, very popular with the immigrants from that continent

B) the official language of the Isle of Man

C) a semi-independent agency set up by the government; they are officially called Non-Departmental Public Bodies

D) an independent agency, sponsored by the government; they are officially called Non-Public Departmental Bodies.

2.What is the traditional Christmas meal?

A) meat sausages with mashed potatoes and fruit salad

B) oatmeal with blueberries and apple pudding

C) roast turkey and pudding made from suet, dried fruit and spices

D) fish and chips, followed by tea

3.What is celebrated on February 14th?

A) St Patricks Day – Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

B) St Valentines Day

C) Februarys Fool Day

D) Remembrance Day

4.What is the Kirk?

A) the main church in Northern Ireland

B) the other name of the Church of Scotland

C) a protestant denomination based in Wales

D) the name often given to Roman Catholics in Britain

5.When will the next census take place?

A) 2007

B) 2008

C) 2011

D) 2012

Right Answers:

1C – 2C – 3B – 4B – 5C

1.What is the population of the United Kingdom?

A) just under 59 million people

B) just above 46 million people

C) around 70 million people

D) just under 34 million people

2.Why did the British Government encourage immigration in the late 1940s?

A) because of the decolonisation

B) to help with the reconstruction after the World War II

C) to give refuge to people from communist countries

D) none of the above – the British Government did not encourage immigration in that period

3.How does the British Government attempt to prevent unauthorized immigration?

A) by examining closely the claims of those seeking asylum

B) by prohibiting immigration from certain countries

C) by establishing an Iron Curtain, in the late 1980s

D) none of the above, the British Government does not attempt to prevent unauthorized immigration

4.Since wheh did women receive voting right at the same age as men?

A) 1882

B) 1918

C) 1928

D) 1948

5.Women in Britain make up

A) 35% of the workforce

B) 51% of the workforce

C) 45% of the workforce

D) 50% of the workforce

Right answers:

1A – 2B – 3A- 4C – 5C

The little boxes on the top allow you to move between questions. Each of the 24 boxes stands for one question.

You can select a different question by clicking a box with your mouse. You can also move to the desired box by using the keyboard.

A white box means that you have not yet visited a question.
A white box with a blue outline means you have visited a question but not answered it.
A blue box means you have answered a question.

Using the boxes to move around the test lets you visit questions first and return to them later. This is especially useful when you’re not sure what the answer to a question is, or if you want to change a previous answer.

Selecting Hear the question turns on the audio. This reads out the question to you. There may be a slight delay before you can hear the question.

Selecting Next question takes you to the next question in the test.
Selecting Previous question returns you to the previous question in the test.

Questions left to answer tells you how many questions you have left to answer. Questions answered tells you how many you have answered.

The timer counts down your time from when you start the test.

It is always there, so you know how much time you have left.

Halfway through the test time, you will get a time alert. You will get two more time alerts: ten and two minutes before the test ends.

To select the first answer, press the number 1.
To select the second answer, press the number 2.
To select the third answer, press the number 3.
To select the fourth answer, press the number 4.

To deselect an answer, press the relevant number key again.

To move to the next question, select N.
To move to the previous question, select P.
To hear the question, select H.
To finish the test, select F.

When you move to an answer, the area around it turns grey. This means the answer is active and you can select it. If you are using a mouse, your pointer arrow will also change to a pointer finger.

Once you select an answer, the area around it turns white. If you have selected a radio button, a dot will also appear in the circle. If you have selected a tick box, a tick will appear in the box.

The Finish test button ends the test.

You select Finish test when you have completed all 24 questions. If you run out of time, your test will end automatically. You will not be allowed to finish your current question.

Don’t worry if you select Finish test by mistake; you will be asked to confirm your decision.

Remember: none of your answers are final until you select Finish test and confirm your decision.

* Where have migrants come from in the past and why? What sort of work have they done?

The changing role of women

* Do women have equal rights and has this always been the case?
* Are there as many women in education or work as men?
* Do women get the same pay as men? Do women with children work?

Children, family and young people

* Do many children live in single parent families or step-families?
* When do children take tests at school? How many go on to higher education?
* What are the minimum ages for buying alcohol and tobacco? What drugs are illegal?

Population

* How many people live in the countries of the UK?
* What is the census and how is census data collected and used?
* How many people belong to an ethnic minority and which are the largest minority groups? Where are there large ethnic communities?

Religion and tolerance

* How many people say they have a religion and how many attend religious services? What are the largest religious groups?
* What is the Church of England and who is its head? What are the main Christian groups?

The regions of Britain

* Where are Geordie, Cockney and Scouse dialects spoken?

Customs and traditions

* Do people tend to live in the cities or in the country?
* What and when are the national days of the four countries of the UK? What are bank holidays?
* What and when are the main Christian festivals? What other traditional days are celebrated?

The working system of government

* What are MPs? How often are elections held and who forms the government?
* What is the role of the Prime Minister? Who advises them and what are the main roles in the Cabinet?
* What type of constitution does the UK have? What is Her Majesty’s Opposition and what is the role of the Leader of the Opposition?
* How is political debate reported? Are newspapers free to publish opinions or do they have to remain impartial?

The formal institutions

* What is the Queen’s official role and what ceremonial duties does she have?
* How do elections for the House of Commons work? How are candidates selected? What do the Speaker and Whips do?
* What is the House of Lords and who are its members?
* How can you visit Parliament?
* How are judges appointed and how do they apply the law?
* How are the police organised and who controls their administration?
* What is the civil service and how do civil servants work with government?
* How are local services managed, governed and paid for?

Devolved administration

* What is proportional representation and where is it used?
* What are the powers of the devolved administrations? Which areas of policy remain under the control of the UK government?
* What are quangos and non-departmental public bodies?

Britain in Europe and the world

* What are the roles and powers of the main institutions of Europe? How is European law organised?
* What rights do citizens of European Union states have to travel and work?
* What is the Commonwealth? What is the United Nations and what is Britain’s role within it?

The ordinary citizen

* What rights and duties do UK citizens have?
* Who has the right to vote and at what age? How and when do you register to vote?
* Who can stand for public office? How do you contact an elected representative?

If you fail the test, you will have to wait at least 7 days before you can try it again. Your results notification letter will mention the areas that you shouls review. Once you are confident that you are ready, book a new test date.

If you think that you may have failed because of insufficient English, you may consider taking English classes and your local learndirect centre.