Australia to toughen exam for citizenship

CANBERRA yesterday unveiled plans to put “Australian values” at the heart of tougher requirements to gain citizenship, days after scrapping a visa program for temporary foreign workers.

The moves came against a background of populist pressure and a resurgence of the antiimmigration One Nation party.

The new requirements include competent English, belief in gender equality and a four-year qualification period.

Candidates for citizenship will be required to be permanent residents for four years against the current one-year period.

They will also need to demonstrate a job record and how they have integrated into the local community.

The current “civics” test for would-be Australians would be expanded to include issues such as domestic violence.

“We are entitled to say if you want to be a citizen of Australia, there are a few things that we want you to demonstrate that you share,” Turnbull said.

“Commitment to our values, allegiance to our country, competent English, being here for four years, integration, demonstrating that you have made that commitment, that this is not just an administrative process. This is about allegiance and commitment to Australian values.”

The government on Tuesday scrapped a visa program for temporary foreign workers and replaced it with a new system aimed at reducing unemployment among Australians.

Turnbull said the new regime “will be manifestly, rigorously, resolutely conducted in the national interest to put Australians and Australian jobs first”.

Amendments to the citizenship law will be put to parliament shortly.