New, tougher Australian citizenship test on its way

Extremists and radical migrants will be prevented from becoming Australian citizens in planned changes to visa laws, according to reports. The new test is likely to ask questions about the applicant's employment history, whether their spouse is attending English lessons and whether their children are going to school.

An Australian passport pictured in Brisbane, Thursday, July 25, 2013. (AAP Image/Dan Peled) NO ARCHIVING Source: AAP

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has held talks at Parliament House this week to reform Australia's citizenship test.The changes are reportedly aimed at identifying extremists and welfare-dependent migrants by asking questions on whether they have integrated into an Australian way of life and have adopted the country's values.

If successful, the changes will prevent these types of migrants from becoming citizens.

Practice test question Source: www.border.gov.au/Citizenship/Pages/Practice_Test_1.swf

The move is a major departure from the multiple choice questionnaire and values statement introduced by John Howard in 2006, where migrants were asked questions on the Australian system of government, laws and democratic beliefs.

The new test is likely to ask questions about the applicant's employment history, whether their spouse is attending English lessons and whether their children are going to school. The new test aims to examine whether they have integrated with the Australian way of life and the social values.