Fundamental changes await the UK citizenship granting system.
Recently, a young Afghan managed to squeeze into a narrow gap between the chassis and fuel tank of a bus traveling from France through the Channel Tunnel to British Dover. The case could be considered routine if the bus passengers were not... 20 British border guards returning home from their shift. Under an agreement between the two countries, the British themselves inspect trucks and buses heading to the island from the continent. Probably because the bus carried specialists in combating illegal migrants, it was inspected less thoroughly at the border. When the bus arrived on the British shore, the youth took off running so fast that the bewildered border guards lost him. Now he will likely join the half-million army of illegal immigrants who get by in the country without any documents.
But those who have documents are far more numerous. After obtaining a work permit in the UK, they apply a few years later for British citizenship. Currently, this procedure is relatively simple. The applicant must confirm that they have lived legally in Britain for at least five years, pass an exam including questions on the country's history and laws, and finally take an oath of loyalty to Her Majesty. The entire process takes about six months and costs £120-150 – that is if you do everything yourself and do not hire expensive lawyers. As a result, a successful applicant will have a package delivered home by the postman containing a red passport with the gold coat of arms of the United Kingdom.
However, the system for granting UK citizenship is in for fundamental changes. As Deputy Interior Minister Phil Woolas told Vremya Novostei, "From now on, the rights and privileges that British citizenship confers will be available to those who can prove they are sincerely committed to our shared values and are ready to contribute not only to the country's economic development but also to our culture." In other words, the government wants immigrants from non-EU countries to prove their necessity to Britain and earn the right to hold a passport.
Now, the mere fact of being in the country for five years will not be enough for candidates in most cases. To select the most worthy candidates, they will use extended English language testing, criminal record checks, collection of references, and evidence of the candidate's integration into British society. The period after which a person can apply for citizenship will also be increased.
An important component of the new system will be a points-based questionnaire, under which applicants will be awarded points. For the first time, points will not only be added but also deducted – from those who break the law or behave unworthily. Also for the first time, granting citizenship is directly linked to the candidate's community activity. Preference will be given to applicants who can confirm that they voluntarily participate in community work at their place of residence.
"The changes to the citizenship granting system are being made mainly for political reasons," said Oleg Degtyarev, director of the London law firm "Law Firm." "In May next year, general elections will be held, and the Labour government, whose rating is currently very low, is trying to win voter sympathy. Although immigrants bring great benefits to the British economy, they are very unpopular among ordinary Britons. Many immigrants, especially those from Asian countries, often prefer to isolate themselves from British society, do not learn English, and do not participate in public life. This significantly complicates relations between the local population and newcomers."
The largest number of British passports was issued to foreigners in 2005, when 161,700 people became subjects of Her Majesty. Last year, about 150,000 passports were issued. Approximately one-tenth of them went to people from India, slightly fewer to ethnic Pakistanis. People from Russia received less than 2,000 passports in 2008.
However, the financial crisis has also affected labor migrants, who are the first to lose their jobs in an industrial downturn. According to the British Institute for Public Policy Research, about 200,000 guest workers from Eastern Europe will leave Albion this year. The same trend will be observed over the next two years.
Nevertheless, it is expected that by the middle of the 21st century, thanks to the influx of immigrants, the UK population will increase by 10 million. According to demographers' forecasts, in 2050, 70 million people will live on the island, which is almost 70 times smaller than Russia in territory.