Multiple Choice Questions: Citizenship Exam

Proficiency In English Dept: The adjusted requirement will be an added barrier, the lawyers say. It will exclude people. They should drop their objection. Raising the bar on language skills is a sensible step aimed at ensuring that new immigrants can participate more fully in Canadian life, according to The Star. Ottawa s increased demand for language ability will apply only to those aged 18 to 54. That means working-age people are the ones who will be affected, not Granny or little Suzie in kindergarten. Monica Boyd, a professor at the University of Toronto who specializes in immigration issues, says the government is merely tweaking the language requirements to make sure people have proficiency and some immigration lawyers are protesting a change in the way the federal government tests the language skills of applicants for Canadian citizenship. Language proficiency in English or French used to be tested through written, multiple-choice questions. Now Ottawa wants to appraise applicants on their oral and listening skills. Before news that the language test would be changed, immigration lawyers were already irritated by other adjustments in the citizenship exam for example, raising the passing mark to 75 from 60. But it shouldn t be a snap to become a Canadian citizen. It should require study. A citizen-to-be must understand something about his or her new country s government and history. And, importantly, have some fluency in one of the official languages. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.