What should be the ideal requirements for British citizenship?

Actually no you're right we can't have men in dresses perish the thought that's not British, the men have to walk around sunburnt and topless for a week that's more like it

Also, on the Afghan leak - I don't know what type of crimes the people concerned had been convicted of but if you're talking about citizens living under a brutal dictatorship, you have to make a difference between political crimes and anything related to dissent versus crimes like murder. There could be very decent people who oppose those regimes and reflect our values yet end up branded criminals by the tyrants back where they're from.

I disagree. Better to extend the length of residency required before being eligible but the whole concept of citizenship is binary: either you are a full citizen with all the rights and duties from day one or you're not.

Even the men?

You should have to wear a union jack dress for a whole month and pledge allegiance to Captain Tom before we even consider you

Ideally we'd have periodic critical thinking tests and those found to be unable to think for themselves, would be sent to somewhere like Rwanda where they can spend all day spreading vitriol about foreigners.

Wrong thread .

So anyone who ever had to have in-work benefits (because some wages are too low to live on) or (let's face it, mostly women) who was entitled to child benefit, often through having a child with a Brit, would be ineligible for citizenship? What a kick in the face that would be for the many, many good people who contribute more to society than money can express.

I became a citizen just after Brexit, mainly because I knew that my rights as an immigrant would keep being attacked and slowly taken away.

To meet the requirements, I had to prove I spoke fluent English either via an expensive test or by showing I had gained a degree at a British university. I did the latter. While at university, some of my lecturers pointed out that my grasp of the English language was better than that of many natives they taught.

I also had to track down and prove all of my addresses since I turned 18, which is a fun task when you've rented most of your life and therefore had to move frequently. Of course, no criminal conviction was allowed and I had to travel across the country to get my fingerprints taken and permanently stored on a national database.

Then there was the infamous citizenship test, which many people born and raised here would fail. Yes, there are some important questions about the political system and key historic events, but also questions on who designed some famous buildings, or who won a gold medal in a specific sport.

There is a time delay - you have to hold ILR for a year before you can apply, and you only gain that if you already satisfy most of the above.

Oh, and you need to scrape together around £2000. It's £300 to replace a damaged or lost certificate.

UK citizenship is already extremely hard to get.

I have lived here all my adult life, always been working in a job that society needs (and is desperate to recruit for) but which doesn't pay enough in the early stages to survive on without benefits. I've also had the poor luck of meeting and having children with two British men who didn't uphold British values themselves, and I ended up getting help with childcare money from the state when I became a single mum.

We're so desperate for healthcare professionals, IT professionals, teachers, care workers and so many other people, but the country seems hell-bent on being hostile to those who choose to live their lives here and contribute to a society that they weren't born in. It's saddening.

Spamming the board with anti immigration threads tonight?

There is already a language requirement, for visa routes too (not visitors, but those applying for work & study visa’s too) and lots of checks take place before citizenship is granted. I do think (and believe this might be coming in, or has recently come in) that if you’ve overstayed your visa, you become illegible to become a British citizen. Not sure what else can be included.

You already need to be fluent in English and have a clean criminal record. The Afghan data leak was an exceptional situation.

Military and ex-military are statistically more like to commit violent crimes so I wouldn’t be encouraging military service, no.

Able to communicate in English, the language of the UK, agree to abide by the laws of the UK. The citizenship pledge covers it fairly well " I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect its rights and freedoms. I will uphold its democratic values. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as a British citizen". but I think the Australian one reads better "From this time forward, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey".

No criminal record, unless it is a very minor one such as a parking offence, should also be absolutely standard.

And not allowed to vote until you have been a citizen for three years or more would be a great addition and put paid to any claims of importing voters.