So tomorrow's frontpage screeches your way to passport pic.twitter.com/mlt7t4PYfV "Cheat your way to passport" (link to picture of said frontpage, not the website.
I've actually read the hateful article. Note: I don't condone exam fraud, but this article makes it look like a language test which can be faked for £500 is all it takes to access all them benefits. That's not true. £500 to a fraudulent exam provider won't get you citizenship.
The article omits to state that:
a) the extra language test requirement only came into force on 28/10/2013. If you applied before that, the LITUK everyone has to take was enough to prove your English is sufficiently fluent. (People who obtained a degree which has been taught in English and is approved by NARIC don't need a test. Unfortunately professional qualifications taught in the UK by an English organisation are not enough to prove you can speak English. It has to be a degree.)
b) the language test is only one of many requirements. It'll set you back £150 (that's just the test, not any course fees should you need a course), you also need the LITUK (which was around £50 plus another £12 for the book when I took it last year).
c) you can't even apply for citizenship if you haven't been in the country for a set number of years, which varies by your route of application. If you're an EU citizen you're lucky and don't need to pay for any visas or ILR in the meantime, but can simply exercise your treaty rights, outside the EU it's much more expensive, and difficult, and in some cases heart breaking
gov.uk lists the following requirements:
There are different ways to become a British citizen. The most common is called ‘naturalisation’.
You can apply for British citizenship by naturalisation if:
you’re 18 or over
you’re of sound mind
you’re of good character
you’ll continue to live in the UK
you have met the knowledge of English and life in the UK requirements
You must usually also have:
lived in the UK for at least the 5 years before the date of your application
spent no more than 450 days outside the UK during those 5 years
spent no more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months
been granted indefinite leave to stay in the UK, ie there’s no specific date that you have to leave
had indefinite leave to stay in the UK for the last 12 months
not broken any immigration laws while in the UK
There are different requirements if your spouse or civil partner is a British citizen.
You can’t include any time spent in the UK when you’re exempt from immigration control (eg as a diplomat or member of visiting armed forces) as part of the 5 years.
Note: the different requirements for spouses just mean shortened time scales. To sponsor a spousal visa however you must earn at least £18,600 p.a..
d) On top of the cost of points a-c, you also need to pay £906 for the application fee - if you don't want the home office to keep your passport for an indeterminate amount of time whilst they decide your application (and get cross with you for even asking for a confirmation of receipt if you ask earlier than 6 months from sending it off), the nationality checking service costs around £80, too. The fees table is here
Once you've achieved naturalisation you obviously still have to apply for the passport. They don't hand it out at the ceremony.