Co-financed by the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals
6. Building good relations
6.5 Citizenship ceremonies
Citizenship is a policy mechanism that can encourage migrants and their families to integrate in the UK. You can find out more about the criteria for becoming a British citizen from the UK Government website.
People applying for British citizenship are now required to prove their knowledge of English and pass a ‘Life in the UK’ Test.
Citizenship ceremonies are the final stage in the process for becoming a British citizen. These ceremonies are organised by local authorities and conducted by registrars or assistant registrars. The ceremony is intended to celebrate the significance of becoming a British citizen, and welcome the new citizen into his or her community.
You might want to consider ways of making citizenship ceremonies more significant by:
- holding them in important local buildings;
- encouraging elected members to attend ceremonies;
- involving local children and young people in ceremonies; and
- publicising ceremonies in the local press.
Find out more...
You can find out more about British citizenship from the UK government.