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Language requirements for naturalisation

  Tags: Placement Test
 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages Post Reply
Aritaurus
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Canada
Joined 6578 days ago

197 posts - 204 votes 
Speaks: Cantonese, English*, Japanese, Mandarin
Studies: Spanish

 
 Message 1 of 7
01 December 2007 at 11:13am | IP Logged 


Just out of curiosity, what are the language requirements of other countries for naturalisation (acquiring citizenship) ? For Canada, you must demonstrate that your English or French is sufficient enough for everyday life. I'm not sure how they test you but this requirement is waived if you're over the age of 55 or 60.

How does it work in other countries ? Are there any countries that don't have language requirements for naturalisation ? I remember when I was in Japan, me and my friends were walking around the Kabukicho area in Shinjuku, there was always a few non-japanese people there who would try and get foriegners to come to their club for a drink. We had a chat with one of them and he told us that he's a Japanese citizen from marriage but he speaks very little Japanese.



Edited by Aritaurus on 02 December 2007 at 3:43am

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lady_skywalker
Triglot
Senior Member
Netherlands
aspiringpolyglotblog
Joined 6894 days ago

909 posts - 942 votes 
Speaks: Spanish, English*, Mandarin
Studies: Japanese, French, Dutch, Italian

 
 Message 2 of 7
08 December 2007 at 10:39am | IP Logged 
I think you need to have a certain level of Dutch if you're applying for Dutch citizenship. I don't know all of the requirements but an American colleague of mine is married to a Dutch man and mentioned that her Nederlands als tweede taal certificates would help her in her application for a Dutch passport.
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manny
Triglot
Senior Member
United States
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Speaks: English*, Spanish, Tagalog
Studies: French, German

 
 Message 3 of 7
08 December 2007 at 2:18pm | IP Logged 
In the USA, Sample Sentences for Written English Testing

The site says: "To be eligible for naturalization, you must be able to read, write, and speak basic English. The sentences on this page are examples of the types of sentences an USCIS officer may ask you to read aloud or write during your interview. They are not an exhaustive list. The USCIS officer who interviews you may ask you to read or write other sentences."

***** some samples

CIVICS/HISTORY
* A Senator is elected for 6 years.
* ________ is the Vice President of the United States.
* All people want to be free.
* America is the land of freedom.
* All United States citizens have the right to vote.

EVERYDAY LIFE
* There are three branches of Government.
* He came to live with his brother.
* He has a very big dog.
* He knows how to ride a bike.
* He wanted to find a job.
* He wanted to talk to his boss.
* He went to the post office.

*****

It would be interesting to find out if other countries have requirements that are significantly different.



Edited by manny on 08 December 2007 at 2:26pm

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Volte
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Switzerland
Joined 6443 days ago

4474 posts - 6726 votes 
Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian
Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese

 
 Message 4 of 7
08 December 2007 at 6:27pm | IP Logged 
For Switzerland, citizenship is decided by the community (ie, the city or village), rather than the state/canton/province or at the federal level, although all three levels need to approve.

At least in my community, there is an oral exam, which can last up to 45 minutes, and be arbitrarily difficult. There are a list of general topics to study, but what is actually asked can be literally anything, as I found out. I personally was asked exactly no questions on the primary subject I was told to study, history, after I demonstrated in the first minute that I'd studied it. Several of the questions I was asked were not even about Switzerland; one involved a small detail of the geography of another European country I had never been to.

Naturally, this exam is given in the primary language of the area of one's community.

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Logophiliac
Newbie
Ireland
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Speaks: English*

 
 Message 5 of 7
20 January 2010 at 10:56pm | IP Logged 
My wife, who is an English-speaking monoglot Australian, had to demonstrate proficiency in English to qualify for
"indefinite leave to remain" (i.e. permanent residence) in the UK. My recollection of Australian immigration law is
that to get permanent residency you need to demonstrate proficiency in English there as well.
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densou
Senior Member
Italy
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Speaks: Italian*

 
 Message 6 of 7
21 January 2010 at 12:56am | IP Logged 
Aritaurus wrote:
Are there any countries that don't have language requirements for naturalisation ?


yep, Italy

(a proposal, to introduce Italian language exams for gaining citizenship, was rejected a while ago)
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Captain Haddock
Diglot
Senior Member
Japan
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Joined 6772 days ago

2282 posts - 2814 votes 
Speaks: English*, Japanese
Studies: French, Korean, Ancient Greek

 
 Message 7 of 7
21 January 2010 at 2:26am | IP Logged 
There is no specific language requirement for Japanese naturalization to my knowledge, but the procedure is
carried out entirely in Japanese and you don't have any hope of succeeding unless you do know the language.
Naturalization of people of non-Japanese descent is difficult to achieve, but I believe 10,000 or so get accepted
every year. I have trouble believing anyone would be granted citizenship just for having a Japanese wife. The
requirements for permanent residency — which is easier to get than citizenship — require you to have made
significant contributions to Japanese society. I've heard they're planning to make Japanese competence have a
larger role in approving temporary visas, however. People who speak Japanese will be eligible for longer-term
visas than those who don't.

I remember researching the citizenship requirements for Thailand. You can apply after five years of residence, and
you do need to pass a Thai language exam.


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