How Hard is the British Citizenship Test?

Posted onNovember 2, 2022

The British citizenship test has recently received publicity with newspaper readers encouraged to take the test online to see if they pass or fail. You may question why the British citizenship test is newsworthy other than to immigration solicitors or British citizenship applicants. The test hit the headlines when Meghan Markle explained, in a recent US podcast, that she had been studying to pass the hard test and, when asked, Prince Harry did not know all the answers.

In this blog, our immigration solicitors look at the British citizenship test but we leave you to decide if the test is hard or if the UK education system is not up to scratch if a prince struggles to answer questions about the UK and its history.

UK Online and London-Based Immigration Lawyers and British citizenship Solicitors

For advice on a British citizenship application call the expert London immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.

The British citizenship test

The British citizenship test must be sat and passed by most British citizenship applicants unless they have already sat and passed the life in the UK test as part of their indefinite leave to remain application.

If you took the life in the UK test a long time ago then it does not matter. That is because the validity of the life in the UK test pass is not time limited.

Which is harder: the life in the UK test or the British citizenship test?

British citizenship solicitors say the question ‘which is harder: the life in the UK or the British citizenship test?’ is a trick question as both tests are equally hard. The reason for that is that the tests are the same; they just have different names depending on whether you are sitting the test as part of your indefinite leave to remain application process or as part of your British citizenship application.

Why did Megan Markle need to study for the British citizenship test?

UK immigration rules apply to everyone and so when Meghan Markle moved to the UK, she may have come to the UK on a fiancé visa so that she could marry her prince. On marriage, as a US citizen, she would have needed to have applied for a spouse visa. It is assumed that the spouse visa financial requirement, maintenance requirement, and accommodation requirement were all easily passed.

After 5 years of living in the UK on a spouse visa, Megan Markle would have been able to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK. This step would have been necessary as you cannot move from a spouse visa to British citizenship without applying for indefinite leave to remain as an in-between step.

Prince Harry married the Duchess of Sussex on 19 May 2018 and so, assuming a spouse visa was applied for after that date, the earliest she could have applied for indefinite leave to remain would have been May 2023. She could then have immediately applied for British citizenship because if you are in the UK on a spouse visa the usual rule of waiting 12 months between securing indefinite leave to remain and applying for British citizenship does not apply to you.

The couple left the UK for Canada in late 2019 so if Megan Markle was living in the UK on a spouse visa her plans for British citizenship would have ended then as one of the eligibility criteria for indefinite leave to remain is a need to make the application from the UK and to intend to live in the UK.

The Duchess could have been studying hard and early for the British citizenship test because if she had sat the test in 2018 or 2019 it would have remained valid for her indefinite leave to remain application and subsequent British citizenship application.

How hard is the British citizenship test?

British citizenship solicitors say that applicants for British nationality should not be put off from taking the test because of the recent publicity. If you do not have a prince to help you with your studies there is a handbook with the questions and answers and plenty of online tests that you can complete so you can gain confidence in taking the test.

Once you are ready to sit the test, it takes just 45 minutes to complete and involves answering 24 multiple-choice questions on a computer. However, the test must be carried out at an authorised testing centre. You can not take the test online in the privacy of your palace, cottage, or home.

Others before the Duchess of Sussex have questioned whether the life in the UK test and British citizenship test are fit for purpose. Understandably, the government wants those settling in the UK to have an awareness of British customs, traditions, the UK political system, and laws but some of the historical questions can seem more appropriate for a history A-level exam. However, a study of the handbook, use of online tests, and a bit of memorisation mean most applicants for indefinite leave to remain or British citizenship get the required 75% of the questions right so they pass the test. As a graduate and former actress, used to learning lines, Meghan Markle would probably have ended up passing the test with flying colours. That is one of the criticisms of the British citizenship test as critics say that it tests memory rather than an individual applicant’s commitment to the UK.

Need help with your British citizenship application?

If you need help with your British citizenship application our specialist British citizenship solicitors can answer all your queries and support you through the application process.

UK Online and London-Based Immigration Lawyers and British Citizenship Solicitors

For advice on your British citizenship application call the expert London immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.

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