Citizenship test for immigrants

Germany on Monday introduced a test for foreigners who want to become German citizens, even though critics have slammed the move as discriminatory.

There are 310 questions to determine whether an applicant knows enough about the country's political system, history and cultural heritage to earn a German passport, the federal press office said in a statement.

Each test is comprised of 33 multiple-choice questions, of which applicants will have to answer 17 correctly. "Those who would like to become citizens will from now have to know a bit about Germany," the statement said.

One question that has come in for ridicule, however, involves having to identify the coat of arms of the state where the applicant is living from four shields containing various heraldic symbols such as bears, eagles and keys.

The quiz is aimed at fostering better integration of foreigners living in Germany and comes on top of other measures already in place such as courses on life in Germany and the language.

The quiz costs applicants 25 euros (37 dollars) a go, and applicants can receive all the questions to study beforehand.

Those who fail can sit it again as many times as they like, similar to measures already in place in other European countries such as Britain.Those exempted from the test include people who have gone through the German school system, those under 16 and people whose learning capacities are limited due to advanced age, illness or a handicap. Successful applicants for citizenship must also have adequate German, no criminal record and have been living in Germany for at least eight years. There are 6.7 million non-Germans living here, including 2.3 million from other European Union countries and 1.7 million from Turkey.

Immigrant organisations, opposition parties and trade unions have criticised the test as setting a higher hurdle for German citizenship at a time when the country needs skilled foreign workers.

BERLIN, Monday, AFP