New citizens to attend ceremony

Tuesday, 3 February 2004 12:00 AM

The first ceremony for new British citizens will be held later this month in north London, the government has announced.

All those who have applied for citizenship since the beginning of the year will have to attend such an event. They will swear an oath to the Queen and sing the national anthem under the Union flag, with the first ceremony taking place in Brent on February 26th.

Each applicant will have to attend in order to complete their naturalisation process, and will be expected to pay £68 for the ceremony.

The government has also announced plans to begin pilot English language schemes for the 90,000 applicants they receive every year, and the production of a handbook detailing the laws and customs of the country.

No commitment has been made in regards to free language lessons, but the pilot schemes are designed to see if it is possible to make them cost-effective.

Home Office Minister Beverley Hughes said that English lessons were important as research shows that an understanding of the language helps the new citizens "contribute more to society".

"Becoming a citizen of the UK is something to be proud of," Ms Hughes added.

"We want to help people becoming citizens to play a full part in our society and encourage those who are settled here to apply for citizenship."

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