(Canada) Citizenship-test failures skyrocket

[alp227]

Source: The Canadian Press

Failure rates for immigrants writing citizenship tests have soared since the spring when tougher questions and revamped rules made it harder for newcomers to become Canadian.

The new test, introduced March 15, was based on a bulked-up citizenship guide released a year ago to give immigrants a richer picture of Canada's history, culture, law and politics.

The 63-page guide, Discover Canada, replaced a slimmer volume dating from 1995 that had fewer facts to memorize. The failure rate for the old citizenship test, with questions drawn from the smaller guide, ranged between four and eight per cent.

Failure rates for the new test rocketed to about 30 per cent when it was introduced — prompting officials to revise the rules to avoid clogging the system with thousands of would-be Canadians who, because they had flunked, often had to plead their cases before busy citizenship judges.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/11/28/canada-citizenship-test-failures.html

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Hmm. I wonder if the test authors plotted to limit immigration. :tinfoilhat:

And I wonder how many Teabaggers would pass the American citizenship test as a pop quiz?

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Dayum. I KNEW I should have moved there years ago...

[2Design]

2. hhhmm not good news

I need to look into this more seriously although I might have missed the window of opportunity already

[PDJane]

3. It's not tin-foil worthy;

We have a slightly racist prime minister from the (neo-) conservative party. Of course that is what the thing was intended to do.

[obxhead]

4. I think citizenship test questions should be determined

by public High School graduates. All HS students should be required to take a sample citizenship test upon graduation so that a standardized test could be formed based on what we actually teach our own citizens.

If at least 85% of HS grads can't answer the question it should not be on the test for immigrants.

Yes, I understand this was from Canada. The same idea could be applied there.

[Posteritatis]

8. I doubt 85% of HS grads could spell "parliament," never mind know how it operates. (nt)

[activa8tr]

5. Americans considering becoming permanent residents in Canada should

be young, well educated, skilled at a job, and have no criminal record whatsoever.
They also would be best off if they can land a job before they emigrate, or have ability to transfer from a job here.
People over 50 hardly ever get permanent resident status, (higher health care and retirement costs).

If one is rich, however, able to support oneself for a lifetime or able to start a business to employ Canadians full time, age would not be that much of a factor.

[TrogL]

6. I wonder how many current residents could pass it?

[Posteritatis]

7. Not many

It'd be like civics tests in the States - a whole lot of Real (Canadian|American) Citizen Patriot Types(tm) would tank the equivalent tests.

[PDJane]

10. I took the test.......

And I would say that a high school civics class should be able to pass the thing. It's not easy, however, if you've never come across a parliamentary system or some of the more Canadian terms. I can see someone from elsewhere wondering what 'First Nations' are, for instance.

[OnlinePoker]

12. I'm from Canada and wonder that myself.

Seriously, though, I'd like to see the test and see how many of us who were born here could pass it without having a study guide to prep with.

[OswegoAtheist]

9. I have dual American & Canadian citizenship...

...and I'm always taking bids on marriage visas... err, I mean, I pride myself on being able to pass citizenship tests in both countries. Yeah, that's what I meant to say....

Oswego "see eBay for my 'test results'" Atheist

[Skink]

11. There's a test?

[applegrove]

13. One of my brother's roomates just failed his test. And this is a guy who did a masters of economics

in english.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Fer the record the American test is also harder

And most Americans could not pass it either...

I still remember mine...aced the damn thing. Then the immigration officer asked for occupation: Graduate History Student...

She smiled and told me, be embarrassing huh?

Yep...