pianoamit

Actually, if they don't approve of the reason for your visit, about which they are fully within their rights to question you, they can impede your entrance and transfer you to UKBA officers for further questioning. Those, in turn, have the authority to deny you entry into the UK, and ban you from travelling to or through the UK for a prescribed period of time. (This is, of course, not applicable to UK citizens.)

Christopher

A knowledge of English is already required (and always has been in fact – all the hoo-ha in recent years is another "knee-jerk reaction"), with almost no exceptions.

I am not sure why testing driving would make sense for people applying for naturalisation – it is not a requirement to be able to drive to be a British citizen, and most people who apply for British citizenship have already been living in the UK for 3 years or more and therefore will have sorted out their driving arrangements in the UK if they are drivers.

Criminal background is checked.

There is no need to have qualifications to be a British citizen. Indeed there is no need to be in employment at all – after all, lots of people would say "home duties" or (in the old-fashioned term) "housewife" when asked about their occupation or job.

There is no need to have any particular amount of money to be a British citizen.

Don't forget that, with only very few exceptions (e.g. some registrations for children, registrations based on a UK-born mother if the applicant was born before 1983), all the people applying for citizenship are already settled in the UK and have usually been living in the UK for some years. Some of these things (qualifications, money) may indeed be looked into for some categories of immigration status, but becoming a British citizen is a different thing from immigrating.

Christopher

Yes – British citizens, and other Commonwealth citizens with the right of abode in the UK, do not require permission, or "leave", from an immigration officer to enter the UK, and the purpose of any visit is irrelevant from an immigration point of view. (Such people can, of course, be arrested on arrival, as for example Ronnie Biggs was on his return from Brazil... But they can't have any immigration-related restrictions placed on their stay in the UK.) These people can be questioned by immigration officials only insofar as is necessary to ascertain that their passport, or right of abode certificate, is valid and relates to the traveller presenting it. Of course, normally they are not questioned at all.

EU/EEA/Swiss citizens have a de-facto right to enter the UK and are almost never questioned about the reasons for the visit, although their right to enter the UK is not absolute and there are circumstances in which entry could be prohibited or conditions put upon their stay. (In practice this is of no relevance to the ordinary EU/EEA/Swiss traveller.)

Others do need leave to enter the UK and may be required to account for the purpose of their visit, and those with pre-existing leave to remain may be questioned about whether their circumstances have changed in such a way as to render the existing leave invalid.

ajax

As I was referring to British citizens, this is my point exactly. They can't keep us out.

With that said, it is probably best to not be arsey to an immigration agent. But at the same time, it never hurts to know one's rights.

Jenbel

I've always been tempted to put that to the test, but can imagine the bureaucracy I'd drown in!

Interesting debate last night on Question Time regarding this.

ajax

Well, I imagine that most immigrations officers know this, so they don't try to pretend otherwise!

How was John Lydon on Question Time last night, anyway? The Grauniad gave him mixed-to-positive reviews.

T8191

An interesting gentleman, for whom I have acquired a surprising degree of respect

Jenbel

At times surprisingly lucid, at other times a complete arsehole. You know, he'd say something you really agreed with one moment and would be completely over the top the next. Way less annoying than Louise Mensch though - although hearing Louise Mensch and Jonny Lydon arguing about the effects drugs have on you was certainly entertaining... Alan Johnson very good. I've been enjoying him on This Week as well.

One of the audience smacked JL down very nicely 'John, I love you, but can you let me speak' to which he grinned and shut up and let her finish - not something he did for everyone.

Christopher

Yes, I know you were, and I know it was. Once again, we are in agreement.