Immigrants will not be granted permanent British citizenship unless they undertake community work and prove they are in tune with British values, said Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. "It is time to end the situation where citizenship is granted through 24 questions on life in the UK that last for 45 minutes," Brown told reporters on Tuesday.

Brown said as prime minister, he would create a new status of 'temporary citizenship', under which foreigners would be on probation and have to pass a string of tests to qualify for full rights, said the Daily Mail. "Undertaking community work would be in addition to the stringent citizenship tests," he said. "For new citizens, learning English should be a requirement. Citizens should have an understanding of our history and culture."

The plan for temporary citizenship would create a contract between foreign-born nationals and the state under which they would prove their desire to become integrated.

The Australian government had passed a similar law last year, under which foreigners opting to become Australian citizens need to clear an English test. Under the law, migrants are also required to have knowledge about the Australian way of life and basic general knowledge. France also grants citizenships to foreigners after they meet a series of stringent conditions. Recent terror attacks have prompted many developed countries to toughen immigration and citizenship laws.

Gordon Brown's plans were immediately attacked by the shadow home secretary David Davis, who said:"This is a headline-grabbing initiative of very little substance. The problem is not with those applying for citizenship but with the number of illegal immigrants coming into the country.

"Gordon Brown's proposals are ill-thought out and could be actually damaging. What about a doctor who has been here for some years, decides to become a UK citizen, and then has to stop working in the NHS for a period of time to do Mr Brown's community service?

"It is not that long since a minister lost her job after allowing citizenship applications to be granted without the proper passport checks being carried out. Gordon Brown should concentrate on remedying that and answering our call to establish a dedicated UK border police - measures that will actually get a grip on the problems in the immigration service."

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