According to a report by the Canadian "Global Chinese Press," the Canadian federal government is addressing the issue of English or French proficiency for immigrants applying for citizenship. The government issued an online notice on October 14 stating that multiple-choice tests are no longer sufficient to prove whether immigrants can speak English or French. Those intending to apply for citizenship may be required to undergo oral and listening examinations.
The acting director of Citizenship and Immigration Canada stated that written tests are insufficient for assessing language proficiency because they fail to adequately evaluate the listening and speaking skills necessary for effective communication and integration with other Canadians.
Dr. Winner Xing, President of Worldway, and Executive Director Ms. Zhang conducting a site visit at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada
Currently, language proficiency is generally assessed through multiple-choice questions on a written test. This test, which was revised last year, also assesses the applicant's knowledge of Canada and their understanding of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. If an applicant fails the test, they must satisfy a citizenship judge during an oral interview. These changes will affect applicants between the ages of 18 and 54, which accounts for approximately 134,000 people annually.
Last year, the Conservative government tightened the citizenship test, raising the passing requirement from 60% to 75%. The citizenship test requires answering 20 multiple-choice questions within 30 minutes. The failure rate immediately surged from 4%-8% to 30%.
The proposed changes would require applicants to demonstrate that they have reached Level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmarks, such as the ability to participate in general conversations on daily topics, use basic grammatical structures and tenses, possess sufficient vocabulary, and be able to follow simple instructions.
