April 16th, 2010 @ admin // No Comments
Australia is a beautiful and modern country that is nevertheless rich in natural spaces and untouched, pristine lands. Calling to scores of people around the world with its promise of ample space, available work, and a high standard of day to day living, Australia presents an attractive choice to migrants from a variety of countries and from all walks of life. When considering a move or permanent stay in Australia, there are many exciting steps to take that can sometimes also prove to be a bit of a challenge, and taking the Australian citizenship test is certainly one of these. Though the name alone might evoke concerns over a thick school-style booklet riddled with complex questions and threatening to be returned with a scowl and plenty of red ink, test takers will find that the battery is a simple collection of twenty multiple choice questions, and that the criteria for passing is relatively straightforward. Out of the twenty questions on the test, a maximum of five can chosen incorrectly while still earning a passing score. The potentially daunting experience of taking the test itself can be mitigated with proper studying and the right attitude, but it’s also important to understand why, exactly, the citizenship test is required, and how it plays a role in the process of becoming an Australian.
Living in any country for a certain amount of time is bound to create a sense of normality and belonging to a resident; interacting with the country’s people, observing and perhaps even taking part in national customs, and settling into the pace and structure of everyday life is bound to help make people feel at home in any land, no matter how strange or foreign it might have seemed at the outset. But does this sense of normality bestow a person with citizenship? There are, after all, many things that are absorbed through the process of being raised in a certain country, or which are deliberately taught in formal settings such as schools. Important cultural and historical facts, laws, regulations, and other bits of data can be fundamental in the successful establishment of a home or a business in a new country, and Australia is no exception. Even direct exposure to Australia’s people, land, and ways of living cannot convey certain kinds of information to new residents, and it’s for this reason that citizenship tests are administered.
Though it may be tempting to think of many of the questions that appear on the test as frivolous or irrelevant to the process of setting up a residence and incorporating into the national human landscape, having the knowledge required by the test can help new Australians feel more confident about their establishment and better able to take on the challenges of living in a new place. Helping migrants create a valid, recognizable, and respected criteria for living and working in the country, the Australian citizenship test is a tool with many hidden, yet handy, uses.