U.S. plans tougher citizenship tests to slow immigration

According to naturalization officials, the US government is planning increasingly rigorous testing for immigrants to the United States starting in 2006, reports Reuters. Gerri Ratliff, director for the naturalization redesign project at US Citizen and Immigration Services, said her office, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, is planning a pilot program in several cities next year. She said the new requirements are an effort to make the citizenship test more uniform from place to place. [more]