Proposals to teach immigrants English on their arrival to the country have been hailed as a "celebration" of British citizenship - and likened to taking a driving test.

The comments come as a report to the Government said lessons in English and citizenship would help immigrants and asylum seekers be proud to be British.

Proposals from an advisory group published yesterday suggested all prospective Britons should complete a short practical course and assessment in both language and citizenship.

The course would cover how to get a job, how to pay bills, what makes a good neighbour and how to vote.

It is suggested that naturalisation tests would help encourage a sense of common values and a sense of belonging - culminating with a citizenship ceremony, swearing an oath of allegiance in front of local dignitaries.

The report also recommends all new immigrants should get a handbook based on the citizenship course and including a short history of the UK.

The recommendations were made by the Life in the United Kingdom advisory group. Chairman Sir Bernard Crick said the tests shouldn't be onerous but citizenship was more esteemed and valued when it was earned and not given.

Bradford Care Trust senior manager Selina Ullah and Bradford Council's Principal Care manager Joseph Brown were also members of the group.

Today Home Secretary David Blunkett said the Government would move forward quickly to set out its response to the suggestions and said: "Citizenship brings responsibilities as well as rights and it is important that new citizens understand and respect UK culture and laws."

Keighley MP Ann Cryer, who is an advocate of English lessons for immigrants, today welcomed the proposals.

"I'm very much in favour of these changes," she said. "It will mean this country will be actually welcoming people to become citizens, rather than grudgingly giving it, which is wonderful - to make a celebration of it. Yes, they will be required to learn English, but altogether it's a very fair deal."

Amanda Mortimer from Bradford Immigration & Asylum Support and Advisory Network said the group backed the report's suggestion of free English classes for people seeking citizenship and intensive specialist language courses for professionals but did not welcome the report itself.

"We are totally against the compulsory nature of these naturalisation tests but the general idea of providing more access to English classes is good," she said.

She claimed immigrants she had met in Bradford, with the exception of one or two, had wanted to learn English but it wasn't always easy to find suitable classes because students needed specialist teachers who could speak their native language.

"We also have professional people such as doctors and engineers who need to learn specific words to be able to do their job - they would definitely benefit from the report's idea of setting up special intensive courses for them in partnership with potential employers - but it shouldn't be compulsory," she added.

Spokesman for the Council for Mosques Khadim Hussain said he was cautious about the recommendations for tests and predicted they could cause problems - especially for immigrants from village areas in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh where education is hard to come by.

And he said: "When the majority of us came here in the 50s and 60s only one or two per cent of us could speak English, but we came and we learned by living in the community - and have done well enough without having to sit any tests.

"I'm cautious about them, I think they will put pressure on people who are already having to adjust to a new way of life - only time will tell if it could work."

Former Lord Mayor of Bradford Mohammed Ajeeb, who was Britain's first Asian mayor, likened the naturalisation test to a driving test.

He said: "You read the book, learn the theory and do everything by the book for the actual test and once you've passed it you do your own thing and make adaptations - you don't stick to all of it.

"This could happen with the naturalisation test - it won't necessarily make good and proper citizens.

"Becoming a good citizen is something that comes with time, with trial and error - not a compulsory test."

Ethnic Affairs advisor for the Tory party Mohammed Riaz said the report was not as far-reaching as he'd expected it to be and was not out of the ordinary.

He said: "Knowledge of English is something we support as a political party and I do as an individual. It's essential for people to live in the community and move up the ladder in economic terms.

"I don't feel it puts any obligation on responsibilities that come with citizenship and one area that has not been tackled properly is loyalty to their new country in case of war.

"We need to be clear on that - the BNP party has got a lot of mileage recently out of issues that the Government has not been clear on and that needs to be avoided at all costs."