APPLICATIONS for British citizenship from foreign nationals has fallen since English language-testing was brought in, the Home Office said yesterday.

The number of people asking for citizenship dropped eight per cent to 135,085 last year when the department's "Britishness" test was introduced. The majority of new Britons - 32 per cent - were originally from Africa.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "The fall in applications was primarily due to the introduction of the requirement of English language testing."

But figures show the number granted British citizenship last year increased by 12 per cent on 2003 - to 140,795. This was partly due to an applications backlog.

Since February last year, all new citizens have to meet an international standard of competence in English and pledge allegiance to the Queen.