LONDON, Oct 30: Foreign immigrants, who wish to become British citizens, will have to learn about modern western values, including tolerance of different ethnic groups, unmarried couples and homosexuals.

The aim of the plan is to bridge the gap between immigrants and the mainstream British society.

The government has appointed a team of experts to devise a “Britishness” course that would explain how Britain had changed since the 1950s, and portray the country as a multicultural, democratic and tolerant society.

Under the new plan all immigrants will be provided with a booklet translated into several languages about: “How to live in the UK”.

The asylum-seekers are likely to be told that in Britain boys and girls are educated, forced marriages are unacceptable and single mothers, unmarried couples and homosexuals are protected from persecution.

In Holland, the government is working on a similar plan where a college has been opened to instruct religious leaders about Dutch concepts toward homosexuality and women’s rights.