A system of "earned citizenship" for new migrants to Britain, which may include periods of community and voluntary work, is to be outlined today by Gordon Brown and the home secretary, Jacqui Smith. A Home Office green paper proposing a new "pathway to citizenship" - designed to enhance the integration of individual migrants into British society - will also be published.

The immigration minister, Liam Byrne, signalled the change this month when he said the results of a three-month consultation around the country had shown that Britain was not "a nation of Alf Garnetts". But he said people wanted newcomers to "speak the language, obey the law and pay their taxes like the rest of us".

The scheme is thought to include proposals to make more rigorous the five-year probationary period that most migrants must go through before they can apply for a British passport. Those who come to join a spouse must wait three years before they can apply for citizenship. The proposed earned citizenship will include a system of rewarding those who integrate quickly through work or voluntary effort and penalise those who commit serious crime during the five-year period.

Potential immigrants will pay higher application fees if they are more liable to use public services. The levy, likely to raise an extra £15m, is being dubbed a "British Trust fund" by ministers.

"Money for the British Trust Fund will be raised through increases to certain fees for immigration applications, with migrants who tend to consume more in public services - such as children and elderly relatives - paying more than others," the document states.

Ministers believe the extra money can help fund councils forced to increase public services, such as housing and education, due to an influx of immigrants. Local authorities have been complaining for two years that the government does not take enough account of immigrant demands.

Ministers are believed to have ruled out a plan for a fast track to citizenship for high earners or people with special skills. Instead, they have opted for a level playing field.

The proposal flows from a speech a year ago, when Brown was chancellor, in which he said the current English language test, the 24-question exam on life in Britain and the citizenship ceremony did not go far enough to integrate new arrivals.

Brown said he thought it was right to ask migrants seeking British citizenship to undertake some community work.

The proposal was taken up by Byrne, and the then communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, in a Fabian pamphlet last summer when they proposed a points-based system for those applying for a British passport, linked to employment and voluntary work records.

The green paper is not thought to have explicitly followed that proposal but will ensure there are penalties for those who do not follow the new rules, including being asked to leave.

Byrne told the Local Government Association this month that three months of "listening meetings" among the British public had shown command of English was the first base newcomers had to reach to earn their British passport. "Second, we want newcomers to pay their taxes just like we do. But we're not in favour of special rights for the rich. I asked people whether successful migrants, like high-earning footballers or surgeons, should get ahead faster. I got a pretty blunt answer. Treat everyone the same: just make sure no one's dodging their dues."

The proposals also follow private polling by Brown's pollster, Deborah Mattison, warning that immigration has become a vortex issue that sucks in voters' worries about public services.