Immigrants hoping to settle permanently in the UK would have to earn points towards citizenship under proposals being outlined by the home secretary.
Alan Johnson says while qualifications and skills could earn points "bad behaviour" would be "penalised".
Minister Phil Woolas said it would "break the link" between temporary migration and permanent citizenship.
The Tories said there had never been an "automatic right to British citizenship and dismissed the plans as "pure spin".
Migrants who have worked in the UK for five years have had the automatic right to apply for a British passport, which Mr Woolas said was usually granted.
Soldier protests
But in future, under the measures in the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill which became law in July, migrants will have to spend five years as temporary residents, before becoming "probationary citizens".
They can then earn full citizenship by earning points - a process which is expected to take between a further one and five years.
Monday's consultation will look at how points can be earned through activities like working, paying taxes, voluntary work and learning English.
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In an interview with the News of the World, Alan Johnson said, as well as earning points, they could be lost through "bad behaviour".
A points-based scheme is already in place for migrants from outside the EU applying to work or study temporarily in the UK.
Mr Woolas told the BBC applying those principles to citizenship would be better for migrants and Britain.
Amid reports "bad behaviour" could include taking part in protests at soldiers' homecoming parades - he said he did not want to comment about "specific instances".
'No man's land'
But he told the BBC: "As a point of principle... if you don't break the law and you are a citizen, that's fine.
"But if someone is applying to be a citizen to our country we do think that you should not only obey the law but show you are committed to our country.
"This is what America does, it is what France does it's what other countries do and we think we should do the same."
This is an act of desperation by a government that knows it has let immigration run out of control
Damian Green
Shadow immigration minister
Mr Woolas added full access to benefits, currently allowed for non-citizens on indefinite leave to remain, was "wrong".
"That no man's land would not exist for future migrants coming into the country," he said.
But Conservative immigration spokesman Damian Green said there had never been an automatic right to citizenship.
He added: "It is simply that this government that has let an unprecedented number of people obtain citizenship, issuing someone with a British passport every five minutes.
"This is an act of desperation by a government that knows it has let immigration run out of control for more than a decade."
Labour MP and former minister Frank Field said it was important to limit the number of immigrants gaining UK citizenship, or the country faced a "population explosion".
HAVE YOUR SAY I'd imagine that half the native population would fail their own citizenship test
Leanne B, Nuneaton
Send us your comments The chief executive of the Immigration Advisory Service, Keith Best, told the BBC the proposals would make immigration more complicated.
He added it would be "somewhat bizarre" if protests against government action impeded people's citizenship applications.
He said: "I would be very surprised if the government would say to probationary citizens: 'You need to curtail your freedom of speech as a probationary citizen in order to be able to enjoy it fully once you become a British citizen'."