[gyardley]

When I was applying for permanent residency in 2003, this question also came up as part of my interview. I had briefly been a member of a small radical left organization in Canada, back when I was 18 or so - and since I didn't know how in-depth the background check would be, I decided it'd be best to disclose it.

Paraphrasing from memory:

Interviewer: "So, tell me about this thing."

Me: "Stupid kid stuff. I was in college."

Interviewer: "So you don't believe this stuff any more?"

Me: "No, I've made my peace with capitalism."

And that was that.

I came away with the impression that (at least for people from countries lacking a near-term history of guerrilla warfare) this was largely a formality.