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1135244

	registered interest
	date	27/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Yazidis: Iraq
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of level of safety of Yazidis relocating to (a) Mosul, (b) Basra and (c) Baghdad.
	tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
	tabling member printed	Stuart C. McDonald
	uin	270406
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>All asylum and human rights claims from Iraqi nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. This is particularly pertinent when considering whether internal relocation is reasonable for a particular person</p><p>Each individual assessment is made against the background of the latest available country of origin information and relevant caselaw.</p><p>Our assessment of the situation for Yazidis in Iraq is set out in the religious minorities country policy and information note, available on the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/565848/CIG-Iraq-religious-minorities-v1-August-2016.pdf" target="_blank">Gov.uk </a>website.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 03/07/2019 15:44:39 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

1131776

	registered interest
	date	12/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department has spent on advertising the Windrush Compensation scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
	tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
	uin	263879
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office has a programme of engagement in place to promote the Windrush Compensation Scheme. We have a designated team tasked with engaging with communities. Our publicity efforts are targeted at potential claimants under the Scheme rather than a wider audience. We have issued press notices, offered articles to key diaspora publications and engaged in social media activity. We are also exploring targeted paid media to promote the scheme.</p><p>We are working with local councils, MPs, religious and community groups to raise awareness through a series of engagement events. 14 such events have taken place to date and more are planned. The events are publicised on Gov.UK and publicity material is made available to local authorities and representative bodies.</p><p>Targeted publicity is the most effective way of informing prospective Windrush claimants about the Scheme. In terms of direct spend on advertising, we do not readily have data on the total cost of all our activities to publicise the Compensation Scheme as this includes design and production of posters and wallet cards, radio advertisements and staff and travel costs associated with organising and <br>participating in events.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 17/06/2019 10:11:09 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1136982

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people at Full Time Equivalent have been employed to establish and administer the system for compensation for victims of the Windrush scandal in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol West
	tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
	uin	273412
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>The number of FTE employed to establish and administer the Windrush Compensation Scheme has fluctuated according to business need. A small, dedicated development team was set up to establish the scheme, averaging around 20 FTE. Now that the scheme is open for claims we have a budgeted complement for the policy and operational teams of up to 135</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 09/07/2019 15:19:38 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1137003

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have applied for compensation from the Windrush compensation scheme to date.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol West
	tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
	uin	273422
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>We will publish information on the number of claims submitted, number of claims paid and the overall amount paid out by the scheme in due course as part of our regular reporting to the Home Affairs Select Committee.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 09/07/2019 15:18:14 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1138453

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has a target for the time taken to make a decision on a claim submitted to the Windrush compensation scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	276274
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>There is no target for the time taken to make a decision on a claim submitted under the Windrush compensation scheme. We will aim to award compensation as quickly as possible, but the time it will take to process each claim will depend on the complexity of individual cases.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 16/07/2019 11:00:46 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1138454

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he will publish data on the time taken between someone submitting a claim to the Windrush compensation scheme and a decision being made on that claim.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	276275
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office will publish information on the number of claims submitted, number of claims paid and the overall amount paid out by the scheme in due course as part of our regular reporting to HASC. We do not intend to publish information on the time taken between a claim being submitted and a decision being made on that claim.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 16/07/2019 11:05:04 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1138470

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people applying to the Windrush compensation scheme who request a Tier 1 or Tier 2 review will have access to the evidence or data upon which an initial or review decision has been made.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	276276
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>When an offer of compensation is made the Home Office will write to the claimant setting out the reasons for that decision.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 16/07/2019 12:31:17 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1138471

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people applying to the Windrush compensation scheme will be subject to the immigration exemption to the Data Protection Act 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	276277
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>The immigration exemption in the Data Protection Act 2018 is not a blanket exemption and may only be used on a case by case basis where the prejudice test and the proportionality test have been applied. It is not targeted at any individual cohort or schemes.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 16/07/2019 12:42:33 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1138478

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Windrush compensation scheme, what the average offer has been to an applicant and what criteria his Department uses to calculate loss of income in such awards.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	276278
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office does not intend to keep up a running commentary on payments made. We will publish information on the number of claims submitted, number of claims paid and the overall amount paid out by the scheme in due course as part of our regular reporting to HASC.</p><p>The criteria used to calculate loss of income are set out in the scheme rules available on gov.uk</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 16/07/2019 12:36:29 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1138483

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether compensation awarded from the Windrush compensation scheme is taken into account in an assessment for an application for (a) universal credit, (b) tax credits and (c) other benefits.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	276279
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2019 answer text <p>The Treasury has agreed that payments made under the Windrush Compensation Scheme and the Windrush Urgent and Exceptional Payments Scheme will be disregarded on an extra-statutory basis in the calculation of Universal Credit and other DWP means-tested benefits.</p><p>Similarly, payments under, or in connection with, the Windrush Compensation scheme will be disregarded in full for 52 weeks from the date the payment is made when calculating for tax credit awards.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 17/07/2019 15:34:36 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1139314

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2019 to Question 276277 on Immigration: Windrush Generation, what the criteria of proportionality will be when applied to people applying to the Windrush compensation scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	277850
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The proportionality test related to the immigration exemption in the Data Protection Act 2018 requires the rights of the individual data subject to be weighed against the likely prejudice to the maintenance of effective immigration control in so allowing such rights. It is not targeted at any individual cohort or schemes and may only be applied on a case by case basis</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 22/07/2019 15:46:48 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1140374

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons the processing of extension applications may exceed the eight-week agreed service standard; and with what frequency that standard has been exceeded in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
	tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
	uin	279031
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The Tier 1 (General) route closed to Leave to Remain extension applications on 6 April 2015. Therefore, no Tier 1 General extension applications were received in the last twelve months.</p><p><br>The data regarding exceeding the eight-week service standards in current application routes can be found using the link <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019 </a></p><p><br>The statistics specific to service standards can be found on tab InC_02.</p><p>Historical data regarding service standards can be found via the following link:<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#previous-data-releases" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#previous-data-releases</a></p><p>Complexity is identified on a case by case basis and will also vary depending on the application route. Therefore there is not an exhaustive list of the circumstances in which particular types of application might be deemed to be complex. Where an application is defined as non-straightforward, due to complexity, the customer will be written to within the normal processing time to explain why it will not be decided within the normal standard service, and to explain what will happen next.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 279030 279032 question first answered 22/07/2019 16:19:26 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1137535

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Skilled Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his Department’s policy to end the cap on Tier 2 visas for highly skilled migrants.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	274425
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government published “The UK Future Skills-Based Immigration System” White Paper in December 2018. The White Paper set out the Government’s intention to have a route for skilled migrants and that the route would not be capped.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 11/07/2019 14:22:21 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1137536

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Skilled Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his Department’s policy to exclude scientific research occupations from proposals in the immigration White Paper for a minimum salary threshold.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	274426
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2019 answer text <p>On 24 June 2019, the Government asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to consider the operation of salary thresholds in the future immigration system, including the impact of exemptions from minimum salary thresholds. The MAC is due to report by January 2020.</p><p>We recognise the vital contribution that scientists make to the UK. In his spring statement, my Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed that PhD level occupations would be exempt from the Tier 2 cap. Additionally, researchers applying for settlement are exempt from the rule which states that, there should be no absence from the UK for 180 days if the absence from the UK is for the purpose carrying out research. A number of research roles also appear on the Shortage Occupation List which also exempts them from the settlement salary threshold</p><p>The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route is also available for internationally recognised leaders and promising future leaders, including in the science and research sector.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 274427 question first answered 11/07/2019 15:24:32 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1133137

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, where the assisted digital locations in Scotland will be; and what type of visa applicants will be able to use that service.
	tabling member constituency	Aberdeen North
	tabling member printed	Kirsty Blackman
	uin	266700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>Since September 2017, UK Visas &amp; Immigration has offered customers across the UK a free ‘Assisted Digital’ service. The service is designed to help people who need to use UK Visas &amp; Immigration online services but don’t have the appropriate access, skills or confidence to do so on their own. Support can be provided over the phone, at a local centre or in home with a trained tutor.</p><p>As of the 20th June, across the UK, there are over 300 centres across the UK supplemented by a network of over 60 tutors. In Scotland, there are 2 tutors offering in home support and 43 centres offering face to face support.</p><p>Customers should contact the Assisted Digital helpline on 03333 445 675 or by texting the word “VISA” to 07537 416 944 and they will be able to advise on the closest support centre. <br>The Assisted Digital service is available to all UKVI customers except for those applying through the following immigration routes, as support should be provided to them by their sponsoring employers or colleges</p><p>• Tier 1 (including entrepreneur and exceptional talent)<br>• Tier 2 (people working for a specific employer in the UK)<br>• Tier 4 (students in the UK)<br>In January 2019 the service was extended to support EU citizens and their family members applying for the EU Settlement Scheme.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 27/06/2019 14:46:02 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4357 label Biography information for Kirsty Blackman

1136983

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Visitors
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for visitor visas have been received, by nationality of country of origin, in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol West
	tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
	uin	273413
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>Information on the amount of visit visa applications received for the purposes of visiting family is not available. The standard visit visa has replaced a range of previous visas including the family visit visa (see <a href="https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa</a> )</p><p>Information on the number of total visa applications, grants and refusals, by nationality, the large majority of which are visit visas, can be found in table vi_02_q in volume 1 of our visas tables, the latest of which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#visas" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#visas</a></p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 273414 question first answered 09/07/2019 15:54:35 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1136987

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Visitors
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications there have been for visitor visas for the purposes of visiting family, by country of origin of applicant, in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol West
	tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
	uin	273414
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>Information on the amount of visit visa applications received for the purposes of visiting family is not available. The standard visit visa has replaced a range of previous visas including the family visit visa (see <a href="https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa</a> )</p><p>Information on the number of total visa applications, grants and refusals, by nationality, the large majority of which are visit visas, can be found in table vi_02_q in volume 1 of our visas tables, the latest of which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#visas" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#visas</a></p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 273413 question first answered 09/07/2019 15:54:35 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

1131314

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Offenders
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applicants were refused entry to the UK due to criminal convictions in each of the last two years.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	263124
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>UKVI do not publish statistics detailing reasons for refusal of visa applications. With regard to criminal convictions, there are different grounds under which visa applications may be refused, see:<br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/general-grounds-for-refusal-modernised-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/general-grounds-for-refusal-modernised-guidance</a></p><p>The available information on grants and refusals of entry clearance visas, are published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas volume 1 tables vi_01_q, latest edition at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 18/06/2019 15:45:14 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1133375

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Ministers of Religion
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department has had with (a) representatives of the Scottish Government, (b) Scottish local authorities (c) the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (d) other Scottish local authority organisations, (e) Scottish Clergy and (f) other religious organisations in advance of the implementation of changes to the Immigration Rules in relation to Tier (i) 2 and (ii) 5 religious workers visas.
	tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire South
	tabling member printed	Mhairi Black
	uin	266843
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government values the contributions made by religious institutions, to communities across the UK and my officials remain in regular contact with representatives from a range of faith and community groups. <br>I recognise the importance of hearing directly from religious leaders to ensure that the immigration system works for all. Therefore, I am hosting a meeting next month with representatives of a broad-range of faith communities to provide an opportunity to listen to their concerns and share ideas on the future system.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 27/06/2019 14:47:00 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4421 label Biography information for Mhairi Black

1138954

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Ministers of Religion
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether men ordained as deacons in the Roman Catholic Church are Ministers of Religion for the purpose of applications under Tier 2 and Tier 5 of the immigration rules.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	277208
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>Paragraph 169 of the Immigration Rules defines the role of a Minister of Religion. Further detail can be found within our guidance products, including our guidance for Tier 2 and Tier 5 sponsors, which can be found at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sponsor-a-tier-2-or-5-worker-guidance-for-employers" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/sponsor-a-tier-2-or-5-worker-guidance-for-employers </a></p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 18/07/2019 15:21:00 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1129217

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Migrant Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Sopra Steria in handling UK visa applications for migrants living and working in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	258941
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service Centres are run by Sopra Steria Ltd (SSL) on behalf of UK Visas &amp; Immigration (UKVI). The new service offered by SSL provides a modernised, digital and more secure process for customers to submit key evidence and personal information.</p><p>UKVCAS also provides an opportunity for migrants living and working in the UK to opt for priority services to speed up their application decision and purchase additional, optional services from SSL to enhance the overall experience. UKVI regularly monitor SSL performance through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) within the contract. Currently SSL are experiencing some demand issues, but I can reassure you that SSL continue to assess customer demand, working closely with UKVI.</p><p>As a result SSL have recently opened three additional service points in Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester to meet the demand in the surrounding areas. In addition, to increasing the number of service points, SSL are working with the existing network of UKVCAS centres to increase the number of appointments offered to customers to increase overall capacity.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 06/06/2019 15:52:37 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1132256

	registered interest
	date	14/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Migrant Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to extend the proposed transitional measure of a time-limited route for temporary short-term workers from 12 months to three years.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	264763
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government published its White Paper “The UK’s future skills-based immigration system” on 19 December 2018, which proposed a new route for short-term workers to come to the UK for up to 12 months. This will be subject to a full review by 2025.</p><p><br>In the interim, we have launched a year-long programme of engagement to enable businesses and other stakeholders to shape the final details of policy and processes contained within the White Paper.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 19/06/2019 13:41:46 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1140373

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Migrant Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of applications received in each of the last twelve months for Leave to Remain extension application as a Tier 1 Highly Skilled general migrant; and how of those cases were concluded within eight weeks.
	tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
	tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
	uin	279030
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The Tier 1 (General) route closed to Leave to Remain extension applications on 6 April 2015. Therefore, no Tier 1 General extension applications were received in the last twelve months.</p><p><br>The data regarding exceeding the eight-week service standards in current application routes can be found using the link <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019 </a></p><p><br>The statistics specific to service standards can be found on tab InC_02.</p><p>Historical data regarding service standards can be found via the following link:<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#previous-data-releases" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#previous-data-releases</a></p><p>Complexity is identified on a case by case basis and will also vary depending on the application route. Therefore there is not an exhaustive list of the circumstances in which particular types of application might be deemed to be complex. Where an application is defined as non-straightforward, due to complexity, the customer will be written to within the normal processing time to explain why it will not be decided within the normal standard service, and to explain what will happen next.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 279031 279032 question first answered 22/07/2019 16:19:26 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1127476

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Mental Health
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department takes to safeguard visa applicants from stress and other mental health problems which occur as a result of delayed decisions and other complications in the application process.
	tabling member constituency	Streatham
	tabling member printed	Chuka Umunna
	uin	256324
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/05/2019 answer text <p>Comprehensive guidance is published on GOV.UK on the visa application process. This includes information regarding our Customer Service Standards (CSS) timescales for processing visa applications.</p><p>If an application is complex or delayed for any reason, Visas &amp; Citizenship staff contact the applicant and inform them if it is anticipated that the CSS will not be met.</p><p>Applicants can contact V&amp;C should the need arise. Contact details are published on the GOV.UK website here: <br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk</a></p><p>If V&amp;C are made aware of any compelling or compassionate circumstances, consideration will be given to expediting assessment of the application, where appropriate and possible.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 29/05/2019 14:26:29 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4128 label Biography information for Chuka Umunna

1140232

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Married People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 229177 on visas: married people, if he will collate and publish figures for (a) the number of applications submitted under Appendix FM where the sponsor did not meet the financial requirement but argued that there were exceptional circumstances pertaining to their case and (b) the number of applications that were successful.
	tabling member constituency	North West Norfolk
	tabling member printed	Sir Henry Bellingham
	uin	278926
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>Information collected, collated and published in official statistics is kept under review, balancing user needs against burdens on suppliers, in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics, implementing the Statistics and Registration Act 2007 (copy available at <a href="https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/code-of-practice/the-code/" target="_blank">https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/code-of-practice/the-code/</a>).</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 22/07/2019 16:15:21 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	1441 label Biography information for Lord Bellingham

1133399

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: India
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost is of the priority service for visa applications to the UK in New Delhi.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester East
	tabling member printed	Keith Vaz
	uin	266659
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>The fees for the priority visa application services for applications made outside the UK are:</p><p>£573 for priority settlement service,<br>£220 for priority visa service (other than settlement), and <br>£956 for super priority visa service for decisions within one working day</p><p>These fees are applicable equally across all countries, irrespective of where the application is made.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 266658 266660 266661 question first answered 28/06/2019 12:51:11 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	338 label Biography information for Keith Vaz

1133402

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: India
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost is of the super priority service for visa applications to the UK in New Delhi.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester East
	tabling member printed	Keith Vaz
	uin	266661
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>The fees for the priority visa application services for applications made outside the UK are:</p><p>£573 for priority settlement service,<br>£220 for priority visa service (other than settlement), and <br>£956 for super priority visa service for decisions within one working day</p><p>These fees are applicable equally across all countries, irrespective of where the application is made.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 266658 266659 266660 question first answered 28/06/2019 12:51:11 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	338 label Biography information for Keith Vaz

1133405

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: India
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have applied for the (a) priority service and (b) super priority service for visa applications to the UK at the British High Commission in New Delhi in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester East
	tabling member printed	Keith Vaz
	uin	266663
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>The specific information requested is not published, however Home Office published information on in-country visa performance is available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019</a></p><p>The Home Office does not publish information on the out of country Priority and Super Priority visa service. Published information on the international visa operation is available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-may-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-may-2019</a></p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 266662 266664 266665 266666 266667 266668 question first answered 26/06/2019 14:54:46 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	338 label Biography information for Keith Vaz

1133411

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: India
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to process visa applications to the UK made in New Delhi in the most recent period for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester East
	tabling member printed	Keith Vaz
	uin	266668
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>The specific information requested is not published, however Home Office published information on in-country visa performance is available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019</a></p><p>The Home Office does not publish information on the out of country Priority and Super Priority visa service. Published information on the international visa operation is available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-may-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-may-2019</a></p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 266662 266663 266664 266665 266666 266667 question first answered 26/06/2019 14:54:47 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	338 label Biography information for Keith Vaz

1135900

	registered interest
	date	01/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Football
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas have been (a) applied for, (b) granted and (c) refused for footballers where the sponsoring organisation was in Scotland in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	271504
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>The available information relates to Tier 5 creative and sporting category, entry clearance visa applications, and resolutions (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed), published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1, table vi_01_q, latest edition at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#visas" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#visas</a></p><p>Information identifying footballers sponsored by Scottish employers could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by examination of thousands of individual case files.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 04/07/2019 15:37:35 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1133855

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2019 to Question 263147 on Visas: Applications, what the new costs of out of hours appointments will be.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	267739
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>We are aware that increased demand has had an impact on short term appointment availability which means customers might not always be able to book an appointment at their earliest convenience.</p><p>We are working with Sopra Steria Limited (SSL) as a matter of priority on a number of actions to increase the capacity at service points and we expect availability to increase shortly. These measures include; six additional service points in Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Exeter in May and June. SSL are also increasing appointments offered to customers across a number of existing sites and have reduced the cost of out of hours appointments to £50 in the Croydon service point. Charges in other core sites currently range from £75 to £100, but we will continue to monitor prices and customer demand.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 26/06/2019 14:46:35 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1134037

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason his Department decided to charge visa applicants £5.48 for email inquiries.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	268417
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>The £5.48 email charge is levied to fund the UKVI contact centre commercial contract as the UK government believes it is right that those who use and benefit directly from the UK immigration system make an appropriate contribution towards meeting the costs of it. This email charge includes the initial e-mail enquiry plus any follow-up e-mails to and from the contact centre relating to the same enquiry.</p><p>The international charge (£5.48 per email enquiry) was introduced on 1st June 2017 as part of the UKVI Contact Centre operations contract awarded to SITEL UK Ltd</p><p>Those who use the services are predominantly from outside the UK. Our web site <a href="http://www.gov.uk" target="_blank">www.gov.uk</a> is the main source of information and advice and is free of charge.</p><p>Further details of the financial arrangement in place between the Home Office and SITEL UK Ltd for the provision of Contact Centre Services (UK and International) is not available due to it being commercially sensitive.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 02/07/2019 15:52:38 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1134038

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money in cash terms his Department raised from levying a £5.48 charge on email visa enquiries in 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	268418
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>Details of the financial arrangement in place between the Home Office and SITEL UK Ltd for the provision of Contact Centre Services (UK and International) is not available due to it being commercially sensitive.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 02/07/2019 15:53:36 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1134039

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money in cash terms his Department raised from levying an additional £1.37 per minute on top of the standard network charge on telephone visa enquiries in 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	268419
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>Details of the financial arrangement in place between the Home Office and SITEL UK Ltd for the provision of Contact Centre Services (UK and Interna-tional) is not available due to it being commercially sensitive.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 02/07/2019 15:54:34 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1134040

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa or settlement applicants paid for the priority service in 2018; and how many of those applicants received a response within one working day.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	268420
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2019 answer text <p>Home Office published information on in-country applications performance is available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019</a></p><p>The Home Office does not publish information on the out of country Priority and Super Priority visa service. Published information on the international visa operation is available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-may-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-may-2019</a></p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 02/07/2019 15:32:10 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1134043

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will provide in cash terms the value of the charge levied upon visa and settlement applicants for having documents (a) scanned and (b) photocopied by his Department.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	268423
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2019 answer text <p>There is no charge by the Home Office levied upon visa and settlement applicants for having documents (a) scanned and (b) photocopied</p><p><br>The vast majority of UKVI customers applying online have the option of uploading their supporting evidence themselves, for free. If customers choose not to use this self-upload function, then they have the option to have their documents scanned by the commercial partner at the visa application centre or service point when they attend their appointment. In most locations an additional charge is applicable for this service.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 08/07/2019 14:21:03 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1137538

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that the UK’s visa charges remain competitive with those of other countries.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	274428
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office keeps all visa fees under regular review. A constituent part of this analysis includes a review of fees charged in comparison with other countries.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 11/07/2019 15:21:45 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1133378

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: English Language
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of the 22,694 individuals that the Home Office has identified ETS has limited confidence in the validity of their TOEIC test due to administrative irregularity, how many re-applied for their visas with a new secure English language test.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	266615
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>Whilst ETS notified the Home Office of 22,694 questionable UK test certificates, the actual number where it was relevant to require a fresh test and an interview with a Home Office official was much smaller.</p><p>The exact information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 24/06/2019 15:55:06 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1126495

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Arts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with which EU countries he has (a) started and (b) completed negotiations on reciprocal mobility agreements for workers in the creative industries who require short-term visas.
	tabling member constituency	Cambridge
	tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
	uin	254210
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The White Paper on the UK’s future relationship with the EU stated that we want to agree reciprocal mobility arrangements with the EU that support businesses to provide services and move their talented people and discuss how to facilitate the temporary mobility of self-employed professionals and employees providing services.</p><p>Our proposals for future mobility arrangements with the EU are reflected in the Political Declaration on the future relationship, which sets out the that the Government wants to continue to enable cooperation in the cultural sector. The details for future mobility arrangements between the United Kingdom and the EU will be discussed in the next phase of negotiations. These negotiations will not commence until after the United Kingdom leaves the EU.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 20/05/2019 10:39:01 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1131273

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Artificial Intelligence
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department uses an algorithm to stream UK visa applications.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
	tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
	uin	263174
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>UK Visas and Immigration streams UK visa applications using a streaming tool that is regularly updated with a range of immigration data.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 17/06/2019 10:20:38 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1126807

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of visa applications that have been delayed as a result of his Department's investigations into Life in the United Kingdom testing centres in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol South
	tabling member printed	Karin Smyth
	uin	254840
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>Providing the information requested would require a manual check of individual records which could only be done at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 22/05/2019 13:07:39 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4444 label Biography information for Karin Smyth

1128512

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of UK settlement visa applicants that paid for the priority service received a response within his Department's deadline.
	tabling member constituency	Hackney South and Shoreditch
	tabling member printed	Meg Hillier
	uin	257700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2019 answer text <p>Information on in country premium service applications for settlement visas and processing performance against service standards is published in the Migration Transparency data, table InC07, latest edition at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019." target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2019</a></p><p>Information on overseas premium service applications for settlement visas and processing performance against service standards are not published in the International Operations Transparency data, but the number of out of country settlement applications received and processed within service standards is published in table Visa_01, which can be found here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-may-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-may-2019</a></p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 04/06/2019 11:54:11 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	1524 label Biography information for Dame Meg Hillier

1131344

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service centres and enhanced service points across the UK have sufficient capacity to handle the increase in demand that will result from the student surge period in September 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	263147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>UKVI officials meet with Sopra Steria Limited (SSL) on a regular basis to review performance and drive improvements to service standards. We are aware that there are issues with capacity at the moment which means customers might not always be able to book an appointment at their earliest convenience.</p><p>We are working with SSL as a matter of priority on a number of actions to increase the capacity at service points and we expect availability to increase shortly. These measures include; four additional enhanced service points in Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Edinburgh over the last month, increasing appointments offered to customers across a number of existing sites and reducing the cost of out of hours appointments.</p><p>Planning is underway with Sopra Steria and we are looking at a range of options to ensure that there is sufficient capacity within the service to meet demand during the student Autumn surge period.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 17/06/2019 10:30:43 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1132975

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Sopra Steria’s delivery of the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS), what assessment he has made of the (a) availability of free appointments and length of waiting times for applicants, (b) affordability of paid appointments for applicants and (c) the affordability of the pay-per-minute UKVCAS helpline.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Withington
	tabling member printed	Jeff Smith
	uin	266266
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2019 answer text <p>As part of their bid and delivery programme, Sopra Steria Limited (SSL) undertook market research to identify initial service locations and this included the impact on customer travel time, cost and accessibility.</p><p>There are currently six core sites across the UK at which application submission services are offered free of charge and beyond that, SSL offer a range of enhanced services in a further 52 locations. 62% of customers will, on average, have to travel less than 25 miles to visit a core service centre, with 78% travelling less than 50 miles.</p><p>UKVCAS offers customers the option to arrange an appointment at any of its core service points, located in Croydon, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast. The UKVCAS core service points offer appointments up to 35 days in advance. Free appointments are available Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 16:00, any appointments outside these times, and those at enhanced service points, are subject to a charge. The charges for these services were based on the extensive customer research SSL completed as part of their bid. SSL will continue to review prices in light of customer insight and demand.</p><p>We are aware that customers are currently experiencing difficulties in securing free appointments and this is resulting in them having to wait longer for an appointment. New appointments are released by SSL on a daily basis and UKVI continue to work with SSL to increase the number of appointments available to its customers through opening new service points and increasing the number of appointments available at its existing service points experiencing high demand.</p><p>In relation to your concern around the cost of the UKVCAS support line, this is an added value service which is optional to customers who wish to find out more information about the application service. Customers who do not wish to avail of this chargeable service, may also contact SSL via their website, where they can choose from two options “make an enquiry” or “make a complaint”. Once a customer has booked an appointment, they will also be provided with a local rate 0330 number on their booking confirmation.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 21/06/2019 11:32:44 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4456 label Biography information for Jeff Smith

1132965

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Africa
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which countries in Africa do not have a UK visa application centre.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	266256
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>UK Visa &amp; Immigration can confirm 23 countries do not have a UK Visa application and customers are advised to apply in an alternative location:</p><p><br>Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sao Tome &amp; Principe, Seychelles, Somalia, Swaziland and Togo</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 24/06/2019 14:55:56 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1132966

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Africa
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which countries in Africa have a UK visa application centre which is not open each working day.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	266257
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>Opening times of Visa Application Centres are determined by volumes of applications. The vast majority of Visa Application Centres are open every working day with the exception of the following; Gambia, Cameroon, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 24/06/2019 15:00:08 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1130105

	registered interest
	date	05/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is able to take to support visa applications from Fairtrade producers invited to the UK by the Fairtrade Foundation and other Fairtrade organisations.
	tabling member constituency	Halifax
	tabling member printed	Holly Lynch
	uin	260685
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>Attending meetings, conferences and seminars are all allowed under the Visitor Rules. UKVI has in place engagement teams who can work with event organisers ahead of events to support them through visa processes. Event organisers can approach UKVI directly, we also identify organisers through engagement with other government department and external Stakeholders.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 10/06/2019 15:52:18 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4472 label Biography information for Holly Lynch

1130949

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many academics have been refused visas to travel to the UK for work-related purposes by his Department in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
	uin	262234
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>UKVI does not publish statistics categorised by an applicant’s profession or in this level of detail with regard to the purpose of visit.</p><p>The available statistics on grants and refusals by entry clearance visa category, including work and visitor visa routes, are published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q, latest edition at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#visas" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#visas</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 13/06/2019 15:48:58 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1132484

	registered interest
	date	17/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many cases his Department has deemed a (a) visa and (b) settlement application to be invalid while the applicant is waiting for an appointment with UK visa and citizenship application services..
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	265585
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>UKVI does not routinely deem visa or settlement applications to be invalid while the applicant is waiting for an appointment with UKVCAS. However, where an applicant has failed to book an appointment with UKVCAS, several months after submitting their application and having been sent multiple reminders, on these occasions the application may be deemed to be invalid.</p><p>Refugee applications for settlement are not dealt with through the UKVCAS process.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 265596 question first answered 20/06/2019 15:32:18 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1132515

	registered interest
	date	17/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times his Department has informed a visa applicant of an incorrect right to work status (a) in person, (b) in writing and (c) through correspondence with the applicant's (i) lawyer and (ii) Member of Parliament.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	265593
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not available as this is not held in a reportable format.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 20/06/2019 15:18:44 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan