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1439762

	registered interest
	date	10/03/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Ukraine
	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 guidance on the Ukraine Family Scheme updated on 9 March 2022, whether applicants to the Ukraine Family Scheme who followed the guidance in place at the time of their application prior to 9 March will need to complete a further application before their case is considered by her Department.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	138147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2022 answer text <p>As set out in the Home Secretary’s statement to the House on 1 March, a fee free, bespoke Ukraine Family Scheme has been introduced. The route allows both immediate family (spouse, civil partner, durable partner, minor children) and extended family (parent, grandparent, adult children, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in laws and their immediate family) to join qualifying family members in the UK. This route was launched on 4 March.</p><p>Applicants who made their application prior to the publication of the updated guidance on 9 March will not be required to re-submit their applications.</p><p>Guidance for those who wish to apply for the Ukraine Family Scheme who are already in the UK is published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine-and-ukrainian-nationals-in-ukraine-and-the-uk#non-british-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine-and-ukrainian-nationals-in-ukraine-and-the-uk#non-british-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 138148 question first answered 24/03/2022 14:58:20 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 57769 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1183870

	registered interest
	date	10/03/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration: EU Nationals
	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 grant funding of up to £9 million her Department has made available to voluntary and community sector organisations to support vulnerable EU citizens apply for settled status, whether her Department has plans to extend the provision of that funding beyond the original term agreed; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	27644
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2020 answer text <p>The EU Settlement Scheme was launched in March 2019 and gives EU citizens and their family members the status they need to live and work in the UK after 30 June 2021. There have already been more than 3.2 million applications to the EU Settlement Scheme and nearly 2.9 million granted status, with over a year left to go.</p><p>There is a wide range of support available online, over the phone and in person to help them apply. This includes a helpline open 7 days a week where 250 staff based in Liverpool answer questions and help people apply. There are 1,500 Home Office staff working on the scheme in total.</p><p>Home visits and telephone support are available from a tutor for those lacking in digital skills or without internet access.</p><p>Last year, the Home Office awarded £9 million funding to 57 charities across the UK who have helped hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people already.The 57 charities currently funded by the Home Office will have their funding extended until the end of June 2020, to allow their work to continue during the bidding process for new funding.</p><p>On 6 March 2020, the Home Office announced a further £8 million of funding to help vulnerable EU citizens apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/8-million-to-help-vulnerable-people-apply-to-the-eu-settlement-scheme%20" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/8-million-to-help-vulnerable-people-apply-to-the-eu-settlement-scheme </a></p><p>Charities and local authorities will bid for further funding to provide face-to-face, online and telephone support to vulnerable people across the UK. This may include legal support, caseworker services or general advice as either individual or group sessions.</p><p>The further £8 million of funding for the 2020-2021 financial year will ensure important information continues to get through to those hardest to reach.As with all government funding, there will be a competitive bidding process to ensure the right support is provided to all parts of the UK and makes best use of public money.</p><p>Successful organisations will be fully supported by the Home Office and will be able to speak to caseworkers directly to discuss individual cases.</p><p>The bid process will begin shortly and more details will be announced in due course.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 13/03/2020 14:28:34 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1169943

	registered interest
	date	10/01/2020
	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, (a) when she plans to make the first compensation payments and (b) how much money her Department has allocated to the scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	1928
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2020 answer text <p>The compensation scheme opened in April 2019 and a number of claimants have received payments through the scheme.</p><p>We will publish information on the total number of claims paid and the overall amount paid out by the scheme shortly as noted in our report to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Affairs_Select_Committee" target="_blank">Home Affairs Select Committee</a> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/update-to-the-hasc-on-windrush-22-october-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/update-to-the-hasc-on-windrush-22-october-2019</a>.</p><p>In relation to the amount of money allocated to the scheme, information relating to estimated costs including compensation payments are referred to in the Home Office’s Impact Assessment IA No: HO 0329 dated 9/1/19.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 15/01/2020 17:27:55 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1272913

	registered interest
	date	30/12/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration: Biometrics
	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 UKVI applicants with reusable biometric information, which applicants were (a) permitted to use the data and (b) prevented from utilising reusable biometric data.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	133153
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Home Office published Covid-19 guidance on 3 September 2020 setting out biometric reuse measures that were introduced to support UKVI customers adversely affected by the pandemic. The guidance sets out the circumstances under which reusable biometrics can be reused and can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-biometric-enrolment-reuse-and-evidencing-status" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-biometric-enrolment-reuse-and-evidencing-status</a></p><p>We are developing plans to enable us to widen the reuse of previously enrolled fingerprint biometrics, while maintaining public safety. The capability to reuse previously enrolled fingerprint biometrics will help us to reduce the need for foreign nationals to attend an office to provide their fingerprints every time they make an immigration application. However, foreign nationals will still be required to provide their latest facial image.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 133154 133155 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:50:33 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1279216

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2021
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local authorities have agreed to facilitate remote interviews following her proof-of-concept exercise with Kent county council to conduct unaccompanied asylum-seeking children interviews in its local offices.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	141609
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2021 answer text <p>After a successful proof of concept with Kent County Council, the Home Office has expanded the programme of facilitated remote interviews for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to all Local Authorities across the United Kingdom.</p><p>Early indications are there is significant interest, however discussions are still ongoing with Local Authorities.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 29/01/2021 15:00:18 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1228846

	registered interest
	date	28/08/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	UK Visas and Immigration: 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, whether there is a target proportion of free appointments provided at UKVCAS centres.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	82350
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>Sopra Steria Ltd (SSL) are our commercial partner who run the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service (UKVCAS) on behalf of UKVI. SSL monitor UKVCAS performance against set key performance indicators (KPIs) within the contract with the Home Office maintaining oversight to ensure Sopra Steria Ltd adhere to contractual requirements.</p><p>A KPI to measure the number of free appointments in the UKVCAS booking system for core sites was agreed on the 31st March 2020 with the service provider, SSL. The updated Schedule 7 Performance Levels containing the detail of the KPI will be added to contracts finder by the 14th September.</p><p>Information on the number of free appointments which were offered and booked between 29 June and 20 July is not held centrally and would take a disproportionate amount of time to secure<em>.</em></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 82351 82353 question first answered 08/09/2020 16:18:25 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1420375

	registered interest
	date	07/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Employment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to lift the ban on people seeking asylum having the right to work.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	119807
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office already allows asylum seekers the right to work in the UK if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, which is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee.</p><p> </p><p>Being able to acquire a right to work simply by making an asylum claim would act as a significant incentive to lodge unmeritorious claims. Our policy is intended to deter people from undercutting the resident labour market and supports wider changes to fix the broken asylum system.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 10/02/2022 12:51:45 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1420696

	registered interest
	date	08/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has received representations from Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit on their concerns that children seeking asylum in the UK are at a higher risk of criminal exploitation, self-harm and dying by suicide; and what steps she is taking to tackle the backlog of children seeking asylum.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	120904
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office regularly receive representations from Greater Manchester child and migrants’ rights organisations on children seeking asylum in the UK.</p><p>The department most recently received a courtesy copy of an open letter dated 16 December 2021, from the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) in which 25 child and migrant rights organisations wrote to us and we replied to this on the 20 January 2022.</p><p>The department maintains a working relationship with GMIAU and other regional organisations through our strategic partnerships; including the Strategic Engagement Group (SEG) and National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF), who continue to work collaboratively to ensure asylum claims from children and young people remains one of our top priorities.</p><p>The Home Office have established two dedicated case working Hubs for deciding children’s asylum claims which are now fully operational. The hubs have established improved focus on and greater control of children’s cases to build expertise, identify efficiencies and provide a consistency of decision making (and quicker outcomes) for our customers.</p><p>We continue to work collaboratively with Local Authorities nationally on the remote interview process for Accompanied and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and young people utilising digital interviewing video capabilities to complement in person interviews.</p><p>Since May 2021 we have increased Local Authority opt in for digital interviewing to 108 Local Authorities helping to speed up processes, reduce delays and the numbers of children and young people who have an outstanding claim.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to recruit additional decision-makers who will be trained to process children’s asylum claims to further reduce the number outstanding.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 21/02/2022 10:51:08 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1172665

	registered interest
	date	22/01/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Migrant Workers: Visas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy to remove the £30,000 minimum salary threshold for immigrants wishing to work in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	6765
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government has published details relating to the UK’s Points-Based Immigration System. Sponsoring employers must pay their workers at least the general salary threshold of £25,600, or the going rate for their particular occupation, whichever is higher. This includes a general salary threshold of £25,600. However, the tradeable points mean a person can earn a lower salary if they are a new entrant to the labour market, working in a job on the Shortage Occupation List or they have a relevant PHD. There is a minimum salary threshold of £20,480.</p><p>As recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee for some public sector jobs, the salary will be in line with the occupation’s national pay scale.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 30/06/2020 15:31:08 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1198277

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Migrants: Health Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department will conduct an equality impact assessment of the Immigration Health Surcharge on internationally educated health and care workers; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	52454
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>An Impact Assessment was completed to support the Immigration Health Surcharge Order, increasing the surcharge to £624 per adult and to £470 for children, students and those on the Youth Mobility scheme. It is published here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2020/30/pdfs/ukia_20200030_en.pdf</p><p>This Impact Assessment sets out the direct impacts including the expected increase in surcharge revenue for HMG as well as any wider economic impacts of the policy.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 52453 question first answered 09/06/2020 13:12:15 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan