Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

623442

registered interest
date	28/10/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
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 26 October 2016 to Question 49108, what assessment she has made of the proportion of visa refusals that relate to university admissions; and how many visa applications have related to such admissions in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	50908
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2016 answer text <p>Data regarding the number and proportion of visa refusals under Tier 4 of the Points Based System over the last five years can be found within the data tables produced for the immigration statistics, last published in August 2016 including data up to and including June 2016:</p><p>All data tables:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2016-data-tables</p><p>Visa applications table:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546766/entry-visas1-q2-2016-tabs.ods</p><p>The data tables do not split the data according to the sponsoring institution type. Whilst this data is recorded in relation to each institution it is not held centrally in such a way as to be available without incurring disproportionate costs.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 03/11/2016 17:50:38 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

620978

registered interest
date	25/10/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has received on the number of student visas issued to international students studying on UK higher education courses who lack proficiency in English.
tabling member constituency	Ilford North
tabling member printed	Wes Streeting
uin	50079
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2016 answer text <p>Students who wish to study a higher education course in the UK need to reach a minimum standard of proficiency in English, currently set at Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Level B2 in each of the four components (speaking, listening, reading and writing), with some exemptions as set out in paragraphs 127-129 at the following link:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/540421/T4_Migrant_Guidance_July_2016.pdf</p><p>We will shortly be consulting on proposed changes to the non-EU work and study migration routes to see what more we can do to strengthen the system to support the best institutions – and those that stick to the rules – to attract the best talent.</p><p>Interested parties, including businesses and members of the education sector, will have the opportunity to engage with this consultation to help us get these reforms right.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 31/10/2016 17:36:08 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4504 label Biography information for Wes Streeting

619054

registered interest
date	24/10/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of student visas that have been obtained fraudulently in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Ilford North
tabling member printed	Wes Streeting
uin	49819
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2016 answer text <p>The Home Office does not hold the specific information in the format requested. To obtain it would involve interrogating individual case records, at disproportionate cost.</p><p>All out of country entry clearance applications are subject to an extensive range of mandatory and discretionary checks. These include, but are not limited to, identity, travel document verification, searches against national and international police records, and against previous immigration history.</p><p>All applicants applying for student visas are required to meet the Immigration Rules. In the event that any fraudulent activity has been used to apply for a visa, the applicant may be refused under the Immigration Rules.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 31/10/2016 17:18:10 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4504 label Biography information for Wes Streeting

604880

registered interest
date	18/10/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
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 October 2016 to Question 48003, if she will publish the visa refusal rates for (a) Cambridge University, (b) Oxford University, (c) Bath University, (d) Imperial College London, (e) Edinburgh University, (f) Glasgow University, (g) University of St Andrews and (h) Aberdeen University in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	49108
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2016 answer text <p>Visa refusal rate data is produced for internal use only and is not intended for publication. The data requested provides sensitive information about sponsors’ compliance with their immigration requirements and by extension how likely they are to retain their sponsor licence.</p><p>As this information could potentially impact their reputation and ability to attract international students, and therefore their commercial viability, we are unable to provide the information requested on the basis of commercial confidentiality.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 26/10/2016 16:50:52 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill previous answer version 15767 answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

599552

registered interest
date	11/10/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the criteria for inclusion in the limited post-study work visa pilot were; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	48003
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2016 answer text <p>The Tier 4 visa pilot has been introduced to test the benefits of a differentiated approach within the education sector on the basis of compliance with immigration sponsorship requirements.</p><p>The four universities chosen to participate in the Tier 4 visa pilot, namely the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Imperial College London, were chosen on the basis of their consistently low visa refusal rates.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 17/10/2016 19:19:06 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill previous answer version 14607 answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

595875

registered interest
date	07/10/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date her Department began to record details of sponsorship of non-EU nationals entering the UK on student visas.
tabling member constituency	Esher and Walton
tabling member printed	Mr Dominic Raab
uin	46946
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2016 answer text <p>The sponsorship of non-EU students was introduced in three stages:</p><p>Educational Institutions were able to make an application for a licence to sponsor non-EU students under Tier 4 of the Points Based System from July 2008.</p><p>Non–EU student applications under Tier 4 of the Points-Based System were introduced on 31 March 2009, and from this date onwards institutions had students linked to their sponsor licence.</p><p>From 22 February 2010 all non-EU Tier 4 student applications had to be supported by a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, an electronic document assigned by a Tier 4 sponsor, which institutions are required to monitor and report against, and this activity was recorded by the Home Office.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 12/10/2016 11:24:12 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4007 label Biography information for Dominic Raab

596005

registered interest
date	07/10/2016
answering body	Scotland Office
answering dept id	2
answering dept short name	Scotland
answering dept sort name	Scotland
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the inclusion of Scottish universities in the post-study work visa pilot.
tabling member constituency	Orkney and Shetland
tabling member printed	Mr Alistair Carmichael
uin	46838
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2016 answer text <p>I meet my Rt hon Friend the Home Secretary regularly and we discuss a wide range of issues.</p><p>The Tier 4 visa pilot is part of the Home Office’s continued efforts to ensure that the UK maintains an excellent offer to attract the brightest and best to study at our world-leading institutions. Its main aim is to help simplify the visa application process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. It will also help to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a graduate role by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months. The pilot does not make any changes to the Tier 2 visa route and is not a return to the post-study work visa route, which we closed in April 2012 due to high levels of abuse.</p><p> </p><p>The institutions taking part in the pilot were chosen due to their consistently low level of visa refusals. It is a fundamental requirement of Tier 4 that education institutions who recruit international students take responsibility for them. This means the institution must ensure the student is genuine and meets the requirements of the Immigration Rules, before assigning them a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), as well as ensuring that the student leaves the UK at the end of his or her studies.</p> answering member constituency Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale answering member printed David Mundell question first answered 14/10/2016 10:08:50 answering member 1512 label Biography information for David Mundell
tabling member	1442 label Biography information for Mr Alistair Carmichael

581645

registered interest
date	12/09/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of visa applications involving the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, and Imperial College London, were successful in each of the last three years.
tabling member printed	Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale
uin	HL1783
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2016 answer text <p>Visa refusal rate data is produced for internal use only and is not intended for publication.</p><p>The data requested provides sensitive information about sponsors’ compliance with their immigration requirements and by extension how likely they are to retain their sponsor licence. As this information could potentially impact their reputation and ability to attract international students, and therefore their commercial viability, we are unable to provide the information requested on the basis of commercial confidentiality.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 22/09/2016 13:33:44 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4168 label Biography information for Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale

581646

registered interest
date	12/09/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government which were the top 10 universities for successfully processed visa applications for each of the past three years; and what were the percentages of applications successfully processed for each.
tabling member printed	Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale
uin	HL1784
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2016 answer text <p>Visa refusal rate data is produced for internal use only and is not intended for publication.</p><p>The data requested provides sensitive information about sponsors’ compliance with their immigration requirements and by extension how likely they are to retain their sponsor licence. As this information could potentially impact their reputation and ability to attract international students, and therefore their commercial viability, we are unable to provide the information requested on the basis of commercial confidentiality.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 22/09/2016 13:33:15 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4168 label Biography information for Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale

581648

registered interest
date	12/09/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Overseas Students
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations took place with the Scottish Government in advance of the announcement of the pilot study on post-study work visas in July.
tabling member printed	Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale
uin	HL1785
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2016 answer text <p>We have been in correspondence with the Scottish Government concerning the Tier 4 visa pilot. There is no pilot study currently being conducted into post-study work visas.</p><p>The Tier 4 visa pilot is part of the Home Office’s continued efforts to ensure that the UK maintains an excellent offer to attract the brightest and best to study at our world-leading institutions. The pilot is deliberately narrow in scope, with the institutions selected on the basis of their consistently low level of visa refusals. Its main aim is to test the benefits of a differentiated approach within Tier 4, whilst ensuring any changes do not undermine the robust application of immigration requirements.</p><p>The pilot helps simplify the visa application process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. Whilst it will also help to support students who wish to switch into a work route by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months, it does not make any changes to the Tier 2 visa route and is not a return to the post-study work visa route.</p><p>The four selected institutions were consulted regarding its implementation. Should the pilot be successful, the Home Office will consult key stakeholders about its possible expansion.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 22/09/2016 12:57:32 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4168 label Biography information for Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale