As part of the visa application process, customers overseas are invited to book an appointment to attend a Visa Application Centre (VAC) operated by commercial partners, VFS or TLScontact, on behalf of UKVI.<\/p>
To prevent appointments being block-booked by agents, commercial partners release appointments in stages, rather than in large batches, and vary the dates and times at which appointments become available so agents cannot anticipate release.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4320", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Robert Jenrick"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Newark"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Robert Jenrick"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-04-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-04-24T18:22:04.243Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-04-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Visas"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent agencies block-booking visa appointments.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4779", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Taiwo Owatemi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North West"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Taiwo Owatemi"} ], "uin" : "179896"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1610073", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1610073/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We are considering the findings of the call for evidence with a view to publishing the report in due course.<\/p>
More broadly, as the Minister for Women and Equalities set out in her letter to Baroness Falkner, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), she is concerned that the Equality Act may not be sufficiently clear in the balance it strikes between the interests of people with different protected characteristics. She regularly seeks advice from the independent equality regulator as part of her role. It is right that the Government continues to keep legislation under review, ensuring that it is effective. She has received advice from the EHRC on the Equality Act and will consider it in the usual way. No decisions on any next steps have been made.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4032", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Stuart Andrew"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Pudsey"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Stuart Andrew"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-04-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "180207"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-04-24T11:04:04.147Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "31"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-04-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Intersex"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to publish her Department's report on the Variations in Sex Characteristics Call For Evidence launched on 17 January 2019.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4779", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Taiwo Owatemi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North West"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Taiwo Owatemi"} ], "uin" : "180206"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1610074", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1610074/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We are considering the findings of the call for evidence with a view to publishing the report in due course.<\/p>
More broadly, as the Minister for Women and Equalities set out in her letter to Baroness Falkner, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), she is concerned that the Equality Act may not be sufficiently clear in the balance it strikes between the interests of people with different protected characteristics. She regularly seeks advice from the independent equality regulator as part of her role. It is right that the Government continues to keep legislation under review, ensuring that it is effective. She has received advice from the EHRC on the Equality Act and will consider it in the usual way. No decisions on any next steps have been made.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4032", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Stuart Andrew"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Pudsey"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Stuart Andrew"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-04-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "180206"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-04-24T11:04:04.193Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "31"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-04-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Sex"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the impact of potential changes to the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 on people with differences in sex development; and whether it is her Department's policy that the term biological sex refers to (a) chromosomal sex, (b) reproductive sex or (c) sex assigned at birth.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4779", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Taiwo Owatemi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North West"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Taiwo Owatemi"} ], "uin" : "180207"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1610114", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1610114/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
As The Foreign Secretary said in his statement on 7 April, the UK condemns Israeli police violence at the Al Aqsa Mosque. When Israeli security forces conduct operations, they must ensure they are proportionate and in accordance with international law. The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of religion or belief and calls for places of worship to be respected. We continue to value Jordan's important role as custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem. As the subsequent rocket fire from Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza shows, incidents such as those at Al Aqsa can be the trigger for a cycle of violence.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4033", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Rutley"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Macclesfield"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "David Rutley"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-04-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-04-19T12:02:21.373Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "208"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-04-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "al-Aqsa Mosque"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the consequences for his policies of the recent raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli forces.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4779", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Taiwo Owatemi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North West"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Taiwo Owatemi"} ], "uin" : "180247"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1604008", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1604008/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The requirements to naturalise as a British citizen are set out in the British Nationality Act 1981 and require a person to be of good character. An application to naturalise would normally fall be refused where a person has employed deception:<\/p>