The petition of residents of the UK,
Declares that the dire inhumane situation in Yemen due to the armed militia conflict (civil war) and the coalition bombing has led to thousands of people losing their lives or being injured as well as the destruction of thousands of homes, utilities, ports and airports; further that the United Nations now recognises the situation in Yemen as the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis; further that many British citizens and sole dependents and relatives of British citizens are stranded in Yemen; further that the petitioners have concerns about the requirements for settlement visas because the visa requirements cannot be met by many people and because Yemeni nationals who are spouses or children of British citizens cannot cross over into neighbouring countries and cannot apply for such visas as there are no embassies in Yemen; and further that a petition in Liverpool was signed by over 600 individuals.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take urgent action to ease the suffering of friends and families of British citizens in Yemen by speeding up and simplifying the application process for visa or entry requirements, by allowing the issuing of temporary sponsored visas for relatives and dependents of British citizens residing in the UK who are waiting for visas or whose passport applications are being processed and by coordinating evacuations for vulnerable British citizens who are in urgent need of evacuation from Yemen.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Luciana Berger, Official Report, 21 July 2015; Vol. 598, c. 1461.]
[P001536]
The petition of residents of the UK,
Declares that the dire inhumane situation in Yemen due to the armed militia conflict (civil war) and the coalition bombing has led to thousands of people losing their lives or being injured as well as the destruction of thousands of homes, utilities, ports and airports; further that the United Nations now recognises the situation in Yemen as the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis; further that many British citizens and sole dependents and relatives of British citizens are stranded in Yemen; further that the petitioners have concerns about the requirements for settlement visas because the visa requirements cannot be met by many people and because Yemeni nationals who are spouses or children of British citizens cannot cross over into neighbouring countries and cannot apply for such visas as there are no embassies in Yemen; and further that a petition in Liverpool has gathered many signatures.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take urgent action to ease the suffering of friends and families of British citizens in Yemen by speeding up and simplifying the application process for visa or entry requirements, by allowing the issuing of temporary sponsored visas for relatives and dependents of British citizens residing in the UK who are waiting for visas or whose passport applications are being processed and by coordinating evacuations for vulnerable British citizens who are in urgent need of evacuation from Yemen.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mrs Louise Ellman, Official Report, 21 July 2015; Vol. 598, c. 1462.]
[P001538]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Tobias Ellwood):
The situation in Yemen is of great concern to the UK Government. The UK is the fourth largest donor and has more than doubled its humanitarian commitment to Yemen over the last year. We have so far announced £75 million for the humanitarian response. The UK’s support is providing life-saving assistance such as medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, as well as supporting refugees and migrants. We have also continued to strengthen and protect local capacity and community assets from further shocks by providing agricultural and other livelihoods assistance. In addition, the UK was the first country to deploy humanitarian experts to Riyadh to work with the Saudi Arabian authorities on humanitarian issues and have offered practical advice on access for humanitarian supplies and commercial shipping to increase the amount of food and fuel entering the country.
Since March 2011, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice has consistently advised against all travel to Yemen and for British nationals in Yemen to leave. The British embassy suspended operations on 11 February 2015 due to the deteriorating security situation.
Visa and passport issuing is a Home Office policy, not a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) lead. The Home Office does not have plans to change the visa regime or application process for Yemeni citizens visiting the UK. Where British nationals have Yemeni friends or family members who wish to apply for UK visas, the FCO has provided information and advice on how to do this and the contact details for UK Visas and Immigration.
Applicants in Yemen who wish to apply for a visit visa will need to travel to any visa application centre worldwide; applicants in non-visit categories can apply in Egypt, Jordan or the UAE. This must be done in person in order to submit biometric information and original passports.
Whilst the British embassy remains closed, it will not be possible to apply for a British passport in Yemen; overseas British passport applications can be made in a neighbouring country of the prospective applicant’s choice.
We understand that the Yemen Passport Office is functioning in Sana’a, therefore eligible individuals are able to apply for Yemeni travel documents that would allow them to travel out of Yemen to a neighbouring country and apply for a British visa or passport.
The UK believes that a political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen, and we fully support the UN’s efforts towards a return to an inclusive political process. We welcome the positive progress made during UN-facilitated talks held in Switzerland between 15 and 20 December 2015, which will provide a foundation for the next round of talks in the coming weeks. We are encouraging all Yemeni parties to engage without preconditions and in good faith in future talks to allow Yemen to move towards a sustainable peace and to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.