Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to assess the long-term economic effects of a range of immigration scenarios.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has an ongoing programme of work to monitor and evaluate the economic impacts of migration. Statistics, research and analysis published by the Home Office on migration can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-analysis-at-the-home-office
Further analysis on the contributions of immigrants to the UK are produced by the independent Migration Advisory Committee, including as part of their Annual Report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-advisory-committee-annual-report-2023/migration-advisory-committee-mac-annual-report-2023-accessible) and the by the OBR as part of the Economic and Fiscal outlook (Economic and fiscal outlook – March 2024 - Office for Budget Responsibility (obr.uk))
Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government who is eligible to apply for family reunion, and what steps they are taking to ensure that family reunion decisions are humane and effective.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Our refugee family reunion policy is intended to allow those granted protection status in the UK to sponsor their partner or children to stay with or join them here, provided they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin to seek protection. We recognise that children over 18 may not be living an independent life and can still be emotionally and financially dependent on their parents. In June 2022, we provided clarity through legislation on the types of scenarios which may justify a grant of leave for children who are over 18 within the rules. We made changes to the Rules and Guidance in June 2022 which now provides for children over 18 to reunite with their parents who have protection status in the UK, in exceptional circumstances.
Appendix CNP (Child Staying with or Joining a Non-Parent Relative) allows for a non-parent relative with protection status in the UK to sponsor a child to stay with or join them, where there are serious and compelling circumstances. This can be in situations where the child has no family other than the non-parent relative that could reasonably be expected to support or care for them.
Refugees can also sponsor adult dependent relatives living overseas within the immigration rules to join them where, due to age, illness, or disability, that person requires long-term personal care that can only be provided by relatives in the UK.
Where an application does not meet the eligibility requirements of the Immigration Rules, decision makers must consider whether there are any exceptional circumstances which would render a refusal a breach of Article 8 of European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Our policy also makes clear that there is discretion to grant visas outside the Immigration Rules, which caters for extended family members where there are compelling compassionate factors.
We will continue to keep all immigration routes under review.
Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Brexit has affected immigration from (1) all countries, and (2) EU member states, and what plans they have to address any resulting negative impacts on immigration.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
An Impact Assessment was prepared to accompany the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill 2020 (available here: Impact assessments covering migration policy - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)), which included an assessment of how Brexit might affect immigration volumes.
The Government also has an ongoing programme of work to monitor and evaluate the impacts of Government policies, including Brexit, on immigration. Statistics, research and analysis published by the Home Office on migration can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-analysis-at-the-home-office
All immigration routes are kept under review and any future policy changes will be announced to Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to ensure that the United Kingdom is meeting its international obligations towards asylum seekers and refugees, and (2) to improve the asylum application process.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum claims are given full and careful consideration so that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.
Claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly including reducing the cost to the taxpayer.
The Home Office continues to invest in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to speed up and simplify decision making, reduce the time spent in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision. This will enable us to maximise our capacity and progress cases in a more efficient and cost-effective way.
Across asylum decision making, we are continuing to increase the use of technology to improve screening so more information is captured as early as possible.
Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to prevent illegal immigration, and (2) to balance immigration enforcement efforts with the protection of human rights.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since entering office we have already launched the Border Security Command, led by Martin Hewitt with up to £75 million in new investment to build capability, taking the fight to criminals in Europe and beyond and directly targeting the criminal gangs behind small boat crossings.
People who require, but do not have, leave to enter or remain in the UK are expected to leave the UK. If they fail to do so, the Home Office will enforce their removal with all the appropriate safeguards in place. We have launched a major returns and enforcement programme to increase these removals. The Home Office only enforces removal when it and the courts conclude that it is safe to do so, with a safe route of return.
Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data they hold on the economic contributions of immigrants to the UK, including their roles in key sectors such as healthcare, technology, and agriculture.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government collects a breadth of data on the economic contributions of immigrants to the UK, and their roles in key sectors. The collection of statistics, research and analysis published by the Home Office on migration can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-analysis-at-the-home-office.
As part of that collection, the Home Office publishes data on the volume of migrants coming to the UK, the journey those migrants take through the immigration system and for those in sponsored work, the occupation in which they are employed. Internal data, which is used to support the Impact Assessments and Evaluation contained in that collection, includes wider information on the salaries, and characteristics of those migrants. This is further supported by primary research, also published as part of that collection, into the decision making and contribution of those using the immigration system.
The Home Office also makes use of data held by other organisations, including the ONS, HMRC and DWP on the activities of those who are not required to report their employment to the Home Office. This includes data on, for example, payrolled employment by nationality and sector in the UK, including in healthcare, technology and agriculture.
Further analysis on the contributions of immigrants to the UK are produced by the independent Migration Advisory Committee, including as part of their Annual Report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-advisory-committee-annual-report-2023/migration-advisory-committee-mac-annual-report-2023-accessible) and the by the OBR as part of the Economic and Fiscal outlook (Net migration forecast and its impact on the economy - Office for Budget Responsibility (obr.uk))
Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure effective border control and management of illegal immigration.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government is implementing a serious, practical plan for reform; the Home Secretary has taken immediate steps to strengthen our approach by launching a new Border Security Command (BSC). Capabilities from across the Home Office have come together to build the foundational operating model of BSC with over 90 staff currently in post. Wider recruitment is ongoing as part of the broader organisational design.
The BSC will provide strategic direction across several agencies and partners, drawing together the work of the National Crime Agency (NCA), intelligence agencies, police, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force.
It will also work with international partners to disrupt the activity of criminal smuggling gangs and ensure those profiting from people-smuggling are brought to justice.
As set out in the King’s speech, this government will introduce new legislative measures to restore order to our border.
The proposed new legislation will include provisions to give the border security system stronger powers to disrupt, investigate and prosecute facilitators of organised immigration crime.
Furthermore, in August the Home Secretary announced new measures to provide long term security to our border which included: the deployment of 100 specialist staff to the National Crime Agency (NCA) to disrupt and smash criminal smuggling gangs, a surge in enforcement and return flights, and increased detention capacity including 290 added beds at Campsfield and Haslar Immigration Removal Centres.
Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of current labour shortages in various industries, how they are adjusting immigration policies to attract and retain skilled workers from abroad.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Net migration is too high and must be reduced. This means employers should look to the domestic labour market to nurture and develop the skills where they can.
This is why we are setting out a different approach – one that links migration policy and visa controls to skills and labour market policies – so immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems here at home.
As a first step, we have commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to identify the reasons for the reliance on international recruitment in key sectors, including IT and engineering.
The MAC commission has been published on their website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/mac-commissioned-to-review-it-and-engineering-sectors
Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of recent immigration levels on public services, including healthcare, education, and housing.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has an ongoing programme of work to monitor and evaluate the impact of migration. Statistics, research and analysis published by the Home Office on migration can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-analysis-at-the-home-office.
Further analysis on recent levels of net migration and its impacts are produced by the independent Migration Advisory Committee as part of their Annual Report, the most recent of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-advisory-committee-annual-report-2023/migration-advisory-committee-mac-annual-report-2023-accessible.
Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the efficiency and fairness of the immigration system, particularly in terms of processing times and decision transparency.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Secretary has removed the retrospective application of the Illegal Migration Act. This allows decision-makers to decide asylum claims from individuals who have arrived in the UK since 7 March 2023, with claims to be considered against the existing legislative regime under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.
Asylum interviews have commenced, and asylum claims are now being decided for individuals who arrived in the UK from 7 March 2023.
We are determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly; and ensures the rules are properly enforced.
Data relating to the performance against visa service standards are produced as part of the Migration Transparency publication.
These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration(opens in a new tab).