Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what if any, review process is available to Sudanese students currently holding UK university offers following the recent policy changes which impact their ability to obtain visas.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The decision to introduce a visa brake on the Student visa route for Sudan and three other nationalities was based on data-driven migration and border security considerations. There are no plans to provide exceptions for prospective students in scope of the brake.

By providing 21 days’ notice ahead of the implementation of the visa brake, any prospective Sudanese student who held an offer of study from a licenced student sponsor and a valid Confirmation of Acceptance of Study (CAS), was able to apply for a Student visa as normal ahead of implementation on 26 March.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK/Indonesia Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership on Critical Minerals, published on 29 November 2024, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) the British Embassy in Jakarta have had with the Government of Indonesia on the potential impact of nickel mining in North Maluku on the threat to the survival of the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa indigenous people.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK and Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a Strategic Partnership on Critical Minerals on 29 November 2024. The MoU provides a framework for cooperation on resilient, responsible, and sustainable critical minerals' supply chains. This partnership was further enhanced through the Climate, Nature and Energy Pillar of the Strategic Partnership, launched by the Prime Minister and the President of Indonesia in January, reinforcing both governments' commitment to cooperation on responsible and sustainable critical minerals development.

Under this MoU, our Embassy in Jakarta continues to engage Indonesian partners, including the Government, through policy dialogue and technical cooperation to encourage alignment with international standards on responsible mining, including the protection of Indigenous Peoples, like the Hongana Manyawa in North Maluku, and local communities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to publish the Joint Declaration of Intent on reducing deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon signed by Norway, Peru, Germany and the UK in 2026.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK will agree a publication plan for the Joint Declaration with our partners from Peru, Germany and Norway, once all formal processes around the declaration have been completed.