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Written Question
Immigration: Hong Kong
Tuesday 16th February 2021

Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number, and (2) the circumstances, of Hong Kong residents of South Asian descent who are UK citizens, including UK citizens by descent, who do not have British National (Overseas) status; in what ways such citizens and their families can emigrate to the UK; and what steps they intend to take to support those people.

Answered by Lord Greenhalgh

UK Citizens have right of abode in the UK, including those who acquire it by descent.

UK Citizens can sponsor their dependents to come to the UK under the Family Migration Rules. Similarly, their dependents and families may also apply for any other migration route for which they are eligible, including the new Hong Kong BN(O) route if they hold this status.


Written Question
Immigration: EU Countries
Tuesday 15th December 2020

Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of EU citizens who are resident in the UK; and how many of those have not yet made an application for settled status.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The latest published information on EU Settlement Scheme applications received can be found on the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme statistics’ web page available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics

The total number of applications received up to 31 October 2020 was 4.26 million (4,260,400).

The published figures refer specifically to applications made to the EU Settlement Scheme and cannot be directly compared with estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the resident population of EU/EEA nationals in the UK. The published EUSS figures include non-EEA family members, Irish nationals, and eligible EEA citizens not resident in the UK, none of whom are usually included in estimates of the resident EU population. Furthermore, the population estimates do not take account of people’s migration intentions and will include people who have come to the UK for a range of purposes, including some who have no intention to settle in the UK.


Written Question
Immigration
Monday 26th October 2020

Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many of the persons who have been granted pre-settled status will become eligible for settled status by meeting the condition of five years residence, in each month between now and 30 June 2021; and how many would become eligible, in the absence of any disqualifying reasons, in each month following June 2021.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The latest published information to the end of June 2020 shows that of 3,060 EU Settlement Scheme refusals, 99% were refused on eligibility grounds and 1% were refused on suitability grounds. The latest figures can be found on the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme statistics’ web page available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics.

Further analysis of EU Settlement Scheme refusals to the end of September 2020 will be published in the upcoming quarterly release in November 2020.

Many of the eligibility refusals relate to cases that had been under consideration for several months and, in most cases, had been subject to repeated unsuccessful attempts to obtain missing information or evidence from the applicant.

The Home Office cannot assess a person’s eligibility for settled status until they make an application to the scheme, and therefore cannot state how many of those granted pre-settled status will be eligible in the periods sought.

A person granted pre-settled status can apply for settled status as soon as they qualify for this. They will be eligible for settled status once they have completed five years’ continuous residence or where other criteria for eligibility for settled status without that length of continuous residence are met.


Written Question
Immigration
Monday 26th October 2020

Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the reasons stated for the refusal of settled status or pre-settled status for the 16,600 applicants who have been refused to up to September; and how many failed applicants fall into each category of refusal used by the Home Office.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The latest published information to the end of June 2020 shows that of 3,060 EU Settlement Scheme refusals, 99% were refused on eligibility grounds and 1% were refused on suitability grounds. The latest figures can be found on the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme statistics’ web page available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics.

Further analysis of EU Settlement Scheme refusals to the end of September 2020 will be published in the upcoming quarterly release in November 2020.

Many of the eligibility refusals relate to cases that had been under consideration for several months and, in most cases, had been subject to repeated unsuccessful attempts to obtain missing information or evidence from the applicant.

The Home Office cannot assess a person’s eligibility for settled status until they make an application to the scheme, and therefore cannot state how many of those granted pre-settled status will be eligible in the periods sought.

A person granted pre-settled status can apply for settled status as soon as they qualify for this. They will be eligible for settled status once they have completed five years’ continuous residence or where other criteria for eligibility for settled status without that length of continuous residence are met.


Written Question
Immigrants
Monday 12th October 2020

Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been granted pre-settled status; and of these people, (1) how many are now eligible to apply for settled status on the basis of five years’ continuous residence in the UK, (2) how many will be eligible to apply for settled status before 30 June 2021, and (3) how many will be eligible to apply for settled status in each of the 12 months following 30 June 2021.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The latest published information shows 3.88 million (3,880,400) EU Settlement Scheme applications had been concluded up to 30 September 2020, of which 1,641,600 have been granted pre-settled status. The latest figures can be found on the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme statistics’ web page available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics.

A person granted pre-settled status can apply for settled status as soon as they qualify for this. They will be eligible for settled status once they have completed five years’ continuous residence or where other criteria for eligibility for settled status without that length of continuous residence are met. The Home Office cannot assess a person’s eligibility for settled status until they make an application to the scheme.


Written Question
Immigration
Wednesday 26th August 2020

Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any hostile environment policies are still in place; and if so, what areas are covered by these policies.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Government is committed to a firm, fair and humane immigration policy which distinguishes effectively between those with lawful status and those here illegally. The term ‘hostile environment’ as a description of Home Office immigration policy is incorrect and does not represent our values as a country.

In common with other comparable countries, the UK has in place a framework of laws, policies and administrative arrangements, introduced under successive governments, ensuring?access?to work, benefits and?services?is only permitted for those with the right?access?to them. The measures within this framework are: Right to Work; Right to Rent; and access to healthcare, public funds, financial services and driving licences.

Key measures were the subject of public consultations and/or impact assessments before they were introduced. The measures incorporate important safeguards, including the ability to exercise discretion where there are genuine barriers to persons leaving the UK or there are exceptional compassionate factors.

A full evaluation of the Right to Rent Scheme is underway and the Government accepts the recommendations in the Windrush Lessons Learned Review report in full, including reviewing and evaluating measures designed to regulate access to work, benefits and services. As the Home Secretary said in her statement to Parliament on 21 July, policy and decision making must be rigorously examined to ensure that any adverse impact on any corner of our society is identified and acted on quickly. To ensure that we better understand the groups and communities that our policies affect, we are overhauling the way in which we build up our evidence base and engage with stakeholders across the board.


Written Question
Immigration
Wednesday 26th August 2020

Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of hostile environment policies; and what criteria are used to judge the success of these policies.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Government is committed to a firm, fair and humane immigration policy which distinguishes effectively between those with lawful status and those here illegally. The term ‘hostile environment’ as a description of Home Office immigration policy is incorrect and does not represent our values as a country.

In common with other comparable countries, the UK has in place a framework of laws, policies and administrative arrangements, introduced under successive governments, ensuring?access?to work, benefits and?services?is only permitted for those with the right?access?to them. The measures within this framework are: Right to Work; Right to Rent; and access to healthcare, public funds, financial services and driving licences.

Key measures were the subject of public consultations and/or impact assessments before they were introduced. The measures incorporate important safeguards, including the ability to exercise discretion where there are genuine barriers to persons leaving the UK or there are exceptional compassionate factors.

A full evaluation of the Right to Rent Scheme is underway and the Government accepts the recommendations in the Windrush Lessons Learned Review report in full, including reviewing and evaluating measures designed to regulate access to work, benefits and services. As the Home Secretary said in her statement to Parliament on 21 July, policy and decision making must be rigorously examined to ensure that any adverse impact on any corner of our society is identified and acted on quickly. To ensure that we better understand the groups and communities that our policies affect, we are overhauling the way in which we build up our evidence base and engage with stakeholders across the board.


Written Question
Immigration: EU Nationals
Thursday 13th August 2020

Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect the rights of EU Citizens resident in the UK who have not yet been granted settled or pre-settled status (1) between now and 31 December, and (2) between 1 January and 30 June 2021.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The UK left the EU on 31 January on the basis of the EU Withdrawal Agreement reached in October 2019. The protections for resident EU citizens provided in the Withdrawal Agreement are now underpinned by the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 and by the EU Settlement Scheme.

There will be no change to the current rights of resident EU citizens until the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, at which point free movement law will, subject to its parliamentary passage, be repealed by the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill.

In line with the Withdrawal Agreement, EU citizens resident in the UK by 31 December 2020 are eligible to apply for UK immigration status under the EU Settlement Scheme. The Government will bring forward secondary legislation under the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 to protect relevant residence rights under EU law during the grace period which will apply from 1 January 2021 until the application deadline of 30 June 2021. Provided an application to the EU Settlement Scheme is made by 30 June 2021, these rights will continue until the application is finally determined, including pending the outcome of an appeal against any decision to refuse status under the EU Settlement Scheme.


Written Question
Immigration: EU Nationals
Tuesday 11th August 2020

Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances a person who possesses pre-settled status who re-applies for settled status at the end of their period of pre-settled status can be granted a further period of pre-settled status.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members who have been granted pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme can remain in the UK with this status for five years from the date it is granted. They can apply for settled status as soon as they have completed five years’ continuous residence in the UK, or earlier if they qualify under one of the routes to settled status which requires a continuous qualifying period of residence of less than five years.

Where an applicant with pre-settled status has applied for settled status but has not yet completed the required continuous qualifying period of residence to be eligible for settled status, they will be considered for a further grant of pre-settled status, which will enable them to complete the period of residence necessary to be eligible for settled status.


Written Question
Immigration: EU Nationals
Tuesday 11th August 2020

Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether people who have been granted pre-settled status can remain in the United Kingdom with this status for five years, or whether they need to apply for settled status as soon as they become eligible; and, if the former, whether it is five years from the date they were granted pre-settled status or from 1 January 2021.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members who have been granted pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme can remain in the UK with this status for five years from the date it is granted.

Once they have completed five years’ continuous residence, they can apply for settled status. They can choose when they do this but must do so before their pre-settled status expires, unless there are reasonable grounds for failing to do so.

In line with the Statement of Intent published in June 2018, the Home Office has committed to issuing reminders to those people whose pre-settled status is due to expire and who have not yet applied for settled status. As pre-settled status is valid for five years, the earliest any such reminders will be issued is 2023.

The Statement of Intent is available at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/718237/EU_Settlement_Scheme_SOI_June_2018.pdf.