Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to revise the Immigration Rules by spring 2021; and what opportunities there will be for parliamentary scrutiny of any changes.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government published its response to the Law Commission’s report ‘Simplification of the Immigration Rules’ in March 2020 and set out its proposed plans for simplifying and consolidating the Immigration Rules in line with the Law Commission’s recommendations and contained examples of draft Rules.
We are working with the Simplification of the Rules Review Committee, which represents a number of different stakeholders, to ensure we take into account a range of different views.
Parliament will be able to scrutinise any statement of changes to the Immigration Rules under the normal process in due course.
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 inform people with pre-settled status that they must apply for settled status before the end of the five-year 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.
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:
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what procedures will apply following the ending of free movement and the introduction of a points-based immigration system for (1) European citizens and others to work in the UK as self-employed people, (2) self-employed people resident in the EU to provide their services in the UK as well as in the EU, (3) people who work for a company that operates in the UK but are resident in the EU to travel to and work in the UK as part of their employment, (4) European citizens and others to set up new businesses in the UK, and (5) self-employed citizens of the UK to provide their services in the EU, and to set up new businesses there.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK’s Points-Based Immigration System has been designed with businesses and employers given huge consideration.
As set out in The UK’s Points-Based Immigration System: Policy Statement, we will not be creating a dedicated route for self-employed people. However, in due course, self-employed workers will be able to benefit from the proposed unsponsored route as recommended by the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).
Self-employed workers will still be able to travel to the UK under other routes in the new points-based system. Those contracted to provide services to an organisation can continue to be sponsored under the new skilled work route, or if wishing to set up a business in the UK, use the Innovator and Start-up routes.
Provisions for UK self-employed persons to provide their services in the EU will be for individual Member States to decide.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many additional staff they will require to administer the points-based immigration system; and where will any such staff be located.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Resourcing requirements for the points-based immigration system are being considered as part of the usual operational planning and budget process.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what level of English will be required of a person applying for a visa under the points-based immigration system; what existing qualifications will be accepted, if any; and what procedures they will use to assess proficiency in the English language.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We require individuals coming under existing immigration routes to demonstrate an appropriate level of English. Currently, for skilled workers, this is currently set at intermediate (B1) level. Applicants can meet this requirement if they:
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether proficiency in (1) Welsh, (2) Scottish Gaelic, and (3) Irish, will qualify for points under the new points-based immigration system.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government has no plans to award points for these languages under the new points-based immigration system.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of sanctions or other actions that may be applied in relation to landlords, employers and providers of services who, before the end of the implementation period, discriminate against UK-resident citizens of the EU who have not yet been granted settled status or 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 can continue to use their national passports or identity cards to evidence their status in the UK until the new border and immigration system is introduced in 2021. There is no requirement for them to start using their digital status to evidence their right to rent, work or other entitlements until then.
The Home Office has published statutory codes of practice on GOV.UK for landlords and employers on how to avoid unlawful discrimination when undertaking checks, which clearly stipulate that landlords and employers should provide individuals with every opportunity to demonstrate their right to rent and work and should not discriminate on the basis of how the individual chooses to evidence their status check; by the production of documents or using the online service.
We are clear those who discriminate are breaking the law. Any EEA or Swiss national who believes they have been discriminated against, either directly or indirectly, may bring a complaint before the courts or before an employment tribunal. The Equality Advisory Support Service is there to support people who may have experienced discrimination in England, Scotland or Wales, and an equivalent is provided by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
95[1] per cent of adults aged 16-74 years in the UK in 2018 were recent internet users, however, we are committed to delivering a service that reflects the diverse needs of all users:
We will continue to review how digital status is working and the impact of its usage as we roll it out, to inform future design and communications.
[1] https://www.ons.GOV.UK/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2019
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the options that will be available to UK-resident citizens of the EU who possess settled status or pre-settled status, when a landlord, employer or provider of a service is unable or unwilling to check their status information on line.
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 can continue to use their national passports or identity cards to evidence their status in the UK until the new border and immigration system is introduced in 2021. There is no requirement for them to start using their digital status to evidence their right to rent, work or other entitlements until then.
The Home Office has published statutory codes of practice on GOV.UK for landlords and employers on how to avoid unlawful discrimination when undertaking checks, which clearly stipulate that landlords and employers should provide individuals with every opportunity to demonstrate their right to rent and work and should not discriminate on the basis of how the individual chooses to evidence their status check; by the production of documents or using the online service.
We are clear those who discriminate are breaking the law. Any EEA or Swiss national who believes they have been discriminated against, either directly or indirectly, may bring a complaint before the courts or before an employment tribunal. The Equality Advisory Support Service is there to support people who may have experienced discrimination in England, Scotland or Wales, and an equivalent is provided by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
95[1] per cent of adults aged 16-74 years in the UK in 2018 were recent internet users, however, we are committed to delivering a service that reflects the diverse needs of all users:
We will continue to review how digital status is working and the impact of its usage as we roll it out, to inform future design and communications.
[1] https://www.ons.GOV.UK/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2019
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision they will make available to (1) landlords, (2) employers, and (3) providers of services, who need to check the status of persons claiming to possess settled status or pre-settled status and are not able to access that information online.
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 can continue to use their national passports or identity cards to evidence their status in the UK until the new border and immigration system is introduced in 2021. There is no requirement for them to start using their digital status to evidence their right to rent, work or other entitlements until then.
The Home Office has published statutory codes of practice on GOV.UK for landlords and employers on how to avoid unlawful discrimination when undertaking checks, which clearly stipulate that landlords and employers should provide individuals with every opportunity to demonstrate their right to rent and work and should not discriminate on the basis of how the individual chooses to evidence their status check; by the production of documents or using the online service.
We are clear those who discriminate are breaking the law. Any EEA or Swiss national who believes they have been discriminated against, either directly or indirectly, may bring a complaint before the courts or before an employment tribunal. The Equality Advisory Support Service is there to support people who may have experienced discrimination in England, Scotland or Wales, and an equivalent is provided by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
95[1] per cent of adults aged 16-74 years in the UK in 2018 were recent internet users, however, we are committed to delivering a service that reflects the diverse needs of all users:
We will continue to review how digital status is working and the impact of its usage as we roll it out, to inform future design and communications.
[1] https://www.ons.GOV.UK/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2019
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the IT system for settled status applications so that it accept applications from people over the age of 100.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Applicants of any ages, including those over the age of 100, are able to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme via the online application form.
We are aware of a very small number of applicants over the age of 100 who have seen incorrect content relating to their age when making their application via the identity app. These issues are caused by the format of the date of birth in the Machine Readable Zone and Biometric Chip in the applicant's identity document and we are investigating ways to address this.
Applicants are encourages to contact the Settlement Resolution Centre if they experience any issues or have any concerns about their application. Our trained agents can amend the date of birth manually in the event of any errors.