Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) creating a Gaza Family visa scheme modelled on the Ukraine Family Scheme visa and (b) deferring biometric requirements for those eligible for family reunion but unable to leave Gaza.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Government is determined to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and rapidly increase aid, ensuring humanitarian support is reaching people there.
The government is keeping existing visa pathways under review in response to events. Palestinian nationals who wish to come to the UK can do so via the existing range of routes available. Immediate family members of British citizens and those settled in the UK who wish to come and live in the UK can apply under one of the existing family visa routes.
The FCDO is also providing consular assistance to those with British nationality, or dual nationality including British, who are in Gaza or who have left Gaza to a third country.
Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules.
Biometrics, in the form of fingerprints and facial images, underpin the UK immigration system and are integral to national security. We recently published updated guidance on Gov.UK that sets out the circumstances where we may predetermine an application before a person attends a visa application centre to enrol their biometric information or when we may excuse the person from having to enrol their biometrics before they travel to the UK.
Where a relevant application is made, consideration will be given to compelling compassionate factors that are raised.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what visa schemes are available to Palestinians seeking to reunite with family in the UK.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to support Palestinian families seeking reunification with relatives from Gaza.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
There are no plans to introduce bespoke arrangements for people arriving from the region. Those wishing to come to the UK who currently have no visa can apply under one of the existing visa routes.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to recommendation 90(c) of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' Report on follow-up to the inquiry concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, advance unedited version published on 22 March 2024, if he will take steps to ensure that protections for disabled people under hate crime laws are nationally consistent.
Answered by Laura Farris
Hate crime is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland and falls within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and Northern Ireland Executive respectively.
In England and Wales, we have a robust legislative framework to respond to all forms of hate crime, including disability hate crime. Whilst the police are operationally independent and work in line with the College of Policing’s operational guidance to respond to hate crime, we expect the police to fully investigate these abhorrent offences and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the correspondence of 12 March 2024 from Professor Brian Bell, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the timescales given for the Migration Advisory Committee's review of the graduate route on the quality and quantity of evidence that the Committee can use to answer the questions included in the commissioning letter.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
It is important that we provide certainty on this issue in a timely manner, which is why we asked the MAC to carry out a rapid review. We will consider the evidence put forward by the MAC very closely.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will provide EU citizens with (a) pre-settled and (b) settled status (i) a stamp in their passport, (ii) a biometric card and (iii) other physical proof of their legal right of residence.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
As part of our move to a “digital by default” border and immigration system, physical documents such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and passports with vignette stickers or ‘wet ink stamps’ are being replaced by fully digital eVisas (an online record of the person’s immigration status).
All EU, EEA and Swiss citizens granted pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme are now able to prove their rights in the UK digitally, by using the View and Prove service on GOV.UK, instead of using physical documents. Non-EU, EEA or Swiss citizen family members who have a UKVI account can also use the View and Prove service.
There are no plans to provide EU citizens granted under the EUSS with stamps in passports, biometric cards, or other physical proof of rights of residence.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many settled status applications from EU citizens submitted before 8 August 2023 are pending; and how many such applications have been pending for more than (a) 12, (b) 18 and (c) 24 months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Figures for EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) applications awaiting a decision as at 30 June 2023 are included in the latest statistical release EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) in the Other related data section.
Complete applications under the EUSS are generally processed within a month, if no further information is required, but may take longer in certain circumstances. More information on EUSS processing times is available at: EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
All applications are determined on a case-by-case basis depending on their individual circumstances. Those who have made a valid EUSS application can rely on their Certificate of Application as evidence of their right to live and work in the UK pending the outcome of their application, including any appeal.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of how long it will take to process pending applications for settled status from EU citizens.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Figures for EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) applications awaiting a decision as at 30 June 2023 are included in the latest statistical release EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) in the Other related data section.
Complete applications under the EUSS are generally processed within a month, if no further information is required, but may take longer in certain circumstances. More information on EUSS processing times is available at: EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
All applications are determined on a case-by-case basis depending on their individual circumstances. Those who have made a valid EUSS application can rely on their Certificate of Application as evidence of their right to live and work in the UK pending the outcome of their application, including any appeal.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a temporary measure to allow new UK citizens to re-enter the UK from overseas travel using their Indefinite Leave to Remain Biometric Residence Permit while they await the issue of a UK adult passport.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
There are no plans to allow new UK citizens to use a biometric residence permit (BRP) to enter the UK while they wait for the issue of a UK passport. BRPs can only be held and used by foreign nationals who are subject to immigration control. When they become British citizens the BRP card is cancelled, and holders are required to return their BRP card to UK Visas and Immigration.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question 130066 on Biometrics visa exemptions, what the procedure is for a person to be excused or deferred from having to enrol their biometric information where the case has been determined as urgent.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
In most circumstances we require biometrics from everyone who applies for a visa or a biometric residence permit to ensure we protect our national security.
Where applicants have contacted UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to say they are unable to travel to a Visa Application Centre (VAC) to enrol their biometrics, we write to them to explain how they can request an urgent consideration on whether we would predetermine their application or waive the requirement for them to attend a VAC. UKVI will assess the applicant’s particular circumstances to determine whether they are particularly exceptional so that their request requires urgent consideration based on the evidence they provide. Where a request is deemed urgent, they will contact the applicant within 28 days of receipt of their request. If the request is considered to be urgent it will be assessed in line with the published biometric enrolment guidance.