Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Electronic Travel Authorisation: Impact Assessment, updated on 16 June 2023, whether her Department has conducted any Northern Ireland-specific analysis.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Impact Assessment considers the impact to the UK as a whole, It does not differentiate between countries or regions.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2023 to Question 191421 on Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership: Finance, whether any changes have been made to the level of funding that will be available for the Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership through the Government Department in Northern Ireland compared with the previous funding round.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
In full consultation with relevant partners in Northern Ireland, the Home Office has formally ended the funded relationship with Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership which was communicated to NI SMP and other relevant partners.
The Home Office is in the process of finalising a new agreement with The Executive Office of Northern Ireland for which funding has been agreed. This partnership will provide an equivalent function to the previous Grant Agreement with Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership, hosted by Northern Ireland Local Government Association.
As that agreement remains commercially sensitive at this time my Department is unable to share funding information publicly. SMP funding is published publicly at the conclusion of the prior financial year.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Electronic Travel Authorisation: Impact Assessment, updated on 16 June 2023, whether she has made an assessment she has made of the potential impact of Electronic Travel Authorisation on (a) the tourism industry and (b) SMEs in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA): Impact Assessment provides an illustrative impact based on a range of potential scenarios, including the potential impact on visitors and costs to business. It considers the impact to the UK as a whole; it does not differentiate between countries or regions. The content of the Impact Assessment should not be considered a guaranteed result of introducing the ETA scheme.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for a Youth Mobility Scheme visa were made by nationality of applicant in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) visas by nationality in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the applications of YMS visas are published in table ‘Vis_D01’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Data on the outcomes of YMS visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset.
Selecting ‘Youth Mobility Scheme (previously Tier 5)’ from the visa type subgroup filter will output data on YMS visa applicants. Nationality and time frames can also be filtered. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates up to the end of March 2023.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Youth Mobility Scheme visas were issued by nationality of applicant in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) visas by nationality in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the applications of YMS visas are published in table ‘Vis_D01’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Data on the outcomes of YMS visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset.
Selecting ‘Youth Mobility Scheme (previously Tier 5)’ from the visa type subgroup filter will output data on YMS visa applicants. Nationality and time frames can also be filtered. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates up to the end of March 2023.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to ensure that application forms for Electronic Travel Authorisations will be available in a range of languages.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
On introduction, the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) application form and mobile application will be in plain English and extremely short.
The application has been designed to take less than 10 minutes to complete, with mostly automated data capture which requires minimal input. Feedback gathered from users who are not native English speakers, has been positive, with users reporting that the application is easy to use and simple.
The Home Office will continuously review the effectiveness of our application process, including the need for multi-language content and guidance.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Electronic Travel Authorisation requirements for transit passengers on the competitiveness of the (a) airline and (b) tourism sectors.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government is committed to strengthening the UK’s border by ensuring that everyone (except British and Irish citizens) wishing to travel to the UK, including to transit through the UK, obtains permission to travel in advance of their journey. It will make the UK safer.
The requirement to obtain an ETA will enable the Government to prevent the travel of those who present a risk to the UK, including those in transit. The process for obtaining an ETA will be quick and light touch, and the cost (£10 per application) will be minimal compared to the overall cost of international travel. The ETA brings the UK into line with the USA’s ESTA and the EU will shortly introduce the ETTAS.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the India Young Professionals Scheme visa scheme were (a) made and (b) successful in the ballot period that closed in March 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There are 3,000 places available for the India Young Professionals Scheme visa in 2023. Most places were allocated in the February ballot. The remaining places will be given in the July ballot.
The Home Office does not routinely publish the results of visa ballots, although the numbers of those who have applied and been successful for such visas will be published in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2023 to Question 186271 on Electronic Travel Authorisations: Impact Assessments, when she plans to publish the Economic Impact Assessment for the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation now that the fee has been set.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office published the Economic Impact Assessment for the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme on 6 June 2023.
The Impact Assessment can be accessed here: Electronic Travel Authorisation: impact assessment (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Frontier Worker Permit Scheme, what assessment she has made of the implications for her polices of a person who is eligible for a Frontier Worker Permit who has entered the UK without obtaining a Frontier Workers Permit.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The frontier worker permit scheme implements our obligations under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements to protect the rights of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who were frontier working in the UK (that is employed or self-employed in the UK but residing elsewhere) before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, for as long as they continue to be a frontier worker.
Since 1 July 2021 frontier workers have been required to hold a valid frontier worker permit in order to evidence their right to enter the UK to work. Irish citizen frontier workers are not required to obtain a frontier worker permit to enter the UK to work, although they can apply for one if they wish. Frontier workers are not required to use a frontier worker permit to evidence their right to work or to access benefits and services while in the UK as they can evidence their status by other means.