Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) amending or (b) extending the discretionary immigration policy for Grenfell Tower fire immigration cases beyond the end of November 2017.

The Grenfell immigration policy for survivors is open to new cases until 30 November 2017. We have kept the closing date under continual review since we first announced the policy.

We consider that the offer of a 5-year route to indefinite leave to remain in the UK is a generous and proportionate one and we have no plans to amend that approach. Details of this are set out in the published guidance at the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/grenfell-tower-fire-handling-immigration-cases

Eligible survivors granted the initial 12 months’ leave outside the rules will be able to apply for further periods of two years’ limited leave outside the rules with access to public funds and permission to work, and indefinite leave to remain after five years’ lawful residence. We intend to waive fees for the further grants of limited leave to remain.

This five-year timeframe is consistent with the minimum period of leave that refugees need to have before they can apply for permanent residence. It also means that those granted leave under the dedicated Grenfell immigration policy will be able to qualify for permanent residence in half the time of other migrants without lawful status who are granted leave on the basis of family or private life; the latter are required to complete 10 years’ lawful residence.