Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that visa applicants from all countries are given adequate resources to help minimise delays in deciding their applications.

The Home Office continually reviews its global visa operation to improve performance and ensure value for money while maintaining good customer service.

The Home Office is currently prioritising Ukraine Visa Schemes applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are communicating directly with customers that applications for study, work and family visas are taking longer to process at this time. Staff are being redeployed to these visa routes and we continue to onboard and train more staff, as we approach the expected summer surge in visa applications to study in the UK.

Where there are compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, a medical emergency), the Home Office will consider expediting specific cases. However, the bar for this is high and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure fairness to all applicants.