Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to reach decisions on applications for leave to remain in the UK as a stateless person during each of the last 12 months.

The data required to answer the question in the requested format is not held.

The UK is a signatory to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. In April 2013, the UK introduced Immigration Rules to allow stateless persons to be formally recognised as stateless and granted leave to remain where they do not otherwise qualify under any other provisions and cannot be removed to the country of their former habitual residence because they are not admissible for purposes of residence there. Those who have committed serious crimes or are considered to be a danger to the security or the public order of the UK are not eligible for stateless leave. Those who qualify under the Immigration Rules are normally granted 30 months limited leave to remain and can apply for further leave when that expires. They are eligible to apply for settlement after completing 5 years limited leave.

Stateless persons and their dependent children, who believe that they have a fear of return to their home country, can also make an application for asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention. Those who qualify under the Immigration Rules are normally granted limited leave to remain for a 5 year period, with the option to apply for settlement when that leave expires.

A stateless person may also make an application to register as a British citizen, if they are not recognised as a citizen of any country, providing they meet the qualifying criteria.

The Home Office regularly shares information with UNHCR, relating to stateless applications and decisions made. The information provided is published by UNHCR, in regular trend reports. The latest published report by UNHCR can be found at link below:

http://www.unhcr.org/uk/statistics/unhcrstats/58aa8f247/mid-year-trends-june-2016.html