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 simplifying the process for undocumented migrants to regularise their immigration status.

The Government remains committed to an immigration policy which welcomes people to the UK through safe and legal routes but deters illegal immigration.

There are several options available for those in the UK without lawful leave to regularise their immigration status. The Immigration Rules set out the requirements to be met to qualify for a right to remain which provides clarity for applicants and decision makers alike. There are also discretionary policies for leave to be granted outside the Immigration Rules in exceptional circumstances.

The Home Office has accepted the Law Commission’s report on the simplification of the Immigration Rules and is in the process of revising and simplifying the immigration rules. We are currently in the process of simplifying routes such as private and family life which are open to undocumented migrants.