Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan interpreters who have been relocated to the UK under the Locally Employed Staff Ex-Gratia Scheme are currently waiting for members of their family to be able to join them; for how long they have been waiting; and when they expect the family members to arrive in the UK.

Under the original terms of the Ex-Gratia Scheme, Former Locally Employed Staff (LES) who were deemed eligible for relocation to the UK were required to bring their family members with them at the same time as they themselves were relocated. For a variety of reasons, not all of them did so. 138 former LES were relocated to the UK on their own, but it is not known how many of them may have left behind family members who were eligible for relocation related to the Ex-Gratia Scheme. To join them subsequently, those family members still in Afghanistan were required to meet applicable Home Office immigration rules independently of the Ex-Gratia Scheme.

The Home Office amended the immigration rules related to the Ex-Gratia Scheme earlier this year and those changes came into effect on 6 April 2019. As of 12 April 2019, the Department has received a single application, though it is estimated that the family members of 30 former LES will be eligible. Applications will be processed as quickly as possible. Ministry of Defence officials expect the majority of family members to arrive within six months of their application.