Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether those who apply to the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme receive a receipt or acknowledgment of their application; and what is the timeframe for processing applications following the completion of security checks.

All applicants to the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) are directed to a confirmation screen on completion of the application form, with the option to print or save this as record of their submission.

In the latter stages of Op PITTING and subsequently we have received a very large number of applications, including 12,000 since the end of the operation. The time taken to process applications varies enormously, in particular based on the amount of information the applicant provides. Security checks are principally a Home Office requirement and are conducted once eligibility in principle has been established.