Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the Tourism Alliance that there was an 83 per cent decline in EU student group visitors to the UK in 2022; what estimate they have made of the financial impact on the UK economy of this decline; what assessment they have made of the reasons for this decline; what plans they have (1) to return to policy of accepting ID cards in place of passports for educational group visits, and (2) to reduce the costs of visas for participants in such visits who require them.

All visitors from outside the EU are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary) and those visiting from EU countries are now expected to do the same.

In implementing this policy, a full impact assessment was carried out which can be found at the following link: Impact Assessment (publishing.service.gov.uk). We will continue to monitor the ongoing impact of these documentary requirements.

At the summit in Paris on 10 March 2023 the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. Further details will be announced in due course.

Fees for immigration and nationality applications are kept under review however, there are no plans to reduce the level of fees charged. Income from fees plays a vital role in our ability to run a sustainable migration and borders system and reduce the burden on UK taxpayers.