Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral contribution of 4 December 2023, Official Report, column 41, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing job offers made to a non-UK spouse or partner to be taken into account under the minimum income requirement for family visas.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The announcements made on 4 December relate solely to the level of the minimum income requirement (MIR). There are no current plans to make any changes to the rules regarding job offers or third-party support, although we keep all our rules under review.
British citizens and those settled in the UK are free to enter into a genuine relationship with whomever they choose, but if they wish to establish their family life in the UK, it is appropriate they should do so on a basis which prevents burdens on the taxpayer and promotes integration. This is fair to migrants and to the wider community.
Support from a third party cannot generally be counted towards the MIR. The applicant and their partner must generally have the required resources under their own control, not somebody else’s.
Under the Immigration Rules, consideration of other credible and reliable sources of income, financial support, or funds available to the couple, may be taken into account where an applicant is unable to meet the MIR and refusal of an application for a partner visa could otherwise breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This may include credible prospective earnings from employment based on a confirmed job offer in the UK. Full details of the circumstances of when such a confirmed job offer or third party support may be considered as counting toward the MIR can be found in the published guidance at Gov.UK.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he had discussions with his UAE counterpart during COP 28 on reports that UAE has (a) brought new charges against (i) internationally recognised human rights defenders and (ii) other political prisoners and b) held a mass trial.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government believes that freedom of expression is a universal human right and citizens must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, challenge their governments and make informed decisions in accordance with international human rights law. We encourage all states, including the United Arab Emirates' (UAE), to uphold international human rights obligations. We recommended in our response to the UAE Universal Periodic Review that the UAE authorities guarantee the rights of people in the UAE to express their views and assemble peacefully, in line with international human rights law now and in future. We expressed disappointment during the UN Human Rights Council in October 2023 that the UAE did not adopt our recommendation. We are aware of the reports referenced, which emerged on 12 December as COP28 was concluding. FCDO Ministers have not met with their counterparts since the reports emerged.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department takes to (a) monitor and (b) intervene on human rights concerns raised in relation to British citizens detained overseas.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our consular staff endeavour to give appropriate and tailored support to British nationals overseas and their families in the UK, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. We help around 30,000 British nationals abroad every year.
Consular staff work tirelessly to give support to the c.4000 British nationals who are arrested or detained each year. Our support is tailored to the needs of the individual and their situation. This includes raising individual cases with the relevant overseas authorities, including at Ministerial level, where appropriate.
What we can and cannot do is set out in our public guidance on gov.uk. It includes further and updated information on what we can seek to do for victims of torture and mistreatment, and for those detained overseas. The level and type of assistance we offer is tailored to the individual circumstances of each case but we take all allegations of torture or mistreatment very seriously, treat those who have made allegations of torture and mistreatment as vulnerable cases and follow up with action appropriate to the circumstances of each case. The FCDO records all information about allegations of torture and mistreatment reported to us by British Nationals, and any actions taken in response to those allegations.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to use official engagement with the Taliban to engage with the Afghan people.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
FCDO officials regularly meet Taliban representatives to support HMG objectives on Afghanistan. This includes pressing on human rights, including the rights of women and girls and minorities. We are clear that Afghanistan needs more inclusive governance that is representative of its citizens. We have therefore encouraged the Taliban to engage with a diverse range of Afghans, particularly women and civil society representatives, and listen to their views. Ministers and officials also engage with other Afghans, based in the UK and elsewhere, including human rights activists and non-Taliban political figures.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of raising the earnings threshold for family visas to on the human rights of (a) UK citizens and (b) foreign partners of UK citizens.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The family Immigration Rules contain a provision for exceptional circumstances, including a breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, where there would be unjustifiably harsh consequences for the applicant, their partner, a relevant child, or another family member, if their application were to be refused.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Frontier Worker permits have been issued to non-UK seafarers covered by the Citizens’ Rights Agreement since 20 December 2020.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office does not collect data on the number of non-UK seafarers issued a Frontier Worker Permit.
Data relating to our quarterly migration statistics can be found at the following link: Migration statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether member countries of the EU can reach independent agreements with the UK about the rights of British part year residents post-Brexit without recourse to the EU Commission.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU confirms that both the UK and EU currently provide for visa-free travel for short-term visits for each other's nationals in accordance with their respective laws.
British citizens are treated as third country nationals under the Schengen Borders Code. As such, they are able to travel visa-free for short stays of up to 90 days in a rolling 180-day period. Stays beyond the EU's 90 in 180 days visa-free allocation is for individual Member States to decide and implement through domestic entry rules and visa arrangements for non-EU citizens.
Where competency lies for agreements between EU Member States and third countries is a matter between the European Commission and Member States.
The Government continues to engage regularly with the European Commission and EU Member States on a wide range of mobility-related issues.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that the French Senate has approved a bill amendment giving British second-home owners in France an automatic long-stay visa right without any formalities, whether they would support reciprocal rights; and what assessment they have made of the prospects that any such agreement would be successfully implemented.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government regularly discusses citizens' rights with French and other European counterparts.
Whilst the UK government would welcome any changes to visa systems that would benefit UK nationals, this is a matter for national governments and parliaments. We are not currently negotiating any reciprocal agreements.
We will continue to follow the passage of the French Immigration Bill closely and stand ready to inform British nationals of any changes which may affect them, should they become law.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with their French and European counterparts about the prospect of an automatic visa entitlement for British nationals who own a second home in France.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government regularly discusses citizens' rights with French and other European counterparts.
Whilst the UK government would welcome any changes to visa systems that would benefit UK nationals, this is a matter for national governments and parliaments. We are not currently negotiating any reciprocal agreements.
We will continue to follow the passage of the French Immigration Bill closely and stand ready to inform British nationals of any changes which may affect them, should they become law.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with HM Ambassador to Belarus on political prisoners in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government is appalled by the brutal and ongoing repression that the Lukashenko regime conducts against its own people. There are nearly 1500 political prisoners in Belarus. The regime's repression and its support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine have limited our bilateral contact. However, the UK is clear about our solidarity with all political prisoners, when possible attending trials and engaging with their families. We have also raised this issue at the UN and The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). We will continue to take every opportunity to urge the Belarusian regime to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners and protect the human rights of its citizens.