Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the level of immigration to the UK for the past year; and how many individuals were granted visas for (1) work, (2) study, (3) family reunification, and (4) asylum.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release]. Data on work and study visas granted are published in table Vis_D02, of the ‘Entry clearance detailed dataset’ [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release]. Data on family reunification visas granted are published in table Fam_D01 and data on the number of people applying for and being granted asylum are published in table Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’ [https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#asylum-and-resettlement]. Information on how to use these datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to 2023 Q4.
Not everyone granted a visa will become an ‘immigrant’ as per the United Nations definition of a long-term migrant. Information regarding immigration and emigration is a matter for the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’ [https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?keywords=immigration&content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=home-office&order=relevance].
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much time was allocated to training (a) EO and (b) PO3 staff at HM Passport Office who have assisted UK Visas and Immigration teams with asylum applications; and what level of training was provided.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Home Office staff are given all the necessary training to ensure that they are fully equipped to carry out their role. HM Passport Office staff who have assisted in the processing of asylum applications, were given the standard training time, with further supplementary training provided as necessary.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) EO and (b) PO3 staff are employed by HM Passport Office in (i) Glasgow, (ii) Liverpool and (iii) Belfast; and how many and what proportion of these staff have been asked to assist with (A) booking and (B) conducting interviews with asylum applicants on behalf of UK Visas and Immigration in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office are unable to provide this information due to security reasons. The way data is captured does not differentiate between bookings and interviews.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many immigrants arrived in the UK (1) legally, and (2) illegally, in each calendar year since 2015.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The Home Office publishes the following data on gov.uk:
Data on visas granted are published in table Vis_D02 of the ‘Immigration System Statistics release’. These statistics refer to the number of visas granted, and do not necessarily reflect the number of arrivals from long-term immigrants.
Data on asylum seekers and refugees resettled in the UK can be found in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the ‘Immigration System Statistics release’. Data on detected irregular arrivals to the UK is published in table Irr_01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK summary tables’. These statistics should not be used to infer the size of the irregular population in the UK, nor the total number of people entering the UK irregularly.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Hong Kong citizens have entered the UK since the introduction of that territory's National Security Law (1) using the British National (Overseas) route, and (2) as asylum seekers; and in each case, what was the age profile in terms of (a) absolute number, and (b) relative percentage, for each age cohort of five years.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications and initial decisions by nationality and age group can be found in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 respectively of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note that data relates to asylum applications and initial decisions and does not represent arrivals to the UK.
As at the end of March 2023 113,500 individuals have arrived in the UK using an out of country BN(O) visa. At this time we are unable to break down this figure by age. Additionally, data on BN(O) route visa applications and outcomes can be found in tables Vis_D01 and Vis_D02 respectively of the ‘managed migration datasets’.
Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending March 2023.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to ensure that (a) all (i) visa and (ii) other immigration applications are processed within 12 months, unless there are exceptional circumstances requiring a longer processing time, and (b) whether she has a target date for completion of all such applications that have not been processed within 12 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Visa and immigration applications have agreed service standards for straightforward applications which provides customers with a level of expectation of how long it should take UK Visas and Immigration to process their applications whether they were submitted inside or outside the UK. These can be found on the Gov.uk webpage: Customer service standards - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
We are taking immediate action to accelerate decision-making and rapidly speed up processing times to eliminate the backlog of legacy initial asylum decisions by the end of 2023. Separate work is ongoing to more efficiently process all other asylum claims admitted to the UK asylum system awaiting consideration.
The Home Office Transparency data sets out how the department is performing against its service standard, which can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what safe and legal routes exist for a Ugandan LGBT+ individual, who is under threat of imprisonment because of anti-homosexual laws in Uganda, and wishes to come to the UK to claim asylum as they have a family member living in the UK.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Between December 2015 and 2022, the Government’s family reunion policy has granted more than 44,659 family reunion visas, bringing many families together.
This safe and legal route allows immediate family members, as defined in the Immigration Rules, of those granted protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country. Where somebody has a link to the UK, they may be eligible for our other family routes and can find more information on how to apply on gov.uk here: Indefinite leave to remain (permission to stay as a refugee, humanitarian protection or Discretionary Leave): Family reunion - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
There is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge, in keeping with almost all countries around the world. Whilst we sympathise with people in many difficult situations around the world, we are not bound to consider asylum claims from the very large numbers of people overseas who might like to come here.
Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people with Sudanese citizenship will be able to apply for asylum in the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it. Between 2015 and 2022, we have offered places to almost half a million (481,804) people from all over the world seeking safety with our country specific and resettlement schemes.
The UK’s resettlement approach will continue to work with the UNHCR and focus on those who are most vulnerable and will benefit most from our support. The UK is proud to have welcomed Sudanese nationals through both our UK Resettlement Scheme and Community Sponsorship in 2021 and 2022.
We also welcome eligible Sudanese nationals through our refugee family reunion route. This policy has reunited many refugees with their family members; more than 44,600 family reunion visas have been granted since 2015, with over half issued to children. This policy also makes clear the discretion to grant visas outside the Immigration Rules, which caters for extended family members in exceptional circumstances.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to provide more detailed guidance on when individuals can expect a decision on (a) immigration or (b) asylum applications where the Department has been unable to provide a full decision within the initial timeframe.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
UK Visas and Immigration are currently operating within their global customer service standards across all of the main legal migration routes for customers who make an entry clearance application from overseas and for applications made inside the UK.
Details of current performance against these customer service standards are updated regularly and can be found at:
Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).
Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Prioritisation guidance is currently being developed and will be published in due course. This will include an explanation of the circumstances in which a case may be expedited.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 166164 on Government Departments: Staff, what the overall rating out of 100 recorded was in the most recent Leesman office surveys undertaken by (a) the Asylum, Protection and Enforcement Directorate, (b) the Immigration Enforcement Directorate, (c) Border Force, (d) HM Passport Office and (e) UK Visas and Immigration.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Department | Date of participation of most recent Leesman survey | Leesman Index Score (out of 100) |
Asylum, Protection and Enforcement Directorate | July 2021 | 55.3 |
Immigration Enforcement Directorate | July 2021 | 55.9 |
Border Force | July 2021 | 44.7 |
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HM Passport Office | January 2021 | 56.7 |
GPA has launched 10 office based surveys with Leesman, starting in January 2021.
All the departments from the July 2021 survey were from 3 buildings the GPA were exiting as part of the Croydon hub. The buildings surveyed were: Apollo House, Lunar House, Metro Point.
The January 2021 survey (HMPO) was a survey of one of the buildings GPA surveyed to exit for the Peterborough hub. The building that score relates to is Aragon Court, Peterborough.
In both these surveys (Croydon and Peterborough) the surveys were pre-occupancy. GPA were surveying the old estate that the department was or is exiting. In these examples, low scores are helpful as they demonstrate the case for needing these new hubs which GPA is creating. GPA will survey the new hubs once people have moved in - Peterborough will be surveyed later in 2023.