Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Turkish citizens were granted a Turkish Businessperson visa to the UK under the terms of the Ankara Agreement in each year between 2007 and 2017.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Home Office statistics does not routinely publish statistics on those granted entry clearance to the UK under the Ankara Agreement. Information on the number of entry clearance visas granted since 2005 (grouped by nationality and category) can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/goverment/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017/why-do-people-come-to-the-UK-2-to-work
UK-Turkey agreements, and our future relationship, will be considered as part of the UK’s EU exit arrangements. We will of course consult closely with our Turkish counterparts before taking any decisions.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for visitor visas from each country were accepted in the most recent year for which records are available.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The information requested is given in the table below:
Entry clearance visa cases resolved in 2015 by nationality:visitor visas (including dependants). | ||||
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| Country of nationality | Resolved/Decisions | Granted | % Granted |
| All nationalities | 2,225,339 | 1,914,072 | 86% |
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| China | 421,302 | 397,764 | 94% |
| India | 411,576 | 367,243 | 89% |
| Nigeria | 131,540 | 88,367 | 67% |
| Russia | 114,383 | 109,717 | 96% |
| Saudi Arabia | 104,555 | 103,534 | 99% |
| Turkey | 96,824 | 89,665 | 93% |
| South Africa | 92,274 | 90,788 | 98% |
| Pakistan | 90,414 | 44,989 | 50% |
| Kuwait | 87,484 | 86,991 | 99% |
| Thailand | 61,790 | 58,000 | 94% |
| Egypt | 40,830 | 32,869 | 81% |
| Philippines | 40,315 | 35,867 | 89% |
| Ukraine | 34,659 | 27,671 | 80% |
| Indonesia | 33,253 | 31,911 | 96% |
| Ghana | 26,533 | 15,251 | 57% |
| Sri Lanka | 24,199 | 17,722 | 73% |
| Colombia | 23,413 | 22,636 | 97% |
| Bangladesh | 21,713 | 9,389 | 43% |
| Algeria | 21,290 | 14,851 | 70% |
| Lebanon | 17,750 | 14,930 | 84% |
| Kenya | 14,997 | 12,822 | 85% |
| Morocco | 14,827 | 13,115 | 88% |
| Jordan | 14,371 | 11,897 | 83% |
| Iran | 14,255 | 8,152 | 57% |
| Vietnam | 13,674 | 11,822 | 86% |
| Kazakhstan | 12,988 | 12,429 | 96% |
| Serbia | 11,896 | 10,858 | 91% |
| Bahrain | 10,955 | 10,778 | 98% |
| Zimbabwe | 9,884 | 6,287 | 64% |
| Venezuela | 9,873 | 8,823 | 89% |
| Iraq | 9,419 | 2,717 | 29% |
| Belarus | 9,101 | 8,577 | 94% |
| Qatar | 8,288 | 8,238 | 99% |
| Azerbaijan | 7,377 | 6,813 | 92% |
| Nepal | 7,292 | 5,235 | 72% |
| United Arab Emirates | 7,263 | 7,240 | 100% |
| Jamaica | 7,101 | 4,995 | 70% |
| Albania | 6,732 | 4,681 | 70% |
| Peru | 6,696 | 6,372 | 95% |
| Sudan | 6,183 | 2,414 | 39% |
| Uganda | 5,968 | 4,041 | 68% |
| Tunisia | 5,738 | 4,871 | 85% |
| Georgia | 5,362 | 4,169 | 78% |
| Refugee | 5,290 | 3,702 | 70% |
| Syria | 4,941 | 1,266 | 26% |
| Tanzania | 4,796 | 4,141 | 86% |
| Kosovo | 4,416 | 3,116 | 71% |
| Cameroon | 4,094 | 2,771 | 68% |
| Occupied Palestinian Territories | 3,835 | 2,224 | 58% |
| Angola | 3,665 | 2,697 | 74% |
| Zambia | 3,586 | 3,010 | 84% |
| Ecuador | 3,423 | 3,207 | 94% |
| Ethiopia | 3,142 | 2,238 | 71% |
| Macedonia | 3,134 | 2,739 | 87% |
| Congo (Democratic Republic) | 2,961 | 1,457 | 49% |
| Uzbekistan | 2,778 | 2,076 | 75% |
| Yemen | 2,711 | 689 | 25% |
| Libya | 2,627 | 1,121 | 43% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2,550 | 2,156 | 85% |
| Gambia, The | 2,544 | 1,063 | 42% |
| Burma | 2,505 | 1,926 | 77% |
| Sierra Leone | 2,452 | 1,545 | 63% |
| Afghanistan | 2,393 | 981 | 41% |
| Armenia | 2,356 | 2,237 | 95% |
* | United States | 2,065 | 1,500 | 73% |
| Ivory Coast | 1,998 | 1,346 | 67% |
| Other and unknown | 1,986 | 1,387 | 70% |
| Cuba | 1,847 | 1,558 | 84% |
| Senegal | 1,665 | 1,016 | 61% |
| Mongolia | 1,664 | 1,407 | 85% |
| Dominican Republic | 1,655 | 1,524 | 92% |
| Malawi | 1,618 | 1,316 | 81% |
| Oman | 1,256 | 1,235 | 98% |
| Moldova | 1,246 | 920 | 74% |
| Cambodia | 1,042 | 832 | 80% |
| Montenegro | 1,027 | 944 | 92% |
| Fiji | 1,004 | 878 | 87% |
| Bolivia | 984 | 901 | 92% |
| Mozambique | 975 | 852 | 87% |
| Guyana | 909 | 734 | 81% |
* | Hong Kong | 881 | 771 | 88% |
| Kyrgyzstan | 877 | 724 | 83% |
| Turkmenistan | 823 | 692 | 84% |
| Rwanda | 813 | 668 | 82% |
* | Australia | 740 | 627 | 85% |
| Guinea | 649 | 372 | 57% |
| Congo | 624 | 392 | 63% |
| Eritrea | 583 | 221 | 38% |
* | Brazil | 565 | 422 | 75% |
| Laos | 490 | 407 | 83% |
* | Canada | 444 | 353 | 80% |
| Benin | 407 | 275 | 68% |
| Madagascar | 393 | 344 | 88% |
| Mali | 388 | 260 | 67% |
| Togo | 341 | 217 | 64% |
| Somalia | 338 | 129 | 38% |
| Liberia | 330 | 218 | 66% |
| Swaziland | 318 | 294 | 92% |
* | Japan | 306 | 274 | 90% |
| Tajikistan | 306 | 238 | 78% |
| Gabon | 302 | 249 | 82% |
| Burkina | 295 | 233 | 79% |
| Haiti | 265 | 230 | 87% |
* | Malaysia | 264 | 208 | 79% |
| Comoros | 262 | 199 | 76% |
| Sudan (South) | 248 | 166 | 67% |
* | Korea (South) | 237 | 217 | 92% |
| Lesotho | 232 | 212 | 91% |
| Cyprus | 225 | 136 | 60% |
| Taiwan | 217 | 203 | 94% |
| Stateless | 214 | 151 | 71% |
* | New Zealand | 208 | 163 | 78% |
| Djibouti | 182 | 106 | 58% |
| Burundi | 181 | 123 | 68% |
| Mauritania | 172 | 147 | 85% |
* | Mexico | 143 | 109 | 76% |
| Bhutan | 126 | 113 | 90% |
| Chad | 124 | 91 | 73% |
| Niger | 124 | 85 | 69% |
| Surinam | 120 | 108 | 90% |
| Guinea-Bissau | 115 | 58 | 50% |
| Cape Verde | 107 | 67 | 63% |
* | Israel | 105 | 72 | 69% |
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| Other nationalities | 778 | 515 | 66% |
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Grand Total | 2,225,339 | 1,914,072 | 86% | |
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Notes |
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*Non-visa national. Such nationalities do not normally require a visa to enter the UK as a visitor for stays of less than 6 months | ||||
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Proportion of visitor visas granted relate to visas for which a decision was made in 2015, and may include cases where applications were made in 2014 | ||||
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Data based on nationality as recorded; data shown for nationalites with at least 100 cases decided | ||||
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Source: |
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Immigration Statistics January-March 2016, visas volume 1 table vi_01_q |
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and corresponding datasets. |
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The proportion granted varies by nationality reflecting a number of factors, including the evidence submitted in individual applications, whether applicants are eligible, and UKVI’s assessment of whether an applicant is a genuine visitor. Detailed information on how UK Visas and Immigration makes decisions on visitor cases is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visit-guidance The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics’, available from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what circumstances the UK would be able to opt out of implementing the agreement contained in the statement of the Heads of State or Government of the EU issued on 7 March to "accelerate the implementation of the visa liberalisation roadmap with all member states with a view to lifting the visa requirements of Turkish citizens at the latest by the end of June 2016".
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK Government cannot be obliged by the EU to lift visa requirements. Visa liberalisation for Turkish citizens as referred to in the Statement of 7 March is in respect of the Schengen area only. In accordance with the Schengen Protocol (No.19), the UK does not participate in the Schengen acquis concerning visas. The UK is free to request to participate in some or all of the provisions of the Schengen acquis which it does not already participate in, but is explicitly not obliged to do so. Nor is the UK bound by any Justice and Home Affairs measures in the area of EU visa policy unless the UK explicitly chooses to opt in, in accordance with the UK and Ireland’s JHA Protocol (No 21).
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) parents of a minor, (2) siblings of a minor, and (3) other persons, were granted, on the basis of exceptional compelling, compassionate circumstances outside the Immigration Rules, a family reunion visa for reunion with a family member in the UK with refugee leave or humanitarian protection, in each year from 2011 to date; and from which countries those persons have come.
Answered by Lord Bates
Family reunion applications are considered within the scope of the Immigration Rules. Under these Rules, only pre-existing families are eligible for family reunion i.e. spouse, civil partner, unmarried/same sex partner and minor children who formed part of the family unit at the time the sponsor (the person granted protection in the UK) fled to seek asylum.
Family reunion visas are available to help families that become fragmented. Family reunion is intended to allow family members who formed part of the family unit before the refugee fled their country of origin, to reunite in the UK.
The number of Family reunion visas issued and the country of application from 2011 to date can be found in the table below. It is not possible to break down the data to the applicant’s relationship with the individual that has already gained asylum in the UK.
To note: ‘*’ appears where there are less than three applications.
Applications issued | |||||
Country of application | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
Albania | * | * | * | 5 | - |
Algeria | - | - | * | - | 5 |
Bahrain | * | 15 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
Bangladesh | - | 10 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
Belarus | * | 5 | - | 5 | - |
Belgium | - | 5 | 5 | - | 5 |
Burma | 20 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Cameroon | 60 | 40 | 30 | 55 | 15 |
Canada | * | * | * | - | * |
China | 25 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
Congo (Dem. Rep.) | 80 | 55 | 70 | 45 | 15 |
Cuba | - | * | - | 5 | - |
Denmark | - | * | 5 | - | 5 |
Egypt | 20 | 50 | 145 | 135 | 120 |
Ethiopia | 685 | 475 | 450 | 295 | 85 |
France | 5 | - | 5 | * | - |
Gambia | 40 | 40 | 40 | 80 | 50 |
Georgia | - | 5 | 5 | * | - |
Germany | * | - | 5 | - | - |
Ghana | 15 | 25 | 25 | 30 | 10 |
Greece | * | 5 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
India | 45 | 30 | 30 | 25 | 15 |
Iran | 190 | 55 | * | - | - |
Iraq | - | - | * | 35 | 30 |
Irish Republic | * | 5 | - | - | - |
Israel | 5 | * | 10 | 15 | - |
Italy | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | * |
Ivory Coast | - | - | - | 10 | * |
Jamaica | 5 | - | - | * | - |
Jordan | 20 | 40 | 95 | 385 | 60 |
Kazakhstan | * | * | - | - | - |
Kenya | 160 | 160 | 105 | 80 | 20 |
Kuwait | 25 | 25 | 30 | 40 | 40 |
Lebanon | 10 | 110 | 280 | 405 | 260 |
Libya | * | * | 5 | 5 | * |
Morocco | - | - | * | 10 | 5 |
Mozambique | * | * | - | - | - |
Namibia | * | * | * | * | - |
Nepal | 10 | - | 10 | 15 | 5 |
Netherlands | * | * | 5 | 5 | - |
New Zealand | * | - | - | - | - |
Nigeria | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 |
No biometrics | 775 | 595 | 740 | 630 | 80 |
Pakistan | 345 | 305 | 360 | 525 | 300 |
Portugal | - | - | 5 | - | - |
Qatar | - | * | 5 | * | 5 |
Romania | - | - | 5 | - | - |
Russian Federation | 5 | 5 | * | 10 | - |
Rwanda | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | - |
Saudi Arabia | 5 | 10 | 10 | 25 | 40 |
Senegal | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Sierra Leone | 35 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 5 |
South Africa | 55 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 10 |
Sri Lanka | 305 | 250 | 305 | 220 | 105 |
Sudan | 215 | 380 | 360 | 355 | 230 |
Sweden | - | 5 | 5 | * | * |
Switzerland | - | - | 5 | - | * |
Syria | 235 | 105 | 5 | - | - |
Tanzania | 15 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 5 |
Trinidad and Tobago | - | - | - | * | 5 |
Tunisia | 5 | 5 | - | * | - |
Turkey | 55 | 215 | 330 | 550 | 215 |
Uganda | 85 | 135 | 225 | 195 | 45 |
Ukraine | * | 5 | * | * | - |
United Arab Emirates | 25 | 100 | 120 | 75 | 70 |
United States | * | - | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Uzbekistan | 10 | 5 | 5 | * | - |
Vietnam | 5 | - | - | 5 | * |
Zambia | 10 | * | - | 10 | * |
Zimbabwe | 640 | 265 | 145 | 110 | 25 |
Grand Total | 4305 | 3670 | 4120 | 4540 | 1940 |
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which countries credibility interviews of potential international students were undertaken by UK Visas and Immigration in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.
Answered by Lord Bates
UK Visas and Immigration interviewed applicants resident in the following countries for Tier 4 Student visa applications:
2015: Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
2014: Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
2013: Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Bahrain, China and Bangladesh.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether British missions in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, and other countries have received applications for family reunion and asylum in Britain; and if so, what action they have taken to respond to them.
Answered by Lord Bates
Applications for family reunion visas can be made in Visa Application Centres across the globe. There are such centres in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Italy and Greece. Should any mission receive queries about applying for a family reunion visa the applicant will be directed to the online application process. UKVI aims to decide all family reunion visa applications within 12 weeks of submission as per it’s customer services standard.
An individual must be in the UK to claim asylum. There is no obligation on the UK to consider applications or enquiries made on behalf of people abroad about asylum in the UK and there is no provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be given permission to travel to the UK to seek asylum.
Asked by: Lord Stoddart of Swindon (Independent Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the agreement at the 18 May European Union Council meeting that the EU will work towards allowing visa-free access to the EU for Turkish citizens, whether Turkish citizens will be granted visa-free access to the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK does not participate in the immigration and border aspects of the Schengen acquis so there is no obligation on the UK to liberalise the visa regime for Turkish citizens as a result of the European Union Council decision. We continue to monitor the situation including the Commission’s assessment of the security and migratory impacts of visa liberalisation.
The Government regularly reviews the visa system. Visa regimes are imposed and removed on the basis of the risk that the country’s citizens pose to the UK. There are no current plans to change the visa regime for Turkish citizens.