Home Office

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the Government recognises the impact that uncertainty can have on Ukrainian individuals and families who have built their lives in the UK, including pressures relating to housing, employment and education. We recognise that this uncertainty can be particularly acute for families with children who have lived in the UK for extended periods. The Government has therefore taken concrete steps to provide greater certainty and stability, including extending the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme and widening the application window to support effective forward planning.

In exercising immigration functions, the Home Secretary has regard to the statutory duty under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the United Kingdom. In line with this duty, the best interests of the child are treated as a primary consideration in immigration decisions affecting Ukrainian families, while recognising that they are not the only consideration.

The Government keeps the situation in Ukraine under close and active review, taking into account security conditions, humanitarian infrastructure and the ability of civilians to return safely and sustainably. No single criterion determines when Ukraine would be considered sufficiently safe for the purposes of ending temporary protection arrangements, and no decisions have been taken at this stage.

The Ukraine schemes are temporary in nature and do not provide a route to settlement. Time spent in the UK under the Ukraine schemes does not count towards the Long Residence route.

The Government recognises the importance of longer‑term clarity and is actively considering the future position. In doing so, it is drawing on a wide range of evidence from across government, academia, civil society and stakeholder engagement. It will respond in a responsible and considered manner, and intends to make a further statement later this year to support Ukrainians in planning effectively for their futures.

Visa processing times for priority and super priority applications are published on the UKVI website at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK and Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK. UKVI are currently processing applications on the overwhelming majority of its visa routes within their published customer service standards.

The numbers of requests from each Category 2 Type B country received between 5th July 2024 and 23 February 2026 (the date of question 114022), where they number more than 5 requests are listed below. The total requests received in the timeframe, which was given in response to question 114022, was 64:

Brazil – 12

Iraq – 7

Nigeria – 7

Kosovo – 6

In accordance with our policies, and after careful consideration, we are not releasing the information on extradition requests received between 5th July 2024 and 23 February 2026, from Category 2 Type B countries where five or fewer requests have been made. Likewise, we are unable to break down the figures above any further due to the same considerations. The disclosure of such data may lead to the identification of an individual request which might prejudice ongoing law enforcement proceedings.

Please note that this information is taken from local management information and has not been quality assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

The Government's top priority is our national security, and we will use all the tools at our disposal to protect the UK, and its people, from state threats.  Any attempt by a foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated, and will be thoroughly investigated.

The Home Office works closely with other government departments as well as relevant agencies and law enforcement to protect people identified as being at risk. The National Security Act 2023 provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats. The National Protective Security Authority and Counter Terrorism Policing will continue to provide protective security advice and support to individuals and organisations threatened by states.

It is vital that journalists are able to continue their jobs without the fear of attack or threat. A free and robust media is essential - for national security, for human rights, and for democratic governance. That is why we remain an important member of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), which we co-founded in 2019.

Anyone who thinks they might be a victim should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police via 101, a local police station, or 999 in emergencies.

The latest published information can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK.

The information you have requested on the number of foreign national offenders (FNOs) living in the community split by nationality is not available from published statistics.

Any FNO convicted of a crime who receives a custodial sentence in the UK is referred to the Home Office for deportation consideration following sentencing.

Where removal is not immediately possible, electronic monitoring can be used to manage FNOs. We will pursue deportation action against individuals living in the community rigorously, actively monitoring and managing cases through the legal process and negotiating barriers to removal.

The Home Office has an updated assessment of the cost of Serious and Organised Crime. Officials are currently reviewing the findings and considering the appropriate next steps, including options and timing for publication.

In the interim, the department continues to draw on a range of evidence, including previous official estimates, which underline the significant harm serious and organised crime causes to the UK economy.

The most recent published assessment of the social and economic costs of organised crime to the UK is the estimate presented in the previous Government’s SOC strategy 2023-2028 Serious and organised crime strategy 2023 to 2028 - GOV.UK, which places the cost at approximately £47 billion in 2023/24 prices. This figure is derived from the last underlying assessment conducted for FY 2015 to 2016, which estimated costs at around £37 billion based on Home Office ‘Understanding Organised Crime Estimating the scale and the social and economic costs’, and was subsequently inflated using the November 2023 HMT GDP Deflator. We continue to keep this area under active review, including how best to reflect improvements in evidence and methodology across threat areas.

Since the most recent publication, the Home Office has been actively developing and refining cost methodologies across key threats, including contact child sexual abuse (The economic and social cost of contact child sexual abuse), modern slavery (Economic and social costs of modern slavery - GOV.UK), drugs (Dame Carol Black's Independent Drugs Review) and fraud, (Economic and social cost of fraud 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK). These updated methodologies have strengthened the evidence base and improved the accuracy of our cost estimates for individual threats.

While asylum and immigration policy are reserved matters, the Home Office recognises that the proposals in the consultation titled Family Returns: Reforming Asylum Support and Enforcing Family Returns interact with important devolved responsibilities, including those of local authorities.

The consultation is seeking views from the devolved administrations on potential impacts of the proposals and responses from Welsh local authorities and the Welsh Government will inform relevant impact assessments, policy, regulations and guidance.

The Home Office will continue to engage with devolved administrations and local authority partners to ensure any reforms are implemented responsibly and in line with statutory duties.

The safety of the public, including suspects, and police officers is paramount. Decisions on police operational tactics, including for pursuit, are a matter for the police who are required to act lawfully, proportionately.

The Government has no plans to issue guidance for police officers on tactics as police have the knowledge, expertise and training to inform proportionate tactical decisions.

Leave granted under the European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) allows people, largely Turkish nationals, to work or establish businesses in the UK.

The Home Office does not publish information on ECAA applications and also does not publish information specifically relating to grants of Indefinite Leave to Remain under the ECAA route.

However, from the immigration statistics published for the calendar year ending December 2025, it was noted that the published data on grants of Settlement under the Work Permit holder category largely relates to persons granted leave under the ECAA route. The published statistics for the year ending December 2025 show that there were 6,367 Settlement grants for Work Permit holders, an increase of 72% on the previous 12 months.

The Home Office does not monitor the gender of mice used in research studies by funder, including those funded by UK Research and Innovation.

The Home Office does require that applicants for project licences involving mice in research studies provide information on whether both sexes are being used and if they are not, a scientific justification is required. This information is not monitored or reported at an aggregate level.

The Home Office publishes non-technical summaries of all licensed programmes of work, setting out their objectives, predicted harms, expected benefits, and the expected number and types of animals to be used.

The Home Office also publishes annual statistics on scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain, which include information on the number of procedures carried out, the species used, and the purposes for which procedures are undertaken.

The Home Office monitors trafficking and exploitation risks across the immigration system, and identifies and supports potential victims including through the National Referral Mechanism.

However, there is no evidence indicating systemic misuse of English‑language course enrolment for trafficking or exploitation purposes.

There is currently an unsustainable strain on our asylum system. Nationals of Myanmar present some of the highest proportions of asylum claims to visas issued on the Student route.

We have needed to act to reduce the strain on the asylum system, in order to ensure that the system remains fair, credible, and sustainable. Our decision to introduce a visa brake on the Student visa route for nationals of Myanmar, and for three other nationalities, was data-driven, with the number of asylum claims on this route in the year ending September 2025 reaching 1,650% of their 2021 levels.

The brake will be kept under regular review. It is not intended to be permanent. It will, however, only be released once the government considers it appropriate to do so.

In the Government’s Immigration White Paper, published in May 2025, we committed to strengthening the age assessment process. As set out in the statement on Restoring Order and Control, the Home Office has since commissioned trials to identify the most promising scientific and technological methods. This includes exploring how artificial intelligence technology can improve the process. Early assessment suggests that Facial Age Estimation is effective and could produce workable results much quicker than other potential methods, such as bone X-rays or MRI scans, and at a fraction of the cost.

As part of our testing of Facial Age Estimation, industry algorithms have been used to test its performance against approximately 2.5 million images with a known age across different ethnicities, genders and age ranges. Further tests are planned throughout 2026.

The Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNR), available on Gov.uk, govern eligibility for employment in the Civil Service on the grounds of nationality and must be followed by government departments. The CSNR allow for certain posts to be reserved for UK nationals only, which is considered where it is deemed necessary and in accordance with the published criteria. These rules have been in place since 2014.

The Home Office continues to monitor the situation in Iran and its impacts. We recognise the disruption to travel routes through the Middle East and the impact on people whose onward travel has been delayed.

Those already living in the UK who have permission to stay should continue to follow their immigration conditions. For those whose permission to stay is due to expire, there are a variety of existing routes under the Immigration Rules to allow a person to extend or vary their permission in the UK. Guidance on varying permission to stay can be found on the GOV.UK website: Vary your immigration application - GOV.UK.

The Government published the Fraud Strategy 2026-2029 on 9 March. This includes targeted measures to improve police responsiveness and investigative outcomes for all forms of fraud.

The strategy launched the Online Crime Centre (OCC), backed by over £30million of Government investment. The OCC will unite UK policing, the UK Intelligence Community alongside private sector partners from the financial, telecoms, technology and cyber industries to disrupt fraud at scale including romance fraud.

Report Fraud, the new, streamlined reporting service, which launched publicly in January, improves the service for victims of fraud and provides better intelligence for police. The strategy also highlighted the measurement of police performance through the PEEL inspection programme.

We will transfer overall responsibility for fraud into the new National Police Service, as part of the wider Police Reforms to ensure a stronger and more streamlined police response.

The Government has received the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offence’s second report, Fraud in the Digital Age, and will publish it this in due course, alongside a statement of proposals progressed.

Effectiveness of the Fraud Strategy 2026-2028 will be tracked through a governance and metrics framework, refined with delivery partners through better data, a theory of change, and targeted evaluations. We will also work with industry to set metrics on the prevalence of fraud on online platforms and on platforms’ performance in removing or blocking such activity.

Backed by over £30m, the Online Crime Centre will bring together government, law enforcement, the intelligence community and industry to tackle online fraud to disrupt at scale, it will draw on existing enforcement powers.

The Home Office does not have any record of the Home Secretary having any conversations with representatives from the Metropolitan Police about the Vashi diamonds case. Operational decisions on case investigations are matters for operationally independent police forces. It would be inappropriate for the Home Office to intervene or direct police forces on whether individual cases should or should not be investigated.

This Government is committed to tackling fraud and we have published a new Fraud Strategy which sets out a comprehensive plan to stop fraud at its source, protect the public, and deliver justice for victims. Over the next three years, we will invest £250 million to strengthen our fight against fraud.

Applications for Sponsorship Change of Circumstance are currently within our core service standard.

We are aware that our priority services, particularly for applications for UCOS, are oversubscribed and are actively reviewing this.

As set out in ‘Protecting What Matters’, we are embedding the 2024 definition of extremism across Government to ensure a consistent understanding of extremism. We are reviewing the existing engagement principles to ensure they are still valid and in line with current legislation and guidance and cover the full range of threats that exist. This will support due diligence capabilities to ensure partners can take evidence-based decisions about engagement, including participants on forums such as working groups, which are in line with the updated principles.

As part of our new Fraud Strategy, we are establishing a new Online Crime Centre (OCC), backed by over £30 million of investment.

Led by the Home Office and the NCA, and working closely with the City of London Police, the OCC will unite UK policing, the UK Intelligence Community (including GCHQ, the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Cyber Force) alongside private sector partners from the financial, telecommunications, technology, and cyber industries.

The OCC will initially focus on fraud and high-volume cyber crime, by enabling data sharing, trend analysis and intelligence development across partners. Using this enhanced intelligence, the OCC will work nationally and internationally with its participating partners to deliver high-impact law enforcement interventions. It will also use this intelligence to reduce harm, undermine the tools and services used by offenders, support recovery, and prevent repeat victimisation.

As set out in the Police Reform White Paper, overall responsibility for fraud will, in due course, transfer to the new National Police Service.

Of the five unexplained wealth orders reported in the 2024-2025 annual report, two have so far resulted in asset recovery outcomes.

In one case, following an order obtained by the Serious Fraud Office, a property identified in the order was sold for £1.1 million.

In a separate case, the National Crime Agency reached a settlement with the defendant, Binghai Su, which is expected to result in the recovery of around £20 million once forfeited assets are sold.

The Government prioritises national security and does not routinely provide details on operational matters or specific threats.

The Home Office works closely with the National Technical Authorities, Police Digital Service, National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC), alongside other Government Departments, to fully understand and address cyber vulnerabilities, proportional to the threat.

Guidance provided covered proportionate risk-based measures on the in-life management, data handling, and disposal of Connected Vehicles. We will continue to work with partners to ensure the guidance remains up to date and that forces follow guidance appropriately.

The International Corruption Unit receives approximately 76% of its funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s ‘Official Development Assistance’ budget.

ODA funds are used in accordance with the conditions set out by the FCDO which include a focus on ‘priority countries’.

The FCDO publishes details of UKACT funding online here:
https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/programme/GB-GOV-1-300597/summary

Individual police forces retain operational ownership of investigations. However, several international cooperation tools can support cross‑border enquiries. This includes engagement with INTERPOL and Europol, as well as other mechanisms such as international biometric exchange. Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) can be used where evidence is required from overseas jurisdictions. Eurojust can support coordination of prosecutions and judicial cooperation in relevant cross‑border cases, where appropriate.

We have limited data on the prevalence of drug-facilitated sexual assault within intimate relationships. We have however taken several steps to tackle spiking in England and Wales, including where it is linked to drug facilitated sexual assault. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing a new criminal offence for spiking, which will give greater clarity to victims and raise the maximum sentence for the offence of administering a poisonous or noxious substance in section 24 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861.

We are working with three police forces to roll out a sample collection pilot in Spring 2026, which aims to improve the timeliness and accessibility of urine sample collection following suspected spiking incidents. We have commissioned the University of Birmingham to undertake academic research into the motivations of spiking perpetrators. finally, the Police are developing a new guidance and training package on spiking for frontline officers, which will enable better support to be provided to suspected victims, as well as more timely evidence-gathering which should help to bring perpetrators to justice.

Statutory guidance on controlling or coercive behaviour has been issued to the police and other agencies, which highlights that perpetrators of domestic abuse may use substances such as alcohol or drugs to control a victim through dependency. More details can be found here: Controlling or coercive behaviour: statutory guidance framework (accessible) - GOV.UK. The Government has committed to updating the controlling or coercive behaviour statutory guidance by the end of 2026.

All NHS staff receive national mandatory safeguarding training that is being strengthened for launch in December 2026. This will reinforce to staff their safeguarding responsibilities and support them in identifying and responding to victims of violence and abuse.

Individual police forces retain operational ownership of investigations. However, several international cooperation tools can support cross‑border enquiries. This includes engagement with INTERPOL and Europol, as well as other mechanisms such as international biometric exchange. Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) can be used where evidence is required from overseas jurisdictions. Eurojust can support coordination of prosecutions and judicial cooperation in relevant cross‑border cases, where appropriate.

We have limited data on the prevalence of drug-facilitated sexual assault within intimate relationships. We have however taken several steps to tackle spiking in England and Wales, including where it is linked to drug facilitated sexual assault. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing a new criminal offence for spiking, which will give greater clarity to victims and raise the maximum sentence for the offence of administering a poisonous or noxious substance in section 24 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861.

We are working with three police forces to roll out a sample collection pilot in Spring 2026, which aims to improve the timeliness and accessibility of urine sample collection following suspected spiking incidents. We have commissioned the University of Birmingham to undertake academic research into the motivations of spiking perpetrators. finally, the Police are developing a new guidance and training package on spiking for frontline officers, which will enable better support to be provided to suspected victims, as well as more timely evidence-gathering which should help to bring perpetrators to justice.

Statutory guidance on controlling or coercive behaviour has been issued to the police and other agencies, which highlights that perpetrators of domestic abuse may use substances such as alcohol or drugs to control a victim through dependency. More details can be found here: Controlling or coercive behaviour: statutory guidance framework (accessible) - GOV.UK. The Government has committed to updating the controlling or coercive behaviour statutory guidance by the end of 2026.

All NHS staff receive national mandatory safeguarding training that is being strengthened for launch in December 2026. This will reinforce to staff their safeguarding responsibilities and support them in identifying and responding to victims of violence and abuse.

Individual police forces retain operational ownership of investigations. However, several international cooperation tools can support cross‑border enquiries. This includes engagement with INTERPOL and Europol, as well as other mechanisms such as international biometric exchange. Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) can be used where evidence is required from overseas jurisdictions. Eurojust can support coordination of prosecutions and judicial cooperation in relevant cross‑border cases, where appropriate.

We have limited data on the prevalence of drug-facilitated sexual assault within intimate relationships. We have however taken several steps to tackle spiking in England and Wales, including where it is linked to drug facilitated sexual assault. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing a new criminal offence for spiking, which will give greater clarity to victims and raise the maximum sentence for the offence of administering a poisonous or noxious substance in section 24 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861.

We are working with three police forces to roll out a sample collection pilot in Spring 2026, which aims to improve the timeliness and accessibility of urine sample collection following suspected spiking incidents. We have commissioned the University of Birmingham to undertake academic research into the motivations of spiking perpetrators. finally, the Police are developing a new guidance and training package on spiking for frontline officers, which will enable better support to be provided to suspected victims, as well as more timely evidence-gathering which should help to bring perpetrators to justice.

Statutory guidance on controlling or coercive behaviour has been issued to the police and other agencies, which highlights that perpetrators of domestic abuse may use substances such as alcohol or drugs to control a victim through dependency. More details can be found here: Controlling or coercive behaviour: statutory guidance framework (accessible) - GOV.UK. The Government has committed to updating the controlling or coercive behaviour statutory guidance by the end of 2026.

All NHS staff receive national mandatory safeguarding training that is being strengthened for launch in December 2026. This will reinforce to staff their safeguarding responsibilities and support them in identifying and responding to victims of violence and abuse.

The Home Office works closely with police forces and stakeholders to assess the use of facial recognition by law enforcement. As part of this engagement, we have consulted on a new legal framework on how and when law enforcement should use biometrics and facial recognition, including the safeguards that should apply to the use of these technologies. That consultation closed on 12 February; we are considering responses and will legislate in due course.

When using the technology, the police must operate within the legal framework, including data protection, equality and human rights legislation, national guidance, a code of practice and force‑level policies. The Home Office is aware of the risk of bias in facial recognition algorithms and all police facial recognition systems funded by the Home Office must be independently tested so that they can be operated at settings where there is negligible bias.

The Home Secretary has also tasked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), with support from the Forensic Science Regulator, to look at whether people have been affected by the bias as part of the inspection of police and relevant law enforcement agencies’ use of retrospective facial recognition. The inspection is in progress and the terms of reference have been published by HMICFRS.

The Home Office continues to invest in the development of its data and data systems to support insightful analysis of the immigration system.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).

Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.

As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).

Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.

As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).

Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.

As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).

Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.

As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).

Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.

As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.

The Home Office is taking steps to improve data quality and transparency regarding agents. From 7 April Student sponsors will be required to provide agent details on the Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for all student applications where the sponsor has used an agent to recruit the student. From the same date, all sponsors will also be required to adhere to the Agent Quality Framework (AQF).

Minimum academic, attendance and engagement requirements already apply to the Graduate route. Graduate applicants are required to have successfully completed an eligible qualification whilst holding permission on the Student route and student sponsors are required to comply with the Home Office’s academic engagement policy in relation to all sponsored students.

As announced in the Immigration White Paper, from 1 January 2027 Graduates will be granted 18 months of permission instead of 2 years in recognition of the need for Graduates to transition into Graduate level jobs more quickly.

The Home Office English Language Testing Programme remains in live procurement. We anticipate that the successful bidder will hold, or secure, Ofqual recognition. They must then continue to meet the rigorous bar required to comply with Ofqual's regulatory requirements. We are committed to working with Ofqual through to mobilisation to protect the integrity of these high-stakes tests.

In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced persons.

Work is underway to deliver the named community sponsorship route.

Further details, including the number of beneficiaries, will be set out in due course.

The security and integrity of English Language Testing arrangements is a matter the Government takes very seriously and robust standards in this area are essential to maintaining the integrity of the immigration system.

We work closely with our Five Eyes counterparts across all service areas, including language testing, and value the insight provided by these interactions.

As there is a live procurement exercise currently under way, it would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment further on the specific arrangements or any discussions that may inform them at this time.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 25 November 2025 to Question UIN 94124.

The security schedule and solution requirements form part of the live procurement documentation for this contract. As the procurement process is live and ongoing, it would not be appropriate to publish these documents at this time, as doing so could prejudice the integrity of the competitive tendering process

Externally, prior to live procurement, the Home Office English Language Testing (HOELT) Programme conducted five rounds of market engagement. This included industry experts and market leaders.

The programme has also engaged with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Commercial Innovation Hub, including the Government Digital Service in addition to Home Office Digital (HOD) who are fully embedded in the programme, supported by specialist managed services covering technical architecture, service design, cyber security, testing, and AI assurance.

The Government recognises the importance of safe and timely shearing to protect animal welfare. The sheep shearing concession has been operating for 15 years and it is reasonable to expect that over this period a long-term sustainable solution had been found to identify this workforce gap. Therefore, having considered the potential merits, and in line with the plans set out in the White Paper “Restoring Control over the Immigration System,” published in May 2025, the Government does not consider a long-term route is required.

The Government expects the sector to meet these needs through the domestic workforce and individuals with existing general work rights, including dependants or Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders, who are free to take up work as a sheep shearer subject to the relevant visa restrictions.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, including service standards for processing visa applications.

All family visa applications are carefully considered in line with the published family visa processing times available here: Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK. Where applicants require their application to be expedited owing to their individual compelling and compassionate circumstances, we will consider each case on its own merit.

Applicants on certain family routes may choose to use optional priority or super priority services, where available, for an additional fee to receive a faster decision on their application. Applicants using the priority service will usually receive a decision within five working days.

Further information on the priority service is available here: Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application: Applying for a faster decision - GOV.UK.

The decision to introduce a visa brake on the Student visa route for Sudan and three other nationalities was based on data-driven migration and border security considerations. There are no plans to provide exceptions for prospective students in scope of the brake.

By providing 21 days’ notice ahead of the implementation of the visa brake, any prospective Sudanese student who held an offer of study from a licenced student sponsor and a valid Confirmation of Acceptance of Study (CAS), was able to apply for a Student visa as normal ahead of implementation on 26 March.