Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to hold a trial of the proposed remote and digital-by-default method of English language testing for visas.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As part of the procurement, we have undertaken significant Market Engagement that has already assessed the deliverability of the service and there will be robust processes for evaluation of bids and subsequent mobilisation that will assure that the service is secure, safe and delivers our intent. This will include significant IT testing including robust quality assurance testing and an implementation that follows standard agile delivery phases, including private and public beta stages with defined entry and exit criteria that must be met before progressing and scaling the solution.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Home Office intends to publish a formal follow-up to the Casey Review’s recommendations on systemic racism in policing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 17 December 2025, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and Mayor of London announced an independent review of the force’s progress against Baroness Casey’s 2023 report, to be chaired by Dr Gillian Fairfield.
The follow-up review is a matter for the MPS, in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC).
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness in meeting the 8-week processing deadline for applications under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
UKVI are currently assessing Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE) visas within the published processing times. Information on visa processing times can be found at Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposals in the consultation paper entitled A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: statement and accompanying consultation on earned settlement, published on 28 November 2025, on (a) the number of Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa holders eligible for indefinite leave to remain and (b) the time taken to qualify for settlement; and whether she plans to publish an impact assessment on the proposed English language level B2 requirement and a contribution to the Exchequer criteria.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.
BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.
We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation. An impact assessment will be developed alongside the finalised policy and published in due course.
In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of students obtaining a Student Visa for study at a higher education provider since July 2024 have provided a Secure English Language Test from an approved provider.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
All successful Student visa applications from a Higher Education Provider (HEP) must demonstrate that the student has the required English Language.
The Study Sponsor Guidance sets out the requirements for a sponsor’s duty for English Language assessment on page 31. It details how a HEP with a track record of compliance can self-assess English Language. If not a HEP with a track record of compliance, it details how students demonstrate their English language competence.
Student Sponsor Guidance - Document 2: Sponsorship Duties
A sponsor who is self-assessing may use a SELT. There are no published statistics showing this breakdown.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what vetting her Department undertakes into people who arrived in the UK illegally who subsequently apply for leave to remain.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office performs mandatory identity verification and security checks on all individuals applying to enter or remain in the UK. These checks are set out in comprehensive, internal guidance called the UK Visas and Immigration Operating Mandate (OM). To protect the integrity of the specific identity and security checking processes that are conducted under the OM, the information contained within it is not disclosed publicly.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration White Paper S.176, what future steps she plans to take to ensure that workers can more efficiently change sponsors.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As per the Immigration White Paper, we are continuing to explore a range of policy options and their feasibility. Further details will follow in due course as necessary and appropriate.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration White Paper published in May 2025 and paragraph 221 on exploring further measures against sponsors falling short of their responsibilities, what sanctions or penalties, other than licence revocation, have been applied to sponsors found to be non-compliant since the publication of the White Paper, and whether her Department has set a timetable for introducing further measures.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As set out in the Immigration White Paper, we are continuing to explore a range of policy options and their feasibility. Further details will follow in due course as necessary and appropriate.
The current measures to tackle sponsors who are found to be non-compliant can be found on Gov.uk in Part 3 of the guidance for sponsors:
These range from reducing a sponsor’s allocation of certificates of sponsorship to revoking their licence and, if necessary, reporting them to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration White Paper published in May 2025, which stated at paragraph 176 that the Government would explore making it easier for workers to move between licensed sponsors for the duration of their visa, what steps her Department has taken to explore this policy, and what the anticipated timetable is for proposed changes.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As set out in the Immigration White Paper, we are continuing to explore a range of policy options and their feasibility. Further details will follow in due course as necessary and appropriate.
The current measures to tackle sponsors who are found to be non-compliant can be found on Gov.uk in Part 3 of the guidance for sponsors:
These range from reducing a sponsor’s allocation of certificates of sponsorship to revoking their licence and, if necessary, reporting them to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of moving to digital by default on the security of English language testing.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We have engaged the market to understand what capability is available to maintain the high standards of security and integrity of the test and have developed a robust security schedule and solution requirements to ensure this remains at the heart of the digital by default solution. Security measures will be assessed as part of the procurement process and assured during implementation.