Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Baroness Hamwee, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
A bill to make provision for leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom to be granted to the family members of refugees and of people granted humanitarian protection; and to provide for legal aid to be made available in such cases
A Bill to make provision for the administration of the affairs of missing persons; and for connected purposes.
Baroness Hamwee has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
There have been constructive negotiations on law enforcement and criminal justice cooperation. In round four of negotiations, for example, there were detailed technical exchanges on extradition, the UK’s relationship with Europol and the exchange of Passenger Name Record (PNR) information.
As set out in the UK Approach, an agreement in this area should include: arrangements that support data exchange for law enforcement purposes; operational cooperation between law enforcement authorities; and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. This cooperation should be underpinned by the importance that both parties attach to safeguarding human rights, the rule of law and high data protection standards.
The second reading of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill was postponed to allow new ministers to consider the legislation. We will continue to engage with businesses and civil society organisations to ensure the regime works for all, but this will not take the form of another formal public consultation and will not affect the timeline of the Bill.
Working together with our partners across the secure and detained estate, vaccinations in prisons and detention centres has begun - delivering to the top priority cohorts defined by the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations, in line with the rest of the population. As set out in the United Kingdom COVID-19 vaccines delivery plan, Local Vaccination Services are co-ordinating and delivering vaccinations to people who are unable to attend a vaccination site, including prisons and other places of custody.
The Government recognises that taxpayers have faced immense challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The design of the SEISS, including the £50,000 threshold for average trading profits, means it is targeted at those who most need it and who are most reliant on their self-employment income.
However, those with average trading profits above £50,000 may still be eligible for other elements of the substantial financial support provided by the Government. The SEISS continues to be just one element of a package of support for the self-employed which includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.
The SEISS continues to be just one element of a substantial package of support for the self-employed. Those ineligible for the SEISS Grant Extension may still be eligible for other elements of the support available. The Universal Credit standard allowance has been temporarily increased for 2020-21 and the Minimum Income Floor relaxed for the duration of the crisis, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the package, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.
Fujitsu do not supply the Home Office with any systems or software used in determining immigration status.
There will be no changes to the fees payable for any visa applications or the health surcharge as a result of the minimum income requirement changes announced by the Home Secretary.
For those applying on a spouse or partner visa, the current application fees of £1,846 for entry clearance, £1,048 for Limited Leave to Remain and £2,885 for Indefinite Leave to Remain will remain the same.
Subject to the passage of the necessary legislation, the Immigration Health Surcharge will increase to £1,035 per year for migrants applying on the partner visa route.
There will be no changes to the fees payable for any visa applications or the health surcharge as a result of the minimum income requirement changes announced by the Home Secretary.
For those applying on a spouse or partner visa, the current application fees of £1,846 for entry clearance, £1,048 for Limited Leave to Remain and £2,885 for Indefinite Leave to Remain will remain the same.
Subject to the passage of the necessary legislation, the Immigration Health Surcharge will increase to £1,035 per year for migrants applying on the partner visa route.
The revised minimum income requirement (MIR) will be implemented in spring 2024.
The Government will set out any transitional provisions associated with the increase in the MIR, and further policy details, in due course.
Any applications already submitted will be considered in line with the existing policy.
The revised minimum income requirement (MIR) will be implemented in spring 2024.
The Government will set out any transitional provisions associated with the increase in the MIR, and further policy details, in due course.
Any applications already submitted will be considered in line with the existing policy.
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
We are still considering the timetable for potential work to review the handbook. We aim to set out the timetable for reviewing the handbook later this year.
The role of the Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) as set out in the 2015 Modern Slavery Act is to encourage good practice in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of slavery and human trafficking offences and the identification of victims.
The Home Secretary recognises the importance of the IASC and had launched a new open competition to recruit for this role on the 23 February 2023, the process for which is now at an advanced stage.
The EU Justice and Home Affairs Committee will meet on 19th October to agree a timeline for EES and ETIAS implementation. HMG are working towards EES implementation in late 2024. ETIAS was originally expected to go live six months after EES, but we await confirmation of this in October.
The Government is engaging both the European Commission and French Government through officials holding routine technical meetings to understand and influence the implementation plans of the new system. This includes working with port owners and operators to understand and support their plans to mitigate EES and ETIAS impacts at the border. HMG’s focus is on the juxtaposed locations of Dover, St Pancras and Eurotunnel as the EES processes there will take place before departure from the UK.
We have recently received agreement in principle from the French Ministry of Interior to proceed with a proposal to relocate the coach facility at the port of Dover to enable EES, ETIAS and border control checks to take place in one location.
However, it is ultimately for EU Member States and port owners and operators to implement the new system.
The Home Office recognise the longstanding role that Kent County Council has played in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) and former unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and are grateful for their contribution.
The Home Office notifies Kent County Council about all UASC arriving in their area. The notification is completed along with the National Transfer scheme referral, as quickly as possible - with the length of time taken to complete the referral process being dependant on arrival numbers.
We recruit using standard Civil Service recruitment processes and all our decision makers must meet minimum Civil Service recruitment standards. Once appointed the Home Office offers a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework for decision makers. In relation to methods used, it should be noted that tools involving machine learning or artificial intelligence are not used in the assessment of family visa applications.
Records for the number of staff assessing family visa applications are not maintained as far back to 2010. During that time, the department has undergone various organisational changes, and has also employed temporary staff, so we are unable to provide accurate data on the number of caseworkers who have ceased employment. However the average number of decisions made each week in respect of family visa applications do not form part of any current transparency data applications and are not published. The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
In relation to the records for the number of staff assessing family visa applications, they are not maintained back to 2010. Resource is also often used flexibly, so if data was available, we would be unable to provide accurate figures in respect of the amount of caseworkers engaged in considering family visa applications for each year since 2010.
We recruit using standard Civil Service recruitment processes and all our decision makers must meet minimum Civil Service recruitment standards. Once appointed the Home Office offers a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework for decision makers. In relation to methods used, it should be noted that tools involving machine learning or artificial intelligence are not used in the assessment of family visa applications.
Records for the number of staff assessing family visa applications are not maintained as far back to 2010. During that time, the department has undergone various organisational changes, and has also employed temporary staff, so we are unable to provide accurate data on the number of caseworkers who have ceased employment. However the average number of decisions made each week in respect of family visa applications do not form part of any current transparency data applications and are not published. The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
In relation to the records for the number of staff assessing family visa applications, they are not maintained back to 2010. Resource is also often used flexibly, so if data was available, we would be unable to provide accurate figures in respect of the amount of caseworkers engaged in considering family visa applications for each year since 2010.
We recruit using standard Civil Service recruitment processes and all our decision makers must meet minimum Civil Service recruitment standards. Once appointed the Home Office offers a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework for decision makers. In relation to methods used, it should be noted that tools involving machine learning or artificial intelligence are not used in the assessment of family visa applications.
Records for the number of staff assessing family visa applications are not maintained as far back to 2010. During that time, the department has undergone various organisational changes, and has also employed temporary staff, so we are unable to provide accurate data on the number of caseworkers who have ceased employment. However the average number of decisions made each week in respect of family visa applications do not form part of any current transparency data applications and are not published. The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
In relation to the records for the number of staff assessing family visa applications, they are not maintained back to 2010. Resource is also often used flexibly, so if data was available, we would be unable to provide accurate figures in respect of the amount of caseworkers engaged in considering family visa applications for each year since 2010.
We recruit using standard Civil Service recruitment processes and all our decision makers must meet minimum Civil Service recruitment standards. Once appointed the Home Office offers a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework for decision makers. In relation to methods used, it should be noted that tools involving machine learning or artificial intelligence are not used in the assessment of family visa applications.
Records for the number of staff assessing family visa applications are not maintained as far back to 2010. During that time, the department has undergone various organisational changes, and has also employed temporary staff, so we are unable to provide accurate data on the number of caseworkers who have ceased employment. However the average number of decisions made each week in respect of family visa applications do not form part of any current transparency data applications and are not published. The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
In relation to the records for the number of staff assessing family visa applications, they are not maintained back to 2010. Resource is also often used flexibly, so if data was available, we would be unable to provide accurate figures in respect of the amount of caseworkers engaged in considering family visa applications for each year since 2010.
We recruit using standard Civil Service recruitment processes and all our decision makers must meet minimum Civil Service recruitment standards. Once appointed the Home Office offers a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework for decision makers. In relation to methods used, it should be noted that tools involving machine learning or artificial intelligence are not used in the assessment of family visa applications.
Records for the number of staff assessing family visa applications are not maintained as far back to 2010. During that time, the department has undergone various organisational changes, and has also employed temporary staff, so we are unable to provide accurate data on the number of caseworkers who have ceased employment. However the average number of decisions made each week in respect of family visa applications do not form part of any current transparency data applications and are not published. The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
In relation to the records for the number of staff assessing family visa applications, they are not maintained back to 2010. Resource is also often used flexibly, so if data was available, we would be unable to provide accurate figures in respect of the amount of caseworkers engaged in considering family visa applications for each year since 2010.
We take the welfare of those in our care extremely seriously. We have safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in emergency interim hotels are as safe and supported as possible whilst we seek urgent placements with a local authority. Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses.
The Home Office has no power to hold asylum seekers, including children, in hotels or any temporary accommodation if they wish to leave.
All Home Office staff and contractors engaging with asylum seekers are trained to adopt a risk-based approach towards potential indications of vulnerability and to refer relevant cases onto the Safeguarding Hub, a dedicated resource assigned to identifying and safeguarding vulnerable asylum seekers.
Safeguarding Hub staff advocate for an individual’s needs with the statutory agencies to promote appropriate safeguarding interventions. The statutory agencies retain responsibility for all decisions on intervention activity.
We take the welfare of those in our care extremely seriously. We have safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in emergency interim hotels are as safe and supported as possible whilst we seek urgent placements with a local authority. Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses.
The Home Office has no power to hold asylum seekers, including children, in hotels or any temporary accommodation if they wish to leave.
All Home Office staff and contractors engaging with asylum seekers are trained to adopt a risk-based approach towards potential indications of vulnerability and to refer relevant cases onto the Safeguarding Hub, a dedicated resource assigned to identifying and safeguarding vulnerable asylum seekers.
Safeguarding Hub staff advocate for an individual’s needs with the statutory agencies to promote appropriate safeguarding interventions. The statutory agencies retain responsibility for all decisions on intervention activity.
We take the welfare of those in our care extremely seriously. We have safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in emergency interim hotels are as safe and supported as possible whilst we seek urgent placements with a local authority. Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses.
The Home Office has no power to hold asylum seekers, including children, in hotels or any temporary accommodation if they wish to leave.
All Home Office staff and contractors engaging with asylum seekers are trained to adopt a risk-based approach towards potential indications of vulnerability and to refer relevant cases onto the Safeguarding Hub, a dedicated resource assigned to identifying and safeguarding vulnerable asylum seekers.
Safeguarding Hub staff advocate for an individual’s needs with the statutory agencies to promote appropriate safeguarding interventions. The statutory agencies retain responsibility for all decisions on intervention activity.
The proposed site at Linton-on-Ouse is designed to facilitate and support interaction between Asylum Seekers and their chosen legal advisors, whereby those accommodated at Linton-on-Ouse will have the ability to access the support of legal representation, either face-to-face or remotely.
If a decision is made to use the site, there will be dedicated private rooms where remote asylum case interviews and conversations between asylum seekers and their legal reps along with access to printers and scanners. The Service Provider will be the point of contact for support on-site for asylum seekers, legal reps and Case Workers. Additionally, individuals will also have 24/7 access to the Migrant Help hotline via the provision of phones which will enable issue reporting and complaints, plus signposting to legal aid.
The Home Office continues to liaise with colleagues in the Ministry of Justice and Legal Aid Agency to finalise the details of this provision at Linton-on-Ouse.
The lessons learnt from the provision of healthcare at Napier were of the benefits to service users of having easy access to healthcare based on site. This model prevents strain on the provision of services and healthcare for local residents.
The Home Office are working closely with NHS colleagues to design an appropriate healthcare model for the Linton-on-Ouse Accommodation Centre should a decision be taken to use the site. Furthermore, the Service Provider will be required to have a Partnership Manager on site who will oversee safeguarding and wellbeing, working in collaboration with their onsite Risk & Assurance Manager, who will be responsible for the risk and safety elements of welfare.
There is no link between the proposed non-detained site at Linton-on-Ouse and the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) with Rwanda.
The UNHCR have visited the proposed site on 19 May and advised they would be writing a report.
The safety and security of the local community, asylum seekers, staff and visitors to potential future sites is of paramount importance. We are committed to engagement with local authorities and local partners to understand and mitigate risks and concerns of the wider community. This includes working closely with the police in matters relating to the operation of the site, safety and security and the handling of any protests. The Home Office will work closely with the Counter Extremism Unit as well as the Community Tensions Team to discuss and inform any developments at Linton-on-Ouse. These partnerships will ensure the site, if the decision is made to progress, is fit for purpose and operates safely and securely, whilst minimising impacts on local services.
Internal considerations are ongoing.
The guidance will be published once a final decision is taken on Linton-on-Ouse.
While we sympathise with the many millions of people facing difficult situations around the world, there are no plans to introduce a provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum.
Our current policy is clear we will not consider asylum claims made abroad and there is no provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum.
We already welcome vulnerable people in need of protection to the UK through our resettlement schemes and are standing up specific new migration routes in response to the situation in Ukraine. These schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK.
The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights and will continue this record.
While we sympathise with the many millions of people facing difficult situations around the world, there are no plans to introduce a provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum.
Our current policy is clear we will not consider asylum claims made abroad and there is no provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum.
We already welcome vulnerable people in need of protection to the UK through our resettlement schemes and are standing up specific new migration routes in response to the situation in Ukraine. These schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK.
The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights and will continue this record.
A British national will always be treated as such, irrespective of whether they hold nationality of a second country.
Our ambition is to ensure that victims receive their own phone back within 24 hours in the majority of cases. The provision of a replacement will be a safety net in cases where it is not possible to return a phone quickly to guarantee victims are not cut off from their support network.
The technology to extract data from mobile phones varies between police forces. As part of our commitments in the end-to-end rape review, we are working with forces to provide a package of new technology to allow police to examine more devices at the scene. This means a faster, safer and more sensitive service for victims
We will not be appealing and will comply with the court’s ruling.
We are currently considering the next steps in order to do this.
The immigration removal estate is kept under ongoing review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient capacity, in the right places and that it provides value for money. We will maintain sufficient capacity to support the removal of those who abuse our hospitality by committing serious, violent and persistent crimes as well as those who do not comply with our immigration laws.
The Home Office publishes statistics on people in detention on the last day of each quarter in the Immigration statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Data on people in detention under immigration powers are published in Table Det_03a of the ‘Detention summary tables - List of tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on detention.
The total operational capacity for the immigration removal centres (if all rooms and beds are in use) is 2462 and the current occupancy rate is 367 as of 3 March 2021.
In line with the Citizens’ Rights Agreements, the Government has made clear, where a person eligible for leave under the EU Settlement Scheme has reasonable grounds for missing the 30 June 2021 deadline for applications by those resident in the UK by the end of the transition period, they will be given a further opportunity to apply.
We will publish clear, non-exhaustive guidance in the near future on what constitutes reasonable grounds for missing the deadline. Yet our focus remains on communicating information about the scheme and helping people to apply within the deadline.
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 (Transparency in Supply Chains) Regulations set out the amount of total turnover for the purposes of making a commercial organisation subject to the Act’s Transparency in Supply Chains Provisions. The Regulations set the turnover threshold for commercial organisations required to report at £36m.
Under section 4 of the Regulations, the Secretary of State is required to carry out a review of the Regulations every five years.
The Government published a review of the current turnover threshold as part of the Government response to the Transparency in Supply Chains consultation, published on 22 September 2020.The review concluded that the £36m threshold remains appropriate and proportionate and also noted that the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act did not advise lowering the existing threshold, and instead recommended that Government focus on improving compliance, quality of reporting and enforcement at the current threshold.
The new Government modern slavery registry, which is due to launch this year, will enable Government to more effectively drive compliance, as well as incentivising more transparent and detailed reporting, by providing a dedicated platform for investors, consumers and civil society to view and compare statements published under the Act.
This Government puts the rights of the British public before those of criminals, and we are clear that foreign criminals should be deported from the UK wherever it is legal and practical to do so.
The Home Office publishes data on people in detention by gender, as at the last day of the quarter in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’, Immigration statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) published on the 25 February 2021, and is available from table Det_D02 of the Detention detailed datasets. Information on those held in immigration removal centres that are classed as ‘foreign criminals’ by gender, is not separately available in a reportable format.
We make every effort to ensure that a person’s removal by deportation coincides, as far as possible, with their release from prison on completion of sentence. Where an FNO refuses to cooperate with the removal or deportation process, they may be detained. Foreign national offenders held in detention have the option to apply to an independent immigration judge for bail at any point, irrespective of gender.
Since January 2019, we have returned 7,240 FNOs, and we make no apology for protecting the public.
Home Office staff working in immigration removal centres (IRCs) range from Administrative Officer grade, through to Assistant Director grade (Grade 7). The number of Home Office staff based in IRCs vary at each location depending on the operational requirements of the centre. Home Office structure and salaries transparency data (last updated May 2019) is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/structure-and-salaries-series.
The average salary of a full-time equivalent member of staff in an immigration removal centre is not held in a reportable format. To obtain this information would require detailed reporting against multiple cost centres and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs. The Home Office provide standard pay ranges by grade as set out in the table below, as of 1 July 2020:
Grade | National | London Provincial | London |
Administrative Officer (AO) | £21,431 (spot rate) | £22,356 (spot rate) | £25,626 (spot rate) |
Executive Officer (EO) | £24,883 min, £27,372 max | £25,773 min, £28,349 max | £28,654 min, £31,519 max |
Higher Executive Officer (HEO) | £30,817 min, £33,899 max | £32,173 min, £35,389 max | £35,054 min, £38,558 max |
Senior Executive Officer (SEO) | £37,450 min, £41,193 max | £39,068 min, £42,973 max | £41,950 min, £46,144 max |
Assistant Director (Grade 7) | £52,051 min, £57,254 max | £54,591 min, £60,047 max | £57,434 min, £63,175 max |
The Home Office uses private companies to manage immigration removal centres, except Morton Hall which is managed by HM Prison and Probation Service on our behalf. The details of the operating costs for each of these contracts, including staff salaries, is commercially confidential. However, the Home Office publishes payments in excess of £25K on its website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/home-office-spending
There are no plans to review the role of Detention Gatekeepers in immigration removal centres at this time.
The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration annually inspects how the Government manages vulnerable persons in detention. Should recommendations be made around the efficacy of the Detention Gatekeeper, they will be considered in line with Governmental priorities.
The UK has long standing arrangements in its legislation for the nationals of countries which have signed and ratified the 1961 Council of Europe’s Social Charter (CESC) to qualify for a fee reduction for visa applications to come to work in the UK.
It is only with the end of free movement this legal obligation is now relevant to those EU countries which have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe Charter. The reduction is therefore only available to nationals of countries which have ratified the 1961 Charter, whether or not those countries are EU countries.
The UK’s legal obligations in relation to this matter relate to the implementation of the Council of Europe treaty, and do not arise from the UK’s former relationship with the EU or the TCA.
The immigration removal estate is kept under ongoing review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient capacity, in the right places and that it provides value for money.
The Home Office has acquired the former Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in County Durham and will open it as an immigration removal centre for women by the autumn. Initial discussions with the planning authority have taken place and work has commenced at the site. An Equality Impact Assessment will be completed as part of this programme of work.
In order to meet operational needs and demands we will continue to operate the immigration removal estate in a flexible manner.
The UK recently agreed a figure of £28.1m with the French Government on 28 November 2020, to address migrant activity in the English Channel. We are unable to comment on French financial contributions for the implementation of this agreement.
This funding supports a range of activity, including the continued deployment of French reservists from the Gendarmerie, which has doubled from December 1 2020, and Police Nationale. As this resource directly impacts sensitive, live, operational activity, we cannot disclose the precise number of French officers from either agency, or the locations that they patrol.
In 2020, 57 individuals were prosecuted for people smuggling offenses; 8 of which were related to small boat crossings of the English Channel.
In line with the Citizens’ Rights Agreements, the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020 remains the point by which EU citizens need to be resident in the UK to be eligible in their own right for the EU Settlement Scheme.
(1) We recognise the need for improvement in some facilities and there is an ongoing programme of work to ensure all sites used for detention are appropriately equipped and that the facilities are suitable to allow for the welfare of detainees to be prioritised
(2) The new Schedule 7 and 3 Codes of Practice are both clear that selection of a person for examination must not be arbitrary or for discriminatory reasons and that protected characteristics (whether separately or together) are not to be used as criteria for selection except to the extent that they are used in association with considerations that relate to the threat from terrorism or hostile activity. The Home Office continues to work with the police to ensure that training and guidance for frontline officers reflects the legal provision and important safeguards of these codes.
The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration Annual Inspection of 'Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention' (2018–19) and Home Office response were published on 29 April 2020 and can be found at the links below:
As set out the Home Office has accepted, or partially accepted, seven of the ICIBI’s eight recommendations:
Analyse the treatment and conditions of detainees and Foreign National Offenders detained in prison
The Government has made clear, where a person eligible for leave under the EU Settlement Scheme has reasonable grounds for missing the application deadline of 30 June 2021, they will be given a further opportunity to apply. Our compassionate and flexible approach will ensure individuals who miss the deadline through no fault of their own can still obtain lawful status in the UK. We have not set out the criteria for what will constitute reasonable grounds for submitting an application after the deadline as we want to continue to encourage people to apply before 30 June 2021, whilst allowing the maximum possible flexibility when the situation arises. Examples will include children whose parent or guardian failed to apply on their behalf, people in abusive or controlling relationships who were prevented from applying, and those who lack the physical or mental capacity to apply. We will publish clear guidance for caseworkers in due course.
The additional Health Measures at the Border introduced on 8 June aim to reduce the risk posed by imported cases of Covid-19 to the UK. A small number of groups are exempt from the self-isolation requirement, including those who live outside the UK but work in the UK and travel between their country of residence at least once a week. This exemption is based on the need to maintain peoples’ ability to attend their place of work, and not their infection status.
The exemption for those travelling at least once a week ensures that those who live in one country but are employed in another can continue to pursue their employment if they are unable to work from home and can return to work. Opening up this exemption to less frequent travellers risks opening this exemption to wider business-related travel for which it is not intended.
The self-isolation applies to all arrivals, rather than being based on the period of stay outside the UK as the virus has an incubation period where symptoms may not have yet developed.
We are processing claims as quickly as possible, but all claims are different, and the time taken will depend on many factors, including the complexity of the case. We are committed to working with the claimant to ensure all possible information is taken into account - this will have an impact on the length of time it takes to process the claim but can result in a higher level of payment. Wherever possible, we will make interim payments on parts of the claim that are straightforward to determine, such as immigration fees, thereby speeding up the provision of compensation.