Asked by: Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have suspended priority visa services for spouses; and when they plan to reinstate pre-COVID-19 pandemic arrangements and timescales for such visas.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
All priority services were suspended for all application routes as a result of Covid 19 and the closure of application processing centres in the UK and overseas. Priority services will remain suspended until UKVI is able to ensure service standards may be met and that customers receive the services paid for.
39 UKVCAS service points are now open the UK and 198 VACs overseas are now open and being managed as part of business as usual.
The resumption of priority services remains under review and services will be offered where capacity permits and will be reintroduced on a phased basis. UKVI continues to keep this position under review and will publicise any changes to services on GOV.UK.
Information on processing times for visa applications is published as part of the Migration Transparency data, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data .
Asked by: Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average processing time for spouse visa applications from the United States in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
All priority services were suspended for all application routes as a result of Covid 19 and the closure of application processing centres in the UK and overseas. Priority services will remain suspended until UKVI is able to ensure service standards may be met and that customers receive the services paid for.
39 UKVCAS service points are now open the UK and 198 VACs overseas are now open and being managed as part of business as usual.
The resumption of priority services remains under review and services will be offered where capacity permits and will be reintroduced on a phased basis. UKVI continues to keep this position under review and will publicise any changes to services on GOV.UK.
Information on processing times for visa applications is published as part of the Migration Transparency data, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data .