Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposals for a salary threshold in the immigration White Paper on scientific research occupations.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government is committed to developing a future borders and immigration system that will cater for all sectors of the UK, including for those who make a very valuable contribution to our scientific community
As part of his Spring Statement on 13 March, my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that PhD level occupations, which includes scientists and researchers, will be exempt from the Tier 2 (General) cap. In addition, he announced that those same occupations will be exempt from our rules on absences from the UK, ensuring that they can take part in research activities overseas without impacting adversely on settlement applications where absences from the UK are taken into account. The Government intends to give effect to this change later this year
The Migration Advisory Committee recommended retaining the minimum salary threshold at £30,000. However, we have been clear that we want to engage with businesses and employers as to what salary threshold should be set. Currently, graduate entry jobs are already subject to a lower salary threshold and we will continue with that approach – and we are considering whether some occupations, such as those recognised on the Shortage Occupation List, should be subject to a lower salary threshold.
We have launched engagement over 2019 with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK, including the science and research sectors, and we will be listening to their views on the key proposals in the White Paper before taking final policy decisions on the future system, which will be implemented after 2021.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending international students’ post study leave period to find permanent skilled work.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
In 2017, the Home Office commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide an objective assessment of the impact of international students in the UK for the first time.
In line with the MAC recommendations, we announced in the Immigration White Paper published in December 2018 that we will increase the post-study leave period for postgraduate students to six months, and doctorate students to a year. We will also go further, by increasing the post-study leave period for all undergraduates studying at institutions with degree awarding powers to six months.
These changes will benefit tens of thousands of students and will help ensure that our world-leading education sector remains competitive globally.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has plans to close the Passport Office at Nexus House, Newport.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
There are no plans to close the passport office at Nexus House, Newport.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU-born citizens currently residing in Ceredigion have undertaken their British Citizenship ceremony in a location outside of Ceredigion since June 2016.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The available published information on the number of citizenship ceremonies attended in Ceredigion are published in Home Office’s Immigration Statistics, year ending June 2018, Citizenship table cz_08 (People attending British citizenship ceremonies by region and local authority) and available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#citizenship
Ceremonies attended in other local authorities by people resident in Ceredigion could only be identified at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU-born citizens have undertaken British citizenship ceremonies in Ceredigion since June 2016.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The available published information on the number of citizenship ceremonies attended in Ceredigion are published in Home Office’s Immigration Statistics, year ending June 2018, Citizenship table cz_08 (People attending British citizenship ceremonies by region and local authority) and available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#citizenship
Ceremonies attended in other local authorities by people resident in Ceredigion could only be identified at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with his Norwegian counterpart on the status of Norwegian citizens living in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
As I confirmed in my oral statement to the House on 21 June, we intend that the EU Settlement Scheme will be open to citizens of the other European Economic Area states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Switzerland, and their family members, on a similar basis as for EU citizens. This will enable Norwegian citizens to easily secure and, in due course, demonstrate their status in the UK.
We have been working closely with EEA Member States to ensure that their citizens in the UK benefit from the same arrangements as EU citizens under the draft Withdrawal Agreement published in March, and we expect this offer to be extended on a reciprocal basis to nationals of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on Norwegian citizens living in the UK of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
As I confirmed in my oral statement to the House on 21 June, we intend that the EU Settlement Scheme will be open to citizens of the other European Economic Area states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Switzerland, and their family members, on a similar basis as for EU citizens. This will enable Norwegian citizens to easily secure and, in due course, demonstrate their status in the UK.
We have been working closely with EEA Member States to ensure that their citizens in the UK benefit from the same arrangements as EU citizens under the draft Withdrawal Agreement published in March, and we expect this offer to be extended on a reciprocal basis to nationals of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to answer Question 143223, on Undocumented Migrants: Deportation, tabled by the hon. Member for Ceredigion on 11 May 2018.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The response for UIN 143223 was answered on the 13 August 2018.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department first implemented a policy for imposing targets for deportation of illegal immigrants; and whether the Home Secretary had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on that policy at that time.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The background to targets for removals and my Department’s current approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letters to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May and 25 June 2018 that are deposited in the House Library.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for visas under Tier 2 were made in each month in each of the last five years.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Information on Tier 2 entry clearance visa applications broken down by outcome (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed) is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018.