Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many entry clearance applications for a (a) spouse and (b) fiancé have not been processed within 12 weeks in each of the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office.
Published data on visa processing times, including the percentage of visas processed within published service standards, is published online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data (then listed by publication date under ‘UK Visas & Immigration’).
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to process entry clearance applications for a (a) spouse and (b) fiancé at visa offices in (i) New Delhi, (ii) Mumbai, (iii) Chennai, (iv) Islamabad, (v) Dhaka and (vi) Abu Dhabi in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office.
Published data on visa processing times, including the percentage of visas processed within published service standards, is published online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data (then listed by publication date under ‘UK Visas & Immigration’).
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals of each of the other 27 EU countries were employed by (a) her Department and (b) UK Visas and Immigration in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014, (iii) 2015 and (iv) 2016.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she has issued to the Referred Casework Unit on how to process compassionate compelling cases; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Guidance available to Entry Clearance Officers and the Referred Casework Unit on exceptional circumstances and compassionate factors when considering family migration applications is available in the ' Family Life (as a Partner or Parent): 5-Year Routes' guidance which is published on Gov.uk at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chapter-8-appendix-fm-family-members
The referred Casework Unit also consider ad hoc applications in other visa categories when referred by an Entry Clearance Manager overseas where there are compelling and compassionate circumstances and where there may be consideration given to a grant of leave to enter outside the rules.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken for her Department's Referred Casework Unit to review decisions of the Entry Clearance Manager in the last year; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Brokenshire
It is not a function of the Referred Casework Unit to review the decisions of Entry Clearance Managers. Where an Entry Clearance Manager refers an application to the Referred Casework Unit for decision, the Referred Casework Unit aims to provide a full response within an internal 15 working day service level agreement, unless further enquiries are needed. The requested data on performance against this service level agreement is not available through published statistics. However, locally held management information confirms that from the 1st April 2014 to 30th September 2014 over 99% of referrals were responded to within 15 working days.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the representations of the hon. Member for Ilford South of 6 October 2014 on a constituency case, for what reason the Minister of State for Immigration did not reply to those representations; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The Home Office apologises that the Honourable Gentleman did not receive a Ministerial response to his representations dated 6 October.
This was due to a Home Office administrative error. Officials have beenreminded of the correct procedure to follow when a MP makes personal
representations to the Minister. A response from the Minister has now been sent to the Honourable Gentleman.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she has issued to officials in her Department on dealing with correspondence from hon. Members to Ministers when the correspondence is clearly marked for the Minister's personal attention; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Cabinet Office sets guidance for officials dealing with correspondence from MPs. Details of this guidance can be found on the Home Office website at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/managing-mps-correspondences
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken for the Director General, UK Visas and Immigration to reply to hon. Members in (a) all and (b) urgent visit visa cases was in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Karen Bradley
For 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014, UK Visas and Immigration replied to
correspondence from hon. Members within an average of 26 days. Information on
the average time taken to reply to urgent visa cases is not recorded centrally
and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she has issued to UK Visas and Immigration Directorate on responding to hon. Members' representations on visit visa cases.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Guidance is available to all staff involved in responding to correspondence from hon. Members. This guidance explains when it is appropriate for staff to contact the business unit dealing with the case.
Additionally, the Home Office have issued an Information Fact Sheet – ‘Family Visit Visa Information Fact Sheet for Members of Parliament acting on behalf of their constituents’ to hon. Members. The Information Fact Sheet is available on the Home Office MP website.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the hon. Member for Ilford South will receive a reply from the Director General, UK Visas and Immigration to the urgent representations he made on behalf of his constituents Mr and Mrs Mehta on 16 June 2014; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Karen Bradley
A Home Office official responded to the hon. Member on 10 July 2014.