Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) quickest and (b) slowest time was for communicating an asylum decision for an application made in the United Arab Emirates for an Afghan national who is a spouse of another Afghan national already granted asylum in the UK in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum or temporary refuge or make a claim for asylum or protection from abroad. Therefore, the information requested does not exist.
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help relocate at-risk people in Afghanistan. To date, nearly 24,500 people have been brought to safety. This includes British Nationals and their families, Afghans who loyally served the UK and others identified as particularly at-risk, such as campaigners for women’s rights, human rights defenders, Chevening scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community. The UK continues to welcome eligible Afghans through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the (a) earliest and (b) latest date for deciding the application for family reunion made in the United Arab Emirates on 1 September 2022, reference GWFO66746607.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Information regarding processing times for family reunion applications is not routinely published and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. We are working outside the 60 working day service standard with the majority of applications being considered at over double the service standard timescale.
We are committed to improving and speeding up processing times for family reunion applications and acknowledge the need to dedicate more resource to support this safe and legal route as well as reviewing processes to streamline decision making to provide a better service to our customers.
In the year ending September 2022, 4,786 family reunion visas were issued to partners and children of those granted asylum or humanitarian protection, around a third (36%) fewer than the number in 2019, the year prior to the pandemic. Of these, 2,575 (54%) were children (aged under 18).
We will prioritise applications where there is a particularly urgent or compelling reason to do so.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications are awaiting decision by her Department from Afghan nationals whose spouse has already been granted asylum in the UK; and if she will provide a breakdown of locations from which applications have been made.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications awaiting a decision by nationality can be found in table Asy_D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. Please note the data show a snapshot as at the last day of each quarter, rather than the number of asylum applications awaiting a decision over the entire quarter. The latest data relates to as at 31 December 2022. Data as at 31 March 2023 will be published on 25 May 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
This data is not available broken down by outcomes received by family members.
Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, as well as quality and availability of data.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many substantive asylum interviews were conducted in 2022; and how many of these were conducted by video conference.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office is unable to provide this information as it is not held in a reportable format, and therefore could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
Video technology has been successfully used to support remote interviewing for more than 3 years and has appropriate operating procedures that are designed to ensure participants are able to give the best account of their circumstances. We are also able to offer in person interviews for those seeking asylum if requested or required where additional needs are presented.
The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on a case-by-case basis against published immigration rules, policy guidance and country information.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum decisions were made without substantive asylum interviews in 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office is unable to provide this information as it is not held in a reportable format, and therefore could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
Video technology has been successfully used to support remote interviewing for more than 3 years and has appropriate operating procedures that are designed to ensure participants are able to give the best account of their circumstances. We are also able to offer in person interviews for those seeking asylum if requested or required where additional needs are presented.
The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on a case-by-case basis against published immigration rules, policy guidance and country information.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many officials were responsible for (a) examining and (b) making decisions on asylum applications as of 31 December 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Caseworking staff are defined as all staff responsible for interviewing and deciding asylum operations claims. The number of asylum caseworkers involved in making decisions on asylum applications as of 31 December 2022 was 1277.
The total number of officials, beyond caseworking staff, responsible for examining asylum applications is greater. This figure could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) consult and (b) take steps with agencies that have experience of family reunion processes to design a mechanism that will enable family reunion for Afghans on Pathway One of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme who were evacuated under Operation Pitting.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan, and we engage regularly with resettlement partner organisations in the UK and overseas further our work.
The situation in Afghanistan is very complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country. This includes the eligible family members of those being resettled under the ACRS. For those evacuated from Afghanistan under the ACRS without their immediate family members, further information will be made available in due course about options for reuniting with them.
In line with our existing policy, those resettled under ACRS may be able to be accompanied by their immediate family members - that is their spouse or partner, and dependent children under 18.
Those referred by UNHCR under the ACRS will have refugee status and will therefore be able to access the refugee family reunion route.
Those without refugee status wishing to bring family members would need to apply through the regular family visa route under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
Whilst the UK has made a generous resettlement commitment, we must bear in mind the capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited and therefore difficult decisions about who will be prioritised for resettlement have to be made.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make (a) an estimate of the number of people awaiting and (b) an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to facilitate family reunion for Afghans on Pathway One of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme who were evacuated under Operation Pitting.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan, and we engage regularly with resettlement partner organisations in the UK and overseas further our work.
The situation in Afghanistan is very complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country. This includes the eligible family members of those being resettled under the ACRS. For those evacuated from Afghanistan under the ACRS without their immediate family members, further information will be made available in due course about options for reuniting with them.
In line with our existing policy, those resettled under ACRS may be able to be accompanied by their immediate family members - that is their spouse or partner, and dependent children under 18.
Those referred by UNHCR under the ACRS will have refugee status and will therefore be able to access the refugee family reunion route.
Those without refugee status wishing to bring family members would need to apply through the regular family visa route under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
Whilst the UK has made a generous resettlement commitment, we must bear in mind the capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited and therefore difficult decisions about who will be prioritised for resettlement have to be made.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum application decisions have been taken by Home Office caseworkers since 1 September 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications can be found in table Asy_D01 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to July to September (Q3) 2022. Data for the period covering October to December (Q4) 2022 will be published on 23 February 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of asylum cases currently in the backlog have had a substantive interview.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office is unable to provide the percentage of asylum cases, currently in the backlog, that have had a substantive interview because this data is not held in a reportable format, not routinely published, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.