Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the judgment of 7 June 2024 in RAMFEL & Anor, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWHC 1374 (Admin), what steps her Department is taking to provide digital document proving the lawful immigration status and attendant legal rights to all those with leave extended under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are currently rolling out digital immigration status across all immigration routes. Over time, this will mean people with 3C leave will have this displayed on their digital status (e.g. their 3C leave rights will be displayed on our online services such as View and Prove). For example, by the end of this year all customers with a pre-existing digital immigration status will receive digital proof of 3C from any new application they submit. This rollout is the most expedient and comprehensive way to ensure beneficiaries of 3C leave are able to prove it.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) amend the Immigration Rules entitled Child staying with or joining a Non-Parent Relative (Protection), published on 25 February 2016, to allow children to join wider family members and (b) take other steps to increase the number of refugees who are reunited with their family members in the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our refugee family reunion policy is intended to allow those granted protection status in the UK to sponsor their partner or children to stay with or join them here, provided they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin to seek protection. Appendix CNP (Child Staying with or Joining a Non-Parent Relative) allows for a non-parent relative with protection status in the UK to sponsor a child to stay with or join them, where there are serious and compelling circumstances. This can be in situations where the child has no family other than the non-parent relative that could reasonably be expected to support or care for them.
Appendix CNP requires sponsors to demonstrate that suitable arrangements have been made for the child’s care which serves to both ensure that children may only come to the UK through this route where it is in their best interest and prevents additional pressures on local authorities. Immigration Rules changes were introduced to Appendix CNP as part of the Autumn 2024 rules changes to simplify existing requirements and provide greater clarity to applicants and decision makers. These changes take effect from 8 November 2024.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the judgment of 7 June 2024 in RAMFEL & Anor, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWHC 1374 (Admin), what steps her Department is taking, ahead of the provision of digital documentation, to urgently provide interim proof of lawful immigration status and attendant legal rights to all those with leave extended under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Home Office continues to operate checking services to enable those with a legitimate interest to obtain confirmation of a person’s immigration status, supported by published guidance and statutory codes of practice. Employers and landlords should continue to use the Employer Checking Service and Landlord Checking Service where an individual has an outstanding application, administrative review or appeal and is not able to provide evidence of their status digitally. The NHS is provided with information through the Immigration Health Surcharge data feed and through the Healthcare Application Programme Interface.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's news story entitled eVisa transition: vulnerability support confirmed, published on 18 September 2024, whether she plans to provide financial support to smaller voluntary and community sector organisations.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 18 September 2024 we announced grant funding for four organisations (Migrant Help, CA Scotland, Advice NI and Welsh Refugee Council) to provide UK-wide support for vulnerable individuals in their transition from physical immigrations products to an eVisa. In the coming weeks, we will publish details on GOV.UK for further regional/community-based organisations spread across the UK. This represents an investment of up to £4m over the next 12 months.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward proposals to pilot a refugee visa scheme for people from countries with high asylum grant rates to allow them to travel to the UK to apply for asylum.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has always done our bit to help those fleeing persecution and continues to welcome refugees and people in need through our global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. Alongside these schemes, we operate specific schemes for those fleeing Ukraine and Afghanistan, and an immigration route for British National (overseas) status holders from Hong Kong. There are also Displaced Talent initiatives which help displaced populations to access a skilled worker visa. The refugee family reunion policy allows immediate family members of those granted protection in the UK to stay with them or join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country. Between 2015 and August 2024, 625,294 individuals were offered a route into the UK through these schemes and policies.
We are focused on ensuring existing pathways work effectively.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect on patients of the closure of the Diamorphine Assisted Treatment (DAT) clinic in Middlesbrough given that Project ADDER, in part, covers enhanced treatment and recovery services.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
As set out in our ten-year Strategy, this Government is committed to a whole-system approach to tackling drugs which gives people with an addiction access to treatment to assist recovery. The safety and wellbeing of patients receiving treatment is our top priority. Middlesbrough Council has assured us that all patients transitioning from Diamorphine/Heroin Assisted Treatment, following the local authority’s decision to close this service, have received bespoke transition planning to maintain safety and appropriate care.
Through Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) we have provided £4.58m in funding to Middlesborough between 2020-2023 to drive a one-system approach to tackling drugs. The Project ADDER approach brings together co-ordinated law enforcement activity, diversionary programmes and enhanced treatment and recovery provisions. Local funding decisions for the provision of treatment and recovery services are made by the local authority.