Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Ukrainians with valid leave under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme are able to obtain confirmation of their right to (a) live, (b) work and (c) study in the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office is developing a more digital and streamlined border and immigration system that will enhance the applicant’s experience and increase the immigration system’s security and efficiency.
Successful applicants under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, like people granted status on other routes, now receive an eVisa as evidence of their immigration status. An eVisa is a digital record of a person's identity and their immigration permission in the UK, and any conditions which apply, which they can access by logging into their UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. They can also link their travel document (such as passport) to their UKVI account to facilitate straightforward international travel.
All applicants issued with an eVisa as evidence of their immigration status receive a written notification, either via email or post, once their immigration application has been successful, and their immigration permission granted. This notification confirms that the person has been issued an eVisa as evidence of their immigration status. It also includes information on what an eVisa is, and how to access and use it.
eVisas increasingly update in real time to accurately reflect a person’s immigration status and their entitlements to access work, benefits, housing, and services—unlike physical documents which may appear valid but no longer reflect actual status. This information can be shared automatically with public authorities and government departments, through system-to-system checks, for example to show a person’s entitlement to receive public funds or healthcare.
People with eVisas can share their status easily and securely online, including to employers and education providers, by signing in to the 'view and prove' service and getting a share code, which remains valid for 90 days. More information is available here: eVisas: access and use your online immigration status: View your eVisa and get a share code to prove your immigration status - GOV.UK
We encourage Ukrainians in the UK on the Ukraine schemes who do not yet have a UKVI account to create one to access their eVisa. They can do so here:eVisas: access and use your online immigration status: Set up a UKVI account to access your eVisa - GOV.UK
Should anyone find themselves needing support with creating their UKVI account or getting access to their eVisa, the latest updates and guidance can be found on GOV.UK at: eVisas: access and use your online immigration status: What an eVisa is - GOV.UK
If a person is not be able to prove their rights digitally, employers and landlords can use the Employer Checking Service and Landlord Checking Service to verify a person’s right to work or rent. We do however encourage these people to make the switch to an eVisa given the benefits it brings.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that visa applications for foreign nationals visiting the UK through aid-funded project deliverables are processed in a (a) timely and (b) efficient manner.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
All short term visit visas are governed by our published service standards. These can be found here: Visitors and transit: customer service standards - GOV.UK
Customers are advised to allow enough time to receive their visa before applying. Customers in certain locations have the option to apply for a premium paid service to allow them to receive a decision quicker than the advertised times. Information on premium paid services can be found here: Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application: Applying for a faster decision - GOV.UK
Visa processing times are constantly monitored to ensure that visas are being delivered within our published service standards. Where an application will not be processed within service standards due to the complex nature of the application, the applicant is informed their application will take longer.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure police officers are trained to deal appropriately with people who rely on prescribed medical cannabis.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Home Office published Circular 018/2018 when Cannabis-Based Products for Medicinal Use (CBPMs) were introduced under Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 on 1 November 2018. The circular summarised the effects of the legislation, and is primarily aimed at law enforcement, including the police. It remains available on gov.uk. This guidance applies to all CBPM prescriptions, whether prescribed on the NHS or privately. The Circular is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/circular-0182018-rescheduling-of-cannabis-based-products-for-medicinal-use-in-humans.
Additionally, the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care contributed to the NHS document ‘Medical cannabis (and cannabis oils)’, which includes a summary of how patients may demonstrate that they are in lawful possession. This guidance is available at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/medical-cannabis/.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure programmes intended to reduce coercive control are trauma-informed.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office and Ministry of Justice fund a wide range of organisations to provide support to victims and survivors of Coercive and Controlling Behaviour and Domestic Abuse, including providing £2.5 million in 24/25 funding to Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse for domestic abuse interventions in health settings, including support for those who have experienced CCB.
We will use every lever available to Government to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade, in the Home Office, across the whole of government, with policing and other experts, such as NHS England.