Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he will expedite visa applications for Russian human rights defenders, journalists and civil society activists wishing to visit the UK to discuss the human rights situation in Russia; and whether the Government will provide temporary visas for sanctuary, or full asylum, for Russian human rights defenders and journalists who need to leave Russia due to concerns for their safety.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
All visa applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance.
As a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, the UK fully considers all asylum claims lodged in the UK. We do not consider asylum claims lodged outside UK territory and there is no provision in the Immigration Rules to allow someone to travel to the UK for temporary protection or to claim asylum. We recognise the continuing concerns of key partners domestically and internationally around the human rights situation in Russia, and we remain committed to continuing engagement with them on this issue.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will expedite visa applications for Russian (a) human rights activists, (b) journalists and (c) civil society activists to visit the UK to enable them to hold discussions with Government representatives on the human rights situation in Russia; and whether it is his Department's policy to provide (i) temporary visas for sanctuary and (ii) asylum to Russian (A) human rights activists and (B) journalists that need to leave Russia for their safety.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
All visa applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance.
As a signatory to the Refugee Convention, the UK fully considers all asylum claims lodged in the UK. We do not consider asylum claims lodged outside UK territory and there is no provision in the Immigration Rules to allow someone to travel to the UK for temporary protection or to claim. We recognise the continuing concerns of key partners domestically and internationally around the human rights situation in Russia, and we remain committed to continuing engagement with them on this issue.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) Yazidi, (b) Christian and (c) other religious or ethnic minority Syrian refugees have been resettled in the UK in each quarter since the start of 2016.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
In resettlement, the UK works according to the humanitarian principles of impartiality and neutrality which means that we do not take into consideration the ethno-religious origins of people requiring assistance as we resettle solely on the basis of needs, identified by UNHCR through their established submission categories.
We believe that one way to protect the privacy of those being resettled and ensure their recovery and integration is to limit the amount of information about them that we make publicly available. We therefore do not believe it is appropriate to publish a religious and ethnic breakdown of those who have been resettled.
We are working with UNHCR and other partners to intensify their outreach to groups that might otherwise be reluctant to register for fear of stigma/discrimination and unaware of the safe space and options available to them. This includes all religious minorities.
In all of the countries from which we resettle Syrian refugees, mobile registration teams, outreach teams, and Help Desks for areas where different minority groups are concentrated are used to facilitate registration and access to services. This is all part of an effort to facilitate registration for those refugees who for whatever reason cannot, or choose not, to access the main registration offices.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to support and resettle (a) Yazidi, (b) Christian and (c) other religious or ethnic minority Syrian refugees.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
In resettlement, the UK works according to the humanitarian principles of impartiality and neutrality which means that we do not take into consideration the ethno-religious origins of people requiring assistance as we resettle solely on the basis of needs, identified by UNHCR through their established submission categories.
We believe that one way to protect the privacy of those being resettled and ensure their recovery and integration is to limit the amount of information about them that we make publicly available. We therefore do not believe it is appropriate to publish a religious and ethnic breakdown of those who have been resettled.
We are working with UNHCR and other partners to intensify their outreach to groups that might otherwise be reluctant to register for fear of stigma/discrimination and unaware of the safe space and options available to them. This includes all religious minorities.
In all of the countries from which we resettle Syrian refugees, mobile registration teams, outreach teams, and Help Desks for areas where different minority groups are concentrated are used to facilitate registration and access to services. This is all part of an effort to facilitate registration for those refugees who for whatever reason cannot, or choose not, to access the main registration offices.