Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to suspend the requirement for spouses from Afghanistan to pass the English language test in order to be able to enter the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government believes those seeking to enter and make a permanent home in the UK should be equipped to integrate successfully in UK society, with an appropriate level of English and an understanding of British life.
There are no current plans to suspend the requirement for spouses specifically from Afghanistan to pass an English language test to enter the UK.
However, under the current Rules an applicant can already be exempted from the English language requirement to enter the UK if a decision maker considers there are exceptional circumstances preventing the applicant from meeting the requirement.
The applicant must demonstrate, as a result of exceptional circumstances, they are unable to learn English before coming to the UK or it is not practicable or reasonable for them to travel to another country to take an approved English language test.
Each application for an exemption on the basis of exceptional circumstances will be considered on its merits on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average processing time is for EU family permit applications.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The published service standards for EEA and EUSS family permits can be found at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). which states;
If you are applying for an EEA family permit or an EUSS family permit you will get a decision as soon as possible after proving your identity and provided your documents.
Therefore, there are no time-bound service standard attached to these routes
Our aim is to process all applications for an EUSS Family Permit as soon as possible.
The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on EEA Family Permit and EU Settlement Scheme family permit applications and outcomes are published in table Vis_D01 and Vis_D02 of the entry clearance visa detailed datasets. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken to ensure that people with a connection to the UK because of their work with UK universities on issues such as gender, which put them at particular risk of Taliban reprisals, are being helped as part of the ARAP scheme.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Details of the criteria for relocation under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) can be found in the Afghanistan Resettlement and Immigration policy statement. The ARAP was established to support those who worked for and alongside the UK Government in Afghanistan; it does not generally include those who worked with UK universities.
In addition to ARAP, the Government has announced the new Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), which will welcome 5,000 people at risk in the first year, and up to 20,000 in the coming years.
Further details of the Government’s approach can be found in the policy statement published on 13 September: Afghanistan resettlement and immigration policy statement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to identify people in Afghanistan who may be eligible for settlement in the UK under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement and Scheme.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) the UK will relocate up to 20,000 people at risk, including women and girls and minority groups, so they can rebuild their lives in safety.
Further information on the eligibility, prioritisation and referral of people for the ACRS is set out in the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a British citizen seeking to bring a fiancé to the UK is required to provide proof that the couple have previously met in person.
Answered by Kevin Foster
A British citizen who wishes to sponsor their foreign national fiancé or proposed civil partner to enter the UK and reside here permanently under the family Immigration Rules must provide evidence to confirm the couple have met in person.
Further guidance on the fiancé or proposed civil partner visa can be found here:
A British citizen who does not wish to reside permanently in the UK with their fiancé can apply for them to enter as a visitor to conduct their wedding. There are no specific provisions under the visitor Rules for the couple to have met in person prior to their application. However, the couple will be expected to prove their relationship is genuine, which having not met in person may call into doubt, however each case is considered based on its individual circumstances.
Further information on the marriage visitor Rules can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government is currently deporting people to Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Enforced returns to Afghanistan, including deportations, have been paused.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice her Department is providing to people in Afghanistan on how they should apply for family reunion or spouse visas.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Family members of British citizens and settled persons who were not called forward for evacuation as part of Op PITTING, or who have not been offered resettlement under the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, will need to apply to come to the UK under the existing economic or family migration and reunion rules. They will be expected to meet the eligibility requirements of their chosen route, which may include paying relevant fees and charges, and providing their biometrics.
The British Embassy in Kabul has currently suspended in country operations and all UK diplomatic and consular staff have been temporarily withdrawn.
The UK is working with international partners to secure safe routes out of Afghanistan as soon as they become available, but while the security situation remains extremely volatile, we recommend people in Afghanistan do not make applications and pay application fees at this time as they will not be considered until biometrics are provided. Those Afghans who are outside of Afghanistan and able to get to a Visa Application Centre to provide their biometrics can make an application in the usual way.
A full policy statement on this matter published on 13 September 2021 can be found here:
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her departmental official's reply of 9 April 2021 to the Right hon. Member for Leeds Central regarding his constituent Ms C and her settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, for what reason further emails by the Right hon. Member of 12 April 2021, 7 June 2021 and 21 July 2021 have not had a response.
Answered by Kevin Foster
I apologise for the delay in responding to the Rt Hon. Member’s correspondence. A response was sent on 16 September.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether applicants who want to update their biometric residence card to reflect their EU Settled Status have to pay a fee for (a) the application and (b) biometrics in respect of their application.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Applicants who want to update their biometric residence card (BRC) to reflect their EU Settled Status are not required to pay a fee for either (a) the application or (b) biometrics in respect of their application.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons publicly-funded schools are not part of the Home Office list of institutions licensed to sponsor migrants under the Student route of the points-based system while exceptions are available for independent schools; and if she will review this policy.
Answered by Kevin Foster
State-funded schools are funded by UK taxpayers for the purpose of educating individuals with a statutory right to education in the UK.
The Government considers it right those children who are entitled to live in the UK (and whose families are entitled to work, access services and benefits and pay tax in the UK) are the children who should be educated by state-funded schools.
It would therefore not be appropriate for these schools to hold a student sponsor licence to sponsor international students, as the cost of the education provided to such students recruited from overseas would fall on the UK taxpayer.