Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for International Agreement Visas (Temporary Work), formerly known as Tier 5 Visas, were received from nationals from EU countries and from non-EU countries seeking to volunteer for charities in the UK as international volunteers in (a) 2020-21 and (b) 21–2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on Entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of applications and grants for International Agreement visas (formerly Tier 5) are published in Vis_D01 and Vis_D02, respectively, of the Entry clearance visas applications and outcomes detailed dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
The latest data relates up to and including September 2022. Please note that the data cannot be disaggregated by employer or occupation.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals from EU countries and from non-EU countries were granted International Agreement Visas (Temporary Work), formerly known as Tier 5 Visas, to volunteer for charities in the UK as international volunteers in (a) 2020-2021, and (b) 2021-2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on Entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of applications and grants for International Agreement visas (formerly Tier 5) are published in Vis_D01 and Vis_D02, respectively, of the Entry clearance visas applications and outcomes detailed dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
The latest data relates up to and including September 2022. Please note that the data cannot be disaggregated by employer or occupation.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total amount paid was for immigration health surcharges by people granted International Agreement Visas (Temporary Work), formerly known as Tier 5 Visas, to volunteer for charities in the UK as international volunteers in (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021–22.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not routinely publish data on immigration health surcharges broken down by visa routes.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the case of Independent Monitoring Authority v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2022] EWHC 3274 (Admin), of 21 December 2022, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of that judgment; whether she plans to allow people with leave to remain to freely travel to the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government does not agree with the High Court judgment of 21 December in the judicial review proceedings brought by the Independent Monitoring Authority relating to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) and intends to appeal. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.
EUSS pre-settled status holders should continue to apply for settled status as soon as they are eligible.
EUSS documentary requirements for travel to the UK are unchanged. Visa nationals with EUSS status should use a valid Biometric Residence Card in conjunction with their passport. EEA and Swiss nationals with EUSS status can travel with a valid passport or national ID card, and other non-visa nationals with status can travel with their valid passport.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many graduate student visa holders are accompanied by five or six dependents.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not routinely publish data on the number of recipients of graduate student visas who are accompanied by dependants.
Information on our immigration routes is available as part of our transparency data and can be found at: Visas and Citizenship data: Q2 2022.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees have been settled through the Community Sponsorship Scheme as of 1 October 2022.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and resettlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of refugees resettled broken down by established resettlement scheme are published in table Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to Q2 2022. Data covering Q3 2022 is set to be published on the 24 November 2022 and data covering Q4 2022 is set to be published on the 23 February 2023.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department provides (a) schemes and (b) support to Russian nationals fleeing repression and wishing to join their Ukrainian families seeking asylum in the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
There are a range of safe and legal routes for individuals to come to the UK should they wish to join family members here, or to work or study. They would need to meet the requirements of the relevant Immigration Rule under which they were applying to qualify for a visa.
While we do not allow asylum claims from abroad, all asylum claims lodged from within the UK, which includes those from Russian nationals, are given full and careful consideration so we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin. Protection is normally granted where a claimant has a well-founded fear of persecution under the Refugee Convention or their circumstances engage our obligations under Article 3 ECHR.
With regards to the Ukraine Family Scheme, this provides an immediate pathway for people from Ukraine with family already in the UK to come here. This is open to Ukrainians with immediate or extended family settled in the UK. Ukrainians can apply to the scheme from any country, including the UK. The Ukraine Family Scheme allows immediate and extended family members of British nationals, people settled in the UK, and certain others resident here, to come to the country. We continue to keep our support under review and will adapt and develop the visa routes in place to ensure they keep pace with the rapidly shifting situation in Ukraine.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when will she publish results of the public consultation that took place prior to the introduction of the Nationality and Borders Bill.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The New Plan for Immigration was open to people and organisations across the UK to share their views. The Government has published its findings, which can be found on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-plan-for-immigration.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in workforce supply and demand in the hospitality and tourism sectors; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing those sectors a special visa category to help attract overseas workers.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Points Based System provides for several occupations within the hospitality and tourism sectors, including chefs, publicans, restaurant managers and hotel managers to be recruited on a global basis, subject to the requirements of the system, including English language and salary, thresholds being met.
Beyond the Points Based System, there is the existing UK labour market, which includes those who come to the UK through our Youth Mobility Schemes (which we are looking to expand), our new British National (Overseas) visa for those from Hong Kong, dependants of those arriving under the expanded skilled worker route, as well as over 6 million applications under the EU Settlement Scheme and those who arrive through our family and humanitarian protection routes, who all have access to the UK labour market.
We therefore do not intend to introduce a general immigration route allowing recruitment at or near the minimum wage in occupations with relatively short work-based training requirements.
Most of the solutions to recruitment issues need to be driven by industry, with a big push towards improving pay, conditions and diversity needed, alongside taking advantage of the schemes offered by Department for Work and Pensions to support employers looking to recruit, rather than turning to the Home Office for immigration policy changes as an alternative to doing this.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on the settlement of and provision for asylum seekers within the Glasgow City Council area.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There is no direct routing of asylum seekers to Glasgow. Currently the only asylum intake source for Glasgow is from in-region presentations within Glasgow. The Home Office has established a weekly Regional Delivery Group at which the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Government are represented, regarding the planning of support for asylum seekers in Glasgow.