Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what impact the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's advice to avoid all but essential travel to Zimbabwe will have on her policies on the deportation of asylum seekers to that country.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s travel advice to British nationals is not the correct legal test for determining whether or not a person qualifies for international protection or whether to remove a foreign national from the UK who has no right to remain here.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims in the UK were (a) made by and (b) granted to EU nationals in each year since 2015.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum applications lodged in the UK and the initial decisions on asylum applications are published in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets, breakdowns by year and nationality are available. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relate to Q1 (Jan-Mar) 2021
Additionally, the Home Office publishes further data on asylum and resettlement in the asylum and resettlement summary tables. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on asylum and resettlement.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of asylum seekers from countries on the red list who have arrived at the UK border since March 2020.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers are not going to be denied entry to the UK from red-list countries and their asylum claims will be processed as usual.
We have a legal obligation to provide asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with accommodation, and as such the Home Office will continue to provide accommodation in which asylum seekers can self-isolate to stop to spread of Covid.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications in the Immigration Statistics quarterly release. Data on the number of asylum applications in each quarter, broken down by nationality is published in table Asy_D01 of the asylum detailed datasets. The latest data are to the end of September 2020, with data to the end of December 2020 due to be published on 25th February 2021. Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the asylum and resettlement summary tables. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on asylum.
The published data does not show the country from which the asylum seeker left when they began their journey (or through which country or countries the asylum seeker subsequently travelled) in order to reach the UK, or when they arrived in the UK. Some asylum seekers may have been in the UK (or another country) for some time before claiming asylum. An individual with a particular nationality may not have actually been in that country for a significant length of time prior to claiming asylum. It is therefore not possible to say from the available data whether or not the individual has recently travelled from a ‘red list’ country.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to deny entry to the UK to asylum seekers arriving at the UK border from red list countries during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers are not going to be denied entry to the UK from red-list countries and their asylum claims will be processed as usual.
We have a legal obligation to provide asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with accommodation, and as such the Home Office will continue to provide accommodation in which asylum seekers can self-isolate to stop to spread of Covid.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications in the Immigration Statistics quarterly release. Data on the number of asylum applications in each quarter, broken down by nationality is published in table Asy_D01 of the asylum detailed datasets. The latest data are to the end of September 2020, with data to the end of December 2020 due to be published on 25th February 2021. Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the asylum and resettlement summary tables. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on asylum.
The published data does not show the country from which the asylum seeker left when they began their journey (or through which country or countries the asylum seeker subsequently travelled) in order to reach the UK, or when they arrived in the UK. Some asylum seekers may have been in the UK (or another country) for some time before claiming asylum. An individual with a particular nationality may not have actually been in that country for a significant length of time prior to claiming asylum. It is therefore not possible to say from the available data whether or not the individual has recently travelled from a ‘red list’ country.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to seek to recoup the cost of hotel quarantine from asylum seekers arriving at the UK border from red list countries during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers are not going to be denied entry to the UK from red-list countries and their asylum claims will be processed as usual.
The Home Office have a statutory duty to accommodate any asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with free, fully furnished accommodation while their applications for asylum are considered. The Accommodation providers recognise the challenge of managing COVID 19 within our accommodation estate and are working closely with Public Health England (PHE) on how their guidance on social distancing and self-isolation is properly applied, while ensuring that people can continue to access essential services.
The accommodation is provided for free to those asylum seekers in receipt of asylum support and we do not recoup costs.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to help ensure that asylum seekers arriving at the UK border from red list countries can (a) quarantine effectively and (b) proceed with their asylum claim during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers are not going to be denied entry to the UK from red-list countries and their asylum claims will be processed as usual.
The Home Office have a statutory duty to accommodate any asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with free, fully furnished accommodation while their applications for asylum are considered. The Accommodation providers recognise the challenge of managing COVID 19 within our accommodation estate and are working closely with Public Health England (PHE) on how their guidance on social distancing and self-isolation is properly applied, while ensuring that people can continue to access essential services.
The accommodation is provided for free to those asylum seekers in receipt of asylum support and we do not recoup costs.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of amending income requirements for family visas to account for temporary reductions in income during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We have already made several adjustments to support those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, including those seeking to renew spousal visas.
These adjustments are among a range of measures put in place by the Home Office to support those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. These are set out for customers on GOV.UK and are available here:
These are unprecedented times. We continue to monitor the situation closely and may make further adjustments to requirements where necessary and appropriate.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help relocate refugees and asylum seekers from camps on the Aegean Islands to the UK in response to snowfall and below freezing temperatures in that region.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We regularly engage with Greek ministers and senior officials on the challenges presented by the migration situation in Greece including conditions in migrant camps. We will continue to work with Greek partners to identify opportunities to further support improved conditions for migrants in Greece.
We remain committed to the principle of family reunion and supporting vulnerable children. This Government has a proud record of providing protection to those who need it, including children, and of reuniting families under the existing Immigration Rules.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that the digital record of an EU citizen's settled status in the UK is protected against data loss.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Immigration decisions - and the rights and conditions which flow from those decisions - have been recorded digitally by the Home Office since the turn of the century and maintaining digital records of immigration status is not a new concept.
The following safeguards are in place to protect this data from accidental or deliberate loss:
The Home Office will also look to apply any lessons learnt from the recent issues affecting the PNC to the ongoing management of immigration data, including digital records of immigration status.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending graduate work visas in response to the economic effect of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Graduate route will be launched in summer 2021 and will enable students to work or look for work for two years (three years for PhD students) after successful completion of their course of study.
To be eligible for the route students must successfully complete a degree at undergraduate level or above at a Higher Education Provider (HEP) with a track record of compliance and hold valid leave as a student after the route is launched.
Students whose leave expires prior to the introduction of the route will not be eligible, but still benefit from favourable switching provisions into skilled work routes, including the new Skilled Worker Route.