Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will provide further immigration guidance on inward mobility including (a) short-term visitor routes, (b) frontier workers, (c) paid permitted engagement and the roles that qualify under this, and (d) longer term engagements.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Extensive guidance is already available on gov.uk for applicants and caseworkers.
There are no plans to publish any further at the current time.
Visitor applicant guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa
Permitted paid engagement applicant guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/permitted-paid-engagement-visa
Visitor caseworker guidance, including for permitted paid engagements, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visit-guidance
Frontier worker applicant guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/frontier-worker-permit
Frontier worker caseworker guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/frontier-worker-permit-scheme-caseworker-guidance
Longer term engagements are covered by our work routes. Further guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the cost to local authorities of unaccompanied refugee children being unable to sponsor their parents to join them under part 11 of UK immigration rules.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
There is currently no provision in the Immigration Rules for children with refugee status in the UK to sponsor family members to join them. Allowing children to sponsor parents would create further incentives for more children to be encouraged, or even forced, to leave their family and risk hazardous journeys to the UK to sponsor relatives. This plays into the hands of criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people and goes against our safeguarding responsibilities.
The Government believes the best interests of children are met by remaining with their families, claiming asylum in the first safe country they reach and relying on resettlement schemes to travel safely.
To help them care for unaccompanied asylum seeking children, the Government provides local authorities with £41,000 per year for those under 16 and £33,000 per year for 16 and 17 year olds. The Home Office is currently reviewing funding arrangements. This is looking at a whole range of issues relating to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in care, not just funding, so it is right that they take time to look at this complex issue properly.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to facilitate refugee family reunion for unaccompanied child refugees.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
There is currently no provision in the Immigration Rules for children with refugee status in the UK to sponsor family members to join them. Allowing children to sponsor parents would create further incentives for more children to be encouraged, or even forced, to leave their family and risk hazardous journeys to the UK to sponsor relatives. This plays into the hands of criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people and goes against our safeguarding responsibilities.
The Government believes the best interests of children are met by remaining with their families, claiming asylum in the first safe country they reach and relying on resettlement schemes to travel safely.
To help them care for unaccompanied asylum seeking children, the Government provides local authorities with £41,000 per year for those under 16 and £33,000 per year for 16 and 17 year olds. The Home Office is currently reviewing funding arrangements. This is looking at a whole range of issues relating to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in care, not just funding, so it is right that they take time to look at this complex issue properly.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's news story, Twenty three universities join student visa pilot, published on 18 December 2017, what criteria universities were required to fulfil in order to take part in that pilot.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Tier 4 visa pilot, helps to streamline the visa process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. The pilot also helps to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a graduate role, by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months.
23 additional institutions were selected to participate based on having the consistently lowest visa refusal rates for their region or country. The evaluation of the pilot is ongoing, with an interim report due to be published in the summer of 2018. The primary focus of the evaluation is to assess the impact of the Tier 4 visa pilot on UK education institutions’ competitiveness in terms of attracting international students and the ability of international students to switch into a work route. Engaging more sponsors to participate in the pilot will provide additional evidence for the evaluation to ensure it more accurately represents the diversity of the sector. Once evaluated, we will consider whether to introduce the offer being tested with the pilot into the Immigration Rules and make it policy.
We regularly engage with the education sector on student migration policy, including the Tier 4 visa pilot. We hold a quarterly Education Sector Forum with key representatives from the sector including the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many representations the Department has received from universities wanting to take part in the expanded student visa pilot scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Tier 4 visa pilot, helps to streamline the visa process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. The pilot also helps to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a graduate role, by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months.
23 additional institutions were selected to participate based on having the consistently lowest visa refusal rates for their region or country. The evaluation of the pilot is ongoing, with an interim report due to be published in the summer of 2018. The primary focus of the evaluation is to assess the impact of the Tier 4 visa pilot on UK education institutions’ competitiveness in terms of attracting international students and the ability of international students to switch into a work route. Engaging more sponsors to participate in the pilot will provide additional evidence for the evaluation to ensure it more accurately represents the diversity of the sector. Once evaluated, we will consider whether to introduce the offer being tested with the pilot into the Immigration Rules and make it policy.
We regularly engage with the education sector on student migration policy, including the Tier 4 visa pilot. We hold a quarterly Education Sector Forum with key representatives from the sector including the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to further expand the student visa pilot scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Tier 4 visa pilot, helps to streamline the visa process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. The pilot also helps to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a graduate role, by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months.
23 additional institutions were selected to participate based on having the consistently lowest visa refusal rates for their region or country. The evaluation of the pilot is ongoing, with an interim report due to be published in the summer of 2018. The primary focus of the evaluation is to assess the impact of the Tier 4 visa pilot on UK education institutions’ competitiveness in terms of attracting international students and the ability of international students to switch into a work route. Engaging more sponsors to participate in the pilot will provide additional evidence for the evaluation to ensure it more accurately represents the diversity of the sector. Once evaluated, we will consider whether to introduce the offer being tested with the pilot into the Immigration Rules and make it policy.
We regularly engage with the education sector on student migration policy, including the Tier 4 visa pilot. We hold a quarterly Education Sector Forum with key representatives from the sector including the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to further expand the student visa pilot scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Tier 4 visa pilot, helps to streamline the visa process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. The pilot also helps to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a graduate role, by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months.
23 additional institutions were selected to participate based on having the consistently lowest visa refusal rates for their region or country. The evaluation of the pilot is ongoing, with an interim report due to be published in the summer of 2018. The primary focus of the evaluation is to assess the impact of the Tier 4 visa pilot on UK education institutions’ competitiveness in terms of attracting international students and the ability of international students to switch into a work route. Engaging more sponsors to participate in the pilot will provide additional evidence for the evaluation to ensure it more accurately represents the diversity of the sector. Once evaluated, we will consider whether to introduce the offer being tested with the pilot into the Immigration Rules and make it policy.
We regularly engage with the education sector on student migration policy, including the Tier 4 visa pilot. We hold a quarterly Education Sector Forum with key representatives from the sector including the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many representations the Department has received from universities wanting to take part in the expanded student visa pilot scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Tier 4 visa pilot, helps to streamline the visa process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. The pilot also helps to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a graduate role, by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months.
23 additional institutions were selected to participate based on having the consistently lowest visa refusal rates for their region or country. The evaluation of the pilot is ongoing, with an interim report due to be published in the summer of 2018. The primary focus of the evaluation is to assess the impact of the Tier 4 visa pilot on UK education institutions’ competitiveness in terms of attracting international students and the ability of international students to switch into a work route. Engaging more sponsors to participate in the pilot will provide additional evidence for the evaluation to ensure it more accurately represents the diversity of the sector. Once evaluated, we will consider whether to introduce the offer being tested with the pilot into the Immigration Rules and make it policy.
We regularly engage with the education sector on student migration policy, including the Tier 4 visa pilot. We hold a quarterly Education Sector Forum with key representatives from the sector including the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's news story, Twenty three universities join student visa pilot, published on 18 December 2017, what criteria universities were required to fulfil in order to take part in that pilot.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Tier 4 visa pilot, helps to streamline the visa process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. The pilot also helps to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a graduate role, by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months.
23 additional institutions were selected to participate based on having the consistently lowest visa refusal rates for their region or country. The evaluation of the pilot is ongoing, with an interim report due to be published in the summer of 2018. The primary focus of the evaluation is to assess the impact of the Tier 4 visa pilot on UK education institutions’ competitiveness in terms of attracting international students and the ability of international students to switch into a work route. Engaging more sponsors to participate in the pilot will provide additional evidence for the evaluation to ensure it more accurately represents the diversity of the sector. Once evaluated, we will consider whether to introduce the offer being tested with the pilot into the Immigration Rules and make it policy.
We regularly engage with the education sector on student migration policy, including the Tier 4 visa pilot. We hold a quarterly Education Sector Forum with key representatives from the sector including the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to reduce the time taken for London applicants to receive a response from Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to help MPS meet its Service Level Agreement targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the Disclosure and Barring Service.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has established a Gold Group, on which DBS is represented, to oversee the recovery plan in place to reduce the time taken for applicants awaiting a response to Disclosure and Barring checks. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.