Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Good character: caseworker guidance, updated on 13 February 2025, whether her Department plans to review the £1,630 citizenship application fee.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Fees for immigration and nationality applications are kept under review. The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2025 laid on 21 January, sets out increases to the fee maxima that applies to applications made from within the UK to naturalise as a British citizen or a British Overseas Territories citizen from £1,500 to £1,605.
As stated in the Explanatory Memorandum for that instrument, this maxima change has been made in order to support a subsequent increase to the application fee for naturalisation as a British citizen at £1,605, with the total cost coming to £1,735 when including the ceremony fee. The intention is that this change will be made following Parliamentary clearance of the Fees Order amendment, through a subsequent amendment to the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018, when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will automate the visa extension scheme application process for people applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has offered or extended sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians and their families under the Ukraine Schemes, thanks to the immense generosity of the British public. We are determined to continue to provide stability for those we have welcomed to the UK and who still need our sanctuary.
The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, is intended to allow those with existing Ukraine Scheme permission, who have been living in the UK and who continue to require sanctuary in the UK, to complete an application online for further permission to stay in the UK.
We are not providing automatic extension of existing permission as this would risk inadvertently providing further permission to a person who has now left the UK and is no longer in need of temporary sanctuary in the UK.
Nevertheless, UPE will be one of the first immigration routes to reuse existing biometric records, removing the need for the majority of Ukrainians to attend a UK visa and citizenship application services centre. This will create a faster and more streamlined customer journey. We will roll-out the option to reuse previously submitted biometrics using a phased approach.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that police forces are adequately (a) trained and (b) resourced to respond effectively to (a) reports of (i) coercive control and (ii) abuse and (b) breaches of court orders.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for this Government and we will treat it as the national emergency that it is.
In our manifesto, we committed to strengthening training for policing to ensure they have the right knowledge and skills to respond appropriately to victims of violence against women and girls. Coercive and controlling behaviour is covered extensively in the Domestic Abuse Matters training. This was developed by the College of Policing with SafeLives, Women's Aid and Welsh Women's Aid, and has now been delivered to over 80% of police forces in England and Wales. We are working closely with the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council to explore how we can further strengthen police training on violence against women and girls.
In February, we launched Raneem's Law to embed new external domestic abuse specialists and dedicated teams within 999 control rooms, to support the police response to domestic abuse incidents. The DA specialists will give police access to specialist knowledge and advice on domestic abuse. They can review incoming calls, advise on risk assessments, and facilitate training for police staff.
We expect the police to investigate and respond to breaches of a protective order in a timely manner and this has been made clear in police statutory guidance. The domestic abuse teams under Raneem's Law will provide dedicated resource to support the police, for example to ensure that officers attending an incident are fully informed of any protective orders in place.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support people applying for visas in the West Bank.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Currently, anyone who wishes to come to the UK can do so via the existing range of routes available. The Visa Application Centre in Ramallah is open and operating as normal.
Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules.
We will accept applications, which would normally have to be made in the country where the person is living, at any of the UK’s Visa Application Centres.
Visa Application Centres are also available in the wider region in Egypt, in both Cairo and Alexandria, and Amman in Jordan.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish the criteria for determining which individuals seeking asylum will be subject to detention.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office has published guidance for determining who can be detained under immigration powers including those who are seeking asylum.
‘Detained Asylum Casework’ sets out for the criteria for our caseworkers to determine under which circumstances asylum claimants may be detained, and their claims routed for consideration and decision under the process. This is available at the link below:
detained-asylum-process-v5.0.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk).
‘Detention: general instructions’ sets out the criteria for making detention decisions and deciding whether to maintain detention. This is available at the link below:
Detention: general instructions (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle abuse in immigration detention centres.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We expect all suppliers operating on behalf of the Home Office to treat detained individuals with decency and respect, behaving in line with the high standards outlined in the Detention Centre Rules, published operating standards and service delivery contracts.
A range of safety and security safeguards operate in all IRCs to ensure the safety of all detained individuals, staff and visitors.
The Home Office is reviewing current processes in relation to violence prevention and use of force and have introduced a programme focused on improving the overall culture in IRCs. A new staffing model delivers a considerably improved ratio of custodial staff per detained individual. This is tailored to each centre’s requirements and layout, deploying staff where they are most needed as they support detained individuals in their journey through detention.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce a statutory time limit on immigration detention.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are currently no plans to introduce a time limit on immigration detention. This would risk significantly weakening our ability to remove those who have breached our immigration laws or who refuse to leave the UK voluntarily.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to repeal the Illegal Migration Act 2023.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has made clear the that the migration partnership with Rwanda will end. Consequently, the Government is considering all options connected with ending that partnership, including for the entirety of the Illegal Migration Act 2023. Legislative plans will be published in due course.
I refer the Honourable Member to PQ 4812.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving asylum seekers the right to work whilst their application is being processed.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, can apply for permission to work. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Immigration Salary List. This list is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee.
Whilst we keep all policies under review, there are no immediate plans to change the existing policy. It is important that we distinguish between individuals who need protection and those seeking to work here who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules.
The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system after it has been put under unprecedented pressure. We will ensure that the system operates fairly and with quicker processing of claims. This will see recognised refugees being able to work, whilst failed asylum seekers can be removed.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of finding alternative accommodation for the 88 asylum seekers due to be housed at Tricorn House in Stroud.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office has a statutory obligation to support and accommodate destitute asylum seekers whilst their asylum claims are considered.
We work with local authorities to ensure housing is procured in a fair and equitable manner across England, Scotland and Wales. For the safety and security of those we accommodate and our staff, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers.