Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Frontier Worker Permit Scheme, what assessment she has made of the implications for her polices of a person who is eligible for a Frontier Worker Permit who has entered the UK without obtaining a Frontier Workers Permit.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The frontier worker permit scheme implements our obligations under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements to protect the rights of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who were frontier working in the UK (that is employed or self-employed in the UK but residing elsewhere) before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, for as long as they continue to be a frontier worker.
Since 1 July 2021 frontier workers have been required to hold a valid frontier worker permit in order to evidence their right to enter the UK to work. Irish citizen frontier workers are not required to obtain a frontier worker permit to enter the UK to work, although they can apply for one if they wish. Frontier workers are not required to use a frontier worker permit to evidence their right to work or to access benefits and services while in the UK as they can evidence their status by other means.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the Republic of Ireland have applied to the Frontier Worker scheme.
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 for the Frontier Worker permit, broken down by nationality, are published in table Vis_D01 of the entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed dataset. Data for the Frontier Worker permit can be selected using the 'Frontier Worker' visa type subgroup.
The Home Office does not publish data on Frontier Worker permits by country of residence, and so data is not available on Frontier Worker permits issued to persons normally resident in the Republic of Ireland.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Frontier Worker Permits have been issued, by nationality.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office publishes data on Frontier Worker Permits in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on applications for Frontier Worker Permits are published in table Vis_D01 of the entry clearance visas applications and outcomes dataset. Data on the number of Frontier Worker Permits issued are included in table Vis_D02. These data may be selected using the ‘Frontier worker’ visa type subgroup.
Data on Frontier Worker Permits issued by nationality can be found in table Vis_D02.
Information on how to use the entry clearance visas applications and outcomes dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to year ending December 2020.
The Home Office does not publish data on Frontier Worker Permits by country of residence, and so data is not available on Frontier Worker Permits issued to persons normally resident in the Republic of Ireland.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for Frontier Workers Permits her Department has (a) received and (b) issued.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office publishes data on Frontier Worker Permits in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on applications for Frontier Worker Permits are published in table Vis_D01 of the entry clearance visas applications and outcomes dataset. Data on the number of Frontier Worker Permits issued are included in table Vis_D02. These data may be selected using the ‘Frontier worker’ visa type subgroup.
Data on Frontier Worker Permits issued by nationality can be found in table Vis_D02.
Information on how to use the entry clearance visas applications and outcomes dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to year ending December 2020.
The Home Office does not publish data on Frontier Worker Permits by country of residence, and so data is not available on Frontier Worker Permits issued to persons normally resident in the Republic of Ireland.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Frontier Workers Permits have been issued to persons normally resident in the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office publishes data on Frontier Worker Permits in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on applications for Frontier Worker Permits are published in table Vis_D01 of the entry clearance visas applications and outcomes dataset. Data on the number of Frontier Worker Permits issued are included in table Vis_D02. These data may be selected using the ‘Frontier worker’ visa type subgroup.
Data on Frontier Worker Permits issued by nationality can be found in table Vis_D02.
Information on how to use the entry clearance visas applications and outcomes dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to year ending December 2020.
The Home Office does not publish data on Frontier Worker Permits by country of residence, and so data is not available on Frontier Worker Permits issued to persons normally resident in the Republic of Ireland.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans the Government has to ensure that British citizen frontier workers who work in Northern Ireland and live in the Republic of Ireland are able to secure their rights under Article 30(d) of the EU Withdrawal Agreement in the event that they are not eligible to apply for a frontier worker permit.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The frontier worker permit scheme has been established under Article 26 of the Withdrawal Agreement (and equivalent provisions in the agreements with the EEA EFTA States and Switzerland) to provide EU citizens with a right to be issued with a document certifying their rights as frontier workers in the UK under those agreements. British citizens and dual national British citizens who live outside the UK but who work in the UK are not within the personal scope of the Agreements and therefore are not eligible to apply to the frontier worker permit scheme. British citizens already have right of abode in the UK and do not need permission to work in the UK as that right stems from their British citizenship.
UK nationals who were lawfully resident in Ireland before the transition period ended are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and do not need to apply for a new residence status in Ireland as their rights are conferred automatically by operation of the law. Under Article 30(d), UK nationals resident in Ireland and subject to the legislation of the UK continue to be covered by the EU social security regulations in full. This means that if the UK is competent, then the UK Government will be responsible for their social security cover in Ireland, including reciprocal healthcare.
Access to these rights will be determined by caseworkers upon application and guidance on evidence requirements has been published on gov.uk. The Withdrawal Agreement is without prejudice to Common Travel Area arrangements between the UK and Ireland and the rights of British and Irish citizens in each other's state. This includes rights under the social security agreement between the two countries.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to enable family members of frontier workers who work in Northern Ireland and reside in the border region of Ireland to continue to access (a) education, (b) healthcare and (c) other services in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Non-UK residents’ eligibility for education, healthcare and other services in Northern Ireland is a matter for the relevant UK Government Department in relation to reserved matters and the Northern Ireland Executive where responsibility is devolved.