Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that passports sent to UK Visas and Immigration are returned in a timely manner.

Visa processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa processing times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). UKVI are currently processing applications on the overwhelming majority of its visa routes within their published customer service standards.

With the introduction of the eVisa digital permission, eligible customers can complete their biometric appointment at the Visa Application Centre (VAC) and retain their passport. Where customers applied before eVisa rollout, passports are retained whilst a decision is being made on their visa application by the Home Office and when a decision is made, this is communicated to the Visa Application Centre who in turn contact the customer to arrange collection of their passport. Some customers can purchase an optional service to retain their passport whilst a decision is being taken.