Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of foreign passports no longer being held by the Passport Office for the duration of the family visa application process.

With the introduction of the eVisa digital permission, eligible customers can now complete their biometric appointment at the Visa Application Centre (VAC) and retain their passport. Customers applying under family routes have retained their passports whilst their visa application is being processed since October 2025. This allows them to apply for visas for other countries, travel overseas and use their passport to confirm their identity for other purposes or demonstrate their status if living in a third country during this period.