Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department considers a person's potential impact on social cohesion and their likelihood of integration when assessing their asylum claim or visa application.

Every asylum claim is considered on its individual merits by assessing all the evidence provided by the claimant in light of published country information guidance.

Refugee status is granted when someone has a well-founded fear of persecution under the Refugee Convention for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. They must show that they cannot seek protection from the authorities in their country and cannot reasonably move to another part of their country to avoid persecution. However, we can deny protection to those who commit serious crimes or represent a threat to national security. Article 1F of the Refugee Convention allows signatory states to exclude those who would otherwise be refugees where there are serious reasons for considering they are guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, serious non-political crimes or acts contrary to the purpose and principles of the United Nations.

This Government has published an asylum policy statement, setting out a fair and firm approach to restoring order to the system, which is essential for building community cohesion. By increasing public confidence in the integrity of the asylum system, the reforms will help build trust and reduce tensions within communities. At the same time, they support successful integration for those granted protection, enabling them to contribute positively to society. Integration brings significant benefits for individuals, taxpayers, and communities. These measures will encourage and enable people granted protection to become self-sufficient, law-abiding members of UK society.

For visa applications, decisions are made against the specific suitability and eligibility requirements set out in the Immigration Rules for the relevant route.

In all cases, decisions are made on the basis of the law and published policy, ensuring that applications are considered fairly, consistently, and without discrimination.