Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the (a) extent of and (b) reasons for the rise in the refusal rate for Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa applications.

The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route demonstrates our commitment to continuing to attract top international talent in the digital technology, science and arts sectors. On 11 January, we doubled the number of places available to applicants from 1000, to 2000, and are confident that this is sufficient to meet demand at this time. We will continue to monitor take up of the route.

All visa applications are subject to appropriate checks by the Home Office and we reserve the right to refuse applications where they fall for refusal under our general grounds for refusal. This includes where we believe applicants are attempting to abuse the immigration system or where an applicant’s previous character and conduct is not conducive to the public good.