Immigration

(asked on 16th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether external bodies were consulted in advance of publishing new Immigration rules changes; and if she will make a statement.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 11th January 2021

We have laid changes to the Immigration Rules that are vital to curb irregular migration, which is often facilitated by criminal gangs seeking to arrange dangerous journeys for profit. We have been absolutely clear that we will do all we can to make the use of small boats to cross the Channel an unviable option for reaching the UK.

It is a longstanding principle that asylum seekers should claim at the earliest opportunity in the first safe country they reach. Under existing Rules, any claimant who travelled through a safe country before claiming asylum in the UK could expect their claim to be considered inadmissible.

This is a technical change to the existing Rules which were already coming into effect from January. For these reasons, changes to the Rules on place of claim and third country inadmissibility have not been subject to formal public consideration.

I made a statement on the Rules changes on 16 December.

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