Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff were employed as Entry Clearance Officers assessing Tier 4 student visa applications in the (a) 2017-18, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2015-16, (d) 2014-15 and (e) 2013-14 academic years.

On 30 September 2018, the following numbers of Entry Clearance Officers and Entry Clearance Assistants were employed in relation to the processing of overseas visa applications:

These staff can work on a range of case types and are not solely employed to process Tier 4 applications.

Historic data for staffing levels in a respect of academic year periods is not held.