Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's Good character: caseworker guidance, updated on 13 February 2025, what definition her Department uses of exceptional, compelling, and mitigating circumstances.

An exceptional case is one where on the facts of the case, the application would normally be refused but there are mitigating circumstances which mean it would be appropriate to grant. The policy guidance contains a non-exhaustive list of examples of where applications may be granted