Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's decision to extend the standard processing times for family visas to 24 weeks, what consultation her Department undertook prior to making that decision; and what assessment her Department has made of the impact of that decision on people awaiting visa decisions, particularly in respect of their right to family life.

The 24-week service standard is based on expected processing times due to the increased number of outstanding family visa applications. This increase was due to the prioritisation of Ukraine Visa Schemes applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Staff from other government departments, including DWP and HMRC, have been surged into the department to help with Ukraine work and enable normal visa routes to return to normal service levels in due course. Applicants were informed of the change to a 24-week service standard on 11 May 2022 and the department is currently operating within this.

The Department is aware of potential impacts of applicants awaiting visa decisions. Requests to expedite spousal visa applications where there are compelling or compassionate circumstances are considered on a case-by-case basis and take a range of factors into consideration.