Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the effects of complex visa procurement processes on the UK’s ability to attract global talent.

We have been clear that the UK is open for business and genuine visa applicants are always welcome. In the last year, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) received just over 3 million visa applications globally, of which 2.7 million were granted. The average processing time for a non-settlement visa globally was less than 8 days; and 97% of non-settlement visa applications were decided without our standard 15 working days processing time.

UKVI have a culture of customer satisfaction and are always reviewing how to improve their processes, using customer feedback.

The UK is open for business and visa applications from key emerging economies are up. Tourists and business travellers are always welcome and we continue to attract the brightest and the best for work or study.