Apr. 23 2024
Source Page: Ukrainian community supported with homes, visas, sponsorship in Scotland: FOI releaseFound: Ukrainian community supported with homes, visas, sponsorship in Scotland: FOI release
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason people on Ukraine visa schemes did not have visas automatically extended.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Although given consideration, it is not feasible to extend Ukraine scheme visas automatically. Automatic extension would require Ukrainians to confirm their residence in the UK and their willingness to have a visa extended, and so the possible customer benefits, and savings in process time, would be limited. Without requiring a registration process there would be a risk of not being able to contact all the eligible individuals which could lead to some Ukrainians being left without legal status.
The Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have had numerous discussions with the Ukrainian community, and there is currently an extensive programme of stakeholder engagement in place.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department had with Ukrainian refugees ahead of the decision to extend visas by 18 months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
In response to calls for certainty about the future of the Ukraine visa schemes from the Ukrainian community, on 18 February we announced that existing Ukraine scheme visa holders will be able to apply for permission to remain in the UK for an additional 18 months under a new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme set to open in early 2025 (before the first UKR scheme visas start to expire in March 2025).
Since the announcement, alongside colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, we have participated in extensive engagement with the Ukrainian community via an ongoing programme of stakeholder engagement.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date the threshold for family visas will be raised to £34,500.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We will raise the minimum income for family visas incrementally in stages to give predictability to families. Further details will be set out in due course.
Mentions:
1: Robert Jenrick (CON - Newark) In 2019, 16,000 visas were issued to student dependants. - Speech Link
2: Stephen Kinnock (LAB - Aberavon) The number of work visas has increased by a staggering 95%. - Speech Link
3: John Hayes (CON - South Holland and The Deepings) As the Minister considers work visas, which have exploded, displacing investment in domestic skills and - Speech Link
4: Robert Jenrick (CON - Newark) That was 11% of all the visas issued to individuals wishing to come to the United Kingdom. - Speech Link
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Reunite Families UK's report entitled UK family migration rules: spouse / partner migration rules: an initial findings report examining the mental health impact of the rules on children and families, published on 18 December 2023.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
From 11 April 2024, we will raise the minimum income threshold for family visas to £29,000, that is the 25th percentile of earnings for jobs which are eligible for Skilled Worker visas. We will incrementally increase the threshold, moving to the 40th percentile (currently £34,500), and finally to the 50th percentile (currently £38,700, and the level at which the General Skilled Worker threshold is set) by early 2025. The dates of these changes will be set out in due course.
We have reviewed the Reunite Families Report published on 18 December 2023. We will add the findings to our evidence base when formulating future reviews into family immigration policies, including the Minimum Income Requirement.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of extending visas for people resident in the UK on Ukrainian sponsorship schemes (a) indefinitely and (b) beyond 18 months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
To provide certainty about the future of the Ukraine visa schemes, on 18 February we announced that existing Ukraine scheme visa holders will be able to apply for permission to remain in the UK for an additional 18 months under a new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme set to open in early 2025 (before the first UKR scheme visas start to expire in March 2025).
We keep our Ukraine schemes under consistent review in line with the ongoing war, engaging closely with other Government departments, the Ukrainian government and our counterparts globally, including governments within Europe who are hosting Ukrainians under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive (or similar).
The Ukrainian government have been clear about their strong desire for the future repatriation of its citizens to help rebuild Ukraine when it is safe to do so. It is important that our approach respects these wishes and therefore our offer of sanctuary remains temporary in nature and does not lead to settlement in the UK.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to announce the start date of the new minimum income threshold for spouse visas of £34,500.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
From 11 April 2024, we will raise the minimum income threshold for family visas to £29,000, that is the 25th percentile of earnings for jobs which are eligible for Skilled Worker visas. We will incrementally increase the threshold, moving to the 40th percentile (currently £34,500), and finally to the 50th percentile (currently £38,700, and the level at which the General Skilled Worker threshold is set) by early 2025. The dates of these changes will be set out in due course.
We have reviewed the Reunite Families Report published on 18 December 2023. We will add the findings to our evidence base when formulating future reviews into family immigration policies, including the Minimum Income Requirement.
Mentions:
1: Roger Gale (Con - North Thanet) I leave that to her judgment.Bill PresentedFamily Visas (Minimum Income)Presentation and First Reading - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: None These changes will have a tangible impact on net migration; around 153,000 visas were granted to dependants - Speech Link
2: Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede (Lab - Life peer) There has been a 65% increase in work migration visas this year, and this includes a 150% increase in - Speech Link
3: Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con - Life peer) We will reduce the numbers on health and social care visas and end the abuse of that route by stopping - Speech Link
4: Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con - Life peer) More than 100,000 people last year to September 2023 were issued visas for the graduate route. - Speech Link