Asked by: Chris Kane (Labour - Stirling and Strathallan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Charity Worker Visa applications have been granted in each year of the operation of that visa route.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa route, including Charity Worker visas, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on the outcomes of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset.
Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of September 2025.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed Indefinite Leave to Remain reforms on existing labour and skills shortages in key sectors of the UK economy.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, will raise the standard qualifying period for settlement from five years to ten years.
We are proposing a series of tests that will measure a person’s contribution to this country and either reduce or increase the amount of time to settlement. This will include work undertaken by the individual. This earned settlement model and the tests which measure contribution are currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation also seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement.
Details of the earned settlement scheme, including any transitional arrangements for those already in the UK, will be finalised following that consultation.
The final model will also be subject to equality and economic impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 22 December 2025 (HL12809), what criteria they are using to select specific individuals out of those eligible for removal to France under the 'one-in, one-out' scheme.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The pilot was agreed with both France and the European Commission in order to ensure it is compliant with domestic, European and International law. Eligibility criteria are set out in the Agreement.
The pilot operates within existing legal frameworks and policies. All individuals will have their cases reviewed regularly in line with standard policies and guidance, and this includes both while detained and if any claims of being a victim of torture or of human trafficking and modern slavery are raised.
Decisions on continuing suitability for detention are made on a case-by-case basis.
Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). Ahead of pilot launch and throughout its duration, the Home Office has engaged with officials from the Ministry of Justice and the judiciary to ensure individuals have access to justice. The Home Office continues to engage with a wide range of NGOs and other external stakeholders.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed £50,270 threshold for eligibility for five year Indefinite Leave to Remain on Skilled Worker visa holders employed in lower wage regions.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, will raise the standard qualifying period for settlement from five years to ten years.
We are proposing a series of tests that will measure a person’s contribution to this country and either reduce or increase the amount of time to settlement. This will include work undertaken by the individual. This earned settlement model and the tests which measure contribution are currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation also seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement.
Details of the earned settlement scheme, including any transitional arrangements for those already in the UK, will be finalised following that consultation.
The final model will also be subject to equality and economic impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to introduce protections for ancestry visa holders in the context of her proposed reforms to indefinite leave to remain.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK values its close cultural and historical ties with its fellow Commonwealth countries. This is reflected in our immigration system by the UK Ancestry visa, which allows Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent to live and work in the UK.
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already here on a pathway to settlement, including UK Ancestry visa holders. At this stage, no transitional arrangements have been decided upon.
Details of the earned settlement model and any potential transitional arrangements for those already in the UK will be finalised following the consultation.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many families and children are directly restricted by No Recourse to Public Funds.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition applies to the vast majority of adult temporary migrants in the UK and those without legal status, many of whom may not be in touch with the Home Office.
Data on the children within migrant families is not routinely collected. However, the Home Office regularly engages with stakeholders via the NRPF forum which provides a platform to raise concerns and share experiences of those affected by the policy.
Data on the number of applications from those wishing to have their NRPF condition lifted is published.
The Home Office has committed to working with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop questions on No Recourse to Public Funds for inclusion in the Family Resources survey 2026/2027, a household survey undertaken annually to explore living standards in the UK.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the level of impact of disruption to entry and exit systems at UK borders during the Christmas period on the economy.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Entry / Exit System (EES) is an EU system; we are working with the French authorities and UK operators at St Pancras, Folkestone, and Port of Dover to minimise disruption.
There has been no disruption at the UK border related to EES. The system is being introduced through a phased implementation, and no meaningful assessment can be made at this stage of the rollout.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has consulted local authorities on forthcoming guidance on No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) families; and whether the guidance will include measures to monitor and report how it will reduce child poverty among NRPF families, improve access to essential services, and deliver measurable improvements in children’s welfare, education, and health outcomes.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The new guidance being produced by the Home Office is designed to assist local authorities in supporting families with NRPF, as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy. Local authorities will be consulted prior to publication. The guidance will provide clarity around statutory duties and key safeguards for local authorities, ensuring a clear and consistent approach.
The guidance does not alter the eligibility criteria for any current schemes or benefits. While the guidance is for local authorities in England, Home Office officials meet regularly with the Scottish government to discuss NRPF and other topics relating to the wider immigration system and will discuss the guidance as part of its development to draw in wider expertise and interests.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether forthcoming guidance on local authority duties towards No Recourse to Public Funds families will include advice relevant to Scottish legislation; and whether she has had discussions with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) COSLA to ensure consistency of practice across the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The new guidance being produced by the Home Office is designed to assist local authorities in supporting families with NRPF, as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy. Local authorities will be consulted prior to publication. The guidance will provide clarity around statutory duties and key safeguards for local authorities, ensuring a clear and consistent approach.
The guidance does not alter the eligibility criteria for any current schemes or benefits. While the guidance is for local authorities in England, Home Office officials meet regularly with the Scottish government to discuss NRPF and other topics relating to the wider immigration system and will discuss the guidance as part of its development to draw in wider expertise and interests.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to (a) businesses and (b) travellers arising from delays associated with the entry and exit system into the European Union.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Entry / Exit System (EES) is an EU system; we are working with the French authorities and UK operators at St Pancras, Folkestone, and Port of Dover to minimise disruption.
There has been no disruption at the UK border related to EES. The system is being introduced through a phased implementation, and no meaningful assessment can be made at this stage of the rollout.