Immigration: Children
Home Department
David Ward (Bradford East, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the sharing of information between the UK Border Agency and the Child Support Agency for the purpose of ensuring that sponsors who do not support their dependent children in the UK are unable to bring other dependents into the UK.
Mark Harper (Forest of Dean, Conservative)
The UK Border Agency provides the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs with the facility to make checks on immigration status and history for the purpose of determining entitlement to benefits. The UK Border Agency conducts checks with other Departments to verify whether a person qualifies for entry under the immigration rules, including the minimum earnings requirements introduced for sponsors of family migrants. The UK Border Agency keeps these arrangements under review and will consider further whether specific account should be taken of money owed in child support payments.