Robert Jenrick: Border Force is committed to ensuring passengers wait times are kept to a minimum, however this must be balanced with our duty to Border Security, checking 100% of passports and making sure that anyone or anything that might cause harm to the UK is correctly dealt with. Resource and staffing requirements at every port are continually reviewed by Border Force who work closely with port...
Robert Jenrick: Resettlement of eligible Afghans remains a top priority for this government. As of June 2023, around 24,600 vulnerable people affected by the events in Afghanistan have been brought to safety. This includes the first individuals to be relocated under Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). Under the first stage of Pathway 3, the government will consider all eligible...
Robert Jenrick: Between 2015 and June 2023, the UK has issued more than 46,511 family reunion visas. More than half of those were issued to children. This is no small number and demonstrates the Government’s commitment to upholding the principle of family unity.
Robert Jenrick: We published guidance called “Unable to travel to a Visa Application Centre to enrol biometrics (overseas applications)” in May 2023, which is available on Gov.UK. It sets out how we treat applicants who claim it is unsafe for them to travel to a visa application centre (VAC) to enrol their biometrics.
Robert Jenrick: The requested information cannot be accurately extracted from our internal systems. To provide this information would require a manual trawl of successful appeals and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Robert Jenrick: The information is not available publicly and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
Robert Jenrick: The information requested about how many foreign national offenders have been categorised as high-profile since 2015 is not available from published statistics. Information on the number of foreign national offenders that are returned from the UK is available quarterly from Table Ret_D03 in the Returns Data tables of the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Robert Jenrick: The Immigration Health Surcharge rates are under review to ensure that it reflects the full cost of providing healthcare services and the extra cost pressure that the migrant-driven population growth is placing on the NHS. The Government is increasing the IHS rates, as set out in legislation laid before Parliament on 19 October. The increased IHS rates of £1,035 (full rate) and £776...
Robert Jenrick: The Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment Order) 2023 was laid in Parliament on 19 October and is subject to parliamentary process. The IHS increase will come into force on 16 January or 21 days after the Order is made whichever is later.
Robert Jenrick: We have continued to work in close partnership with Northern Ireland government departments in the absence of an Executive. There is no longer a Strategic Migration Partnership in Northern Ireland. Instead the Home Office have agreements with a number of Northern Ireland government departments. This approach was made in full consultation with relevant partners in Northern Ireland, taking into...
Robert Jenrick: There has not been an explicit assessment on the impact this has on people of Afghanistan; however, impact assessments regarding the Illegal Migration Act have been published on GOV. UK under Illegal Migration Bill: overarching documents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Robert Jenrick: The government is committed to ensuring operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand. We also remain committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan. The situation in the region is complex and presents significant...
Robert Jenrick: Border Force measures and monitors wait times at all major UK ports including Heathrow and Gatwick to ensure the flow of legitimate travel into UK. Border Force is committed to ensuring passengers wait times are kept to a minimum, however this must be balanced with our duty to Border Security, checking 100% of passports and making sure that anyone or anything that might cause harm to the UK...
Robert Jenrick: The Scheme Operators are already required to have a clear employer transfer pathway in place as a condition of holding their sponsor licence, including transparent criteria for making a transfer request and a process for considering such requests. The Scheme Operators must not normally refuse requests to change employers, and may only do so where there are significant reasons preventing a...
Robert Jenrick: There has been a technical issue with this case matching the applicant’s biometric information with the production of the Biometric Residence Permit. This incident has now been resolved, and a new BRP will be issued shortly.
Robert Jenrick: UASC hotels are temporary accommodation that provide safeguarding for a child until they are ready to be transferred through the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) from an entry local authority to another local authority in the UK for ongoing care and support. The Home Office has put in place further funding throughout 2023-24 of £6,000 for every unaccompanied child moved from a UASC hotel to a...
Robert Jenrick: As a temporary precaution to reduce the health risk as much as possible, on 11 August the Home Office went beyond the UKHSA advice and disembarked all 39 asylum seekers from the vessel to contingency asylum accommodation.
Robert Jenrick: Refugee Integration Loans were introduced in 2007 following a public consultation and is intended to help people with the costs of integrating into UK society. They are funded by the Home Office who make the initial decisions on applications. They are then administered and recouped by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Refugee integration loans are interest-free loans with favourable...
Robert Jenrick: We are committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are housed in safe, habitable, and fit for purpose accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity whilst in our care.
Robert Jenrick: Across our estate there is an expectation that there will be mixed cohorts within our accommodation. Some of our core Initial Accommodation may be configured to provide segregated areas specially for families and singles. Similarly in our Dispersed Accommodation there will be a mix of family properties and Houses of Multiple Occupation that are specifically for either males, females or...
