Seema Malhotra: International students using the student and child student routes must be sponsored by an education provider that holds a Student sponsor licence. Education providers wishing to sponsor international students must obtain and maintain a Home Office Sponsor licence to do so and must be assessed for educational quality by an Educational Oversight body. We keep our immigration policies and...
Seema Malhotra: We do not know the total legal fees incurred as we have not yet been billed for the complete period between 30 March 2020 to 9 September 2024, but we expect the final cost to be in the region of £20,000-£22,500. There was no awarding of costs in the First Tier Tribunal judgment that the Department must disclose the Historical Roots of the Windrush Scandal report. The only other costs...
Seema Malhotra: The full list of Life in the UK test centres as of 10 September 2024 is as follows: Name of test centre Address Town/City Postcode PSI @ North East Scotland College Ground Floor, North East Scotland College, Gallowgate Aberdeen AB25 1BN People 1st Belfast Rosemont, 89 Malone Road, Belfast BT9 6SP PSI Birmingham Gateway House, 3rd Floor, 50-53 High Street Birmingham B4 7SY...
Seema Malhotra: Over 300 Sudanese nationals have been resettled in the UK through our refugee resettlement schemes. The UK resettlement schemes are not application based; instead, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) refers individuals for resettlement in accordance with their standard resettlement submission criteria. These are based on an assessment of protection needs or...
Seema Malhotra: Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for this government and our mission is to halve levels of violence against women and girls within a decade. We are reviewing all the issues impacting migrant victims of domestic abuse including the scope of both the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (formerly the Destitution Domestic Violence Concession) and the provisions...
Seema Malhotra: The financial requirements for the Family Immigration Rules include the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR) which is currently set at £29,000 and is intended to maintain the economic wellbeing of the UK whilst respecting family life. The Home Secretary has announced her intention to commission the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration...
Seema Malhotra: Many visa routes, such as those for family and skilled work, are intended to allow a path to settlement in the UK. Other routes, such as those for study and temporary work, are intended for visa holders to be able to come to the UK for a specific, time-bound purpose, and therefore do not count towards the qualifying period for settlement.
Seema Malhotra: The Home Office is delivering a substantial communications and engagement campaign to advise customers of the transition to eVisas and the need for BRP holding customers to register for a UKVI account by the end of 2024, if they were not automatically provided with a UKVI account and eVisa when their most recent immigration application was approved. This includes, but is not limited to,...
Seema Malhotra: During the transition to eVisas, we are closely monitoring the volume of customers who have registered for a UKVI account and the forecast total volume of affected customers. The total volume will be dictated by ongoing approvals under BRP generating routes through to the end of 2024. This data requires detailed assurance before it can be published externally, but we plan to make it available...
Seema Malhotra: Overseas students who successfully complete an eligible course in the UK are entitled to remain on a graduate visa for two years after their studies end, or three for PHDs, to work, live and contribute to society. The Home Office keeps visa fees under review but has no current plans to reduce fees for overseas graduates. The Home Office does not make a profit from fees and any income from...
Seema Malhotra: The financial requirements for the Family Immigration Rules include the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR) which is currently set at £29,000 and is intended to maintain the economic wellbeing of the UK whilst respecting family life. The Home Secretary has announced her intention to commission the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration...
Seema Malhotra: British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status holders may apply for a BN(O) visa which entitles them and their dependent family members to reside in the UK. After completing 5 years’ qualifying residence in the UK, and being free from immigration time restrictions for a further year, BN(O) visa holders and their dependent family members may apply for British citizenship.
Seema Malhotra: His Majesty’s Passport Office must satisfactorily complete its checks upon an applicant’s nationality, identity, and eligibility before a passport can be issued, and will request additional evidence as necessary to support the completion of these checks. The evidence required will change depending upon individual circumstances, and whether it is an application for a first passport or a...
Seema Malhotra: The Home Office does not hold data on the number of people who hold a British Overseas Citizenship status.
Seema Malhotra: Immigration fees are set taking account of the charging powers provided by Section 68(9) of the Immigration Act 2014, which include the ability to set fees based on: the cost of processing the relevant application, the benefits and entitlements provided by a successful application and the wider costs of the Migration and Borders system. Full details can be reviewed via the following link:...
Seema Malhotra: As the Home Secretary said in her statement to the House of Commons on the 22 July 2024, the UK will always work, along with other states, to help those fleeing war and persecution. Our global resettlement scheme, the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) is designed in way that allows us to respond in any emergency. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) can refer cases to the UK under their standard...
Seema Malhotra: An Equality Impact Assessment, which was produced in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty, and an Impact Assessment were published alongside the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 that amended fees to register and naturalise as a British Citizen.
Seema Malhotra: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has had no meetings to date with her Swiss counterpart. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has met his Swiss counterpart, but it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail of those discussions.
Seema Malhotra: Currently, those seeking to come to the UK for private medical treatment, along with their family members, can apply for a visitor visa and consideration will be given to compelling, compassionate and exceptional circumstances. It should be noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) position is that people who are medically evacuated should stay as close to home as possible, so that they...
Seema Malhotra: The Home Secretary announced that she would commission the Migration Advisory Committee to review the financial immigration requirements on the Family Immigration Rules. We expect the review to take approximately 9 months which will include a call for evidence to ensure sufficient stakeholder engagement.
