Robert Jenrick: All visitors to the United Kingdom are expected to hold a valid passport and visa where necessary. However, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France during the March summit between the Prime Minister and the French President, we have committed to easing travel between our two countries for schoolchildren on organised trips. Work is now under way to operationalise these...
Robert Jenrick: The Government is committed to strengthening the UK’s border by ensuring that everyone (except British and Irish citizens) wishing to travel to the UK, including to transit through the UK, obtains permission to travel in advance of their journey. It will make the UK safer. The requirement to obtain an ETA will enable the Government to prevent the travel of those who present a risk to the...
Robert Jenrick: On introduction, the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) application form and mobile application will be in plain English and extremely short. The application has been designed to take less than 10 minutes to complete, with mostly automated data capture which requires minimal input. Feedback gathered from users who are not native English speakers, has been positive, with users reporting...
Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) visas by nationality in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the applications of YMS visas are published in table ‘Vis_D01’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Data on the outcomes of YMS visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. ...
Robert Jenrick: In the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) review of the construction sector earlier this year they recommended adding five occupations to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) on an interim basis ahead of the full review. The MAC are due to submit their full review of the SOL later this year, and the Government will carefully consider their recommendations once received. A detailed...
Robert Jenrick: There is currently work underway to redesign the training of Asylum decision makers. The current plan will see the initial training reduced from 9 to 2-3 weeks with further training given as the decision maker progresses. As of 01 May 2023, there are 1,280 full time equivalent (FTE) Asylum Decision Makers. This information is published online: Statistics relating to the Illegal Migration Bill...
Robert Jenrick: Kent Intake Unit has a 24-hour medical service on site and a purpose-built medical isolation room. A total of 16 medical staff are assigned to Kent Intake Unit on a rota basis. At any one time one medical member of staff is on duty.
Robert Jenrick: There is no intention to permit the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) to be paid in instalments. The IHS is designed to be paid up-front, in full, so an individual’s healthcare is covered for the duration of their immigration permission in the UK. The immigration and nationality fees regulations 2018 require visa fees to be paid in full in order for the application to be valid. There are...
Robert Jenrick: The UK made an ambitious and generous commitment to help resettle those fleeing persecution and those who served the UK. Since June 2021, we have brought 24,500 people to safety to the UK. Bridging hotels are not and were never designed to be permanent accommodation. Long-term residency in hotels has prevented some Afghans from properly putting down roots, committing to employment and fully...
Robert Jenrick: We will lay regulations in the Autumn to amend the immigration and nationality fee and IHS levels and set out which immigration routes are impacted.
Robert Jenrick: The government’s new Hong Kong Veterans Settlement route will be open to all servicemen and women who served in the British military prior to July 1st 1997, and their family members, including a partner or spouse and dependent children. Applications for Settlement are expected to open this Autumn. Home Office officials work closely with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and...
Robert Jenrick: The Home Office regularly engages with a range of organisations, including Russell Group and Universities UK and will continue to do so.
Robert Jenrick: The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain. We have been clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable. There are currently more than 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer over £6 million a day. The Home Office is making every effort to reduce our...
Robert Jenrick: Appointments to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) are made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-code-f or-public-appointments. The Home Secretary is responsible for agreeing the criteria, and this will depend on the skills and experience required for each competition. The most recent appointment competition for the...
Robert Jenrick: We take the welfare of children incredibly seriously and that is why we have said it is not compassionate to allow people - including vulnerable children - to be risking their lives any longer. We have to break the cycle and stop the boats. The Home Office have put in place further funding throughout 2023-24 of £6,000 for every unaccompanied child moved from a UASC hotel to a local authority...
Robert Jenrick: The Home Office takes our duty of care towards children extremely seriously and we prioritise the safety of children and any applications from asylum seeking children. We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all children in hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority. Children are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on...
Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on asylum decisions, appeals, support, and detention and returns in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The following data is available: In the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’: - initial decisions made on asylum applications, including withdrawals: table Asy_D02 - outcomes of asylum appeals raised at the First-Tier...
Robert Jenrick: The Government has no plans to extend the scope of the Seasonal Worker route or the maximum visa grant beyond the existing six months.
Robert Jenrick: Data for workers and temporary worker visas by occupation can be found at published occupation data The Home Office does not routinely publish data that breaks this down by nationality or nation of origin.
Robert Jenrick: Information regarding processing times and nationality of applicants is not routinely published and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
