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  • Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which countries credibility interviews of potential international students were undertaken by UK Visas and Immigration in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.

    Lord Bates

    UK Visas and Immigration interviewed applicants resident in the following countries for Tier 4 Student visa applications:

    2015: Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

    2014: Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

    2013: Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Bahrain, China and Bangladesh.

  • Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering making further reductions in the maximum university visa refusal rate in relation to Highly Trusted Sponsor status.

    Lord Bates

    Highly Trusted Sponsor status was replaced with Tier 4 Sponsor status in April 2015.

    The maximum permitted visa refusal rate for Tier 4 sponsors was reduced from 20% to 10% in November 2014 to make sure that the colleges and universities who directly benefit from student migration help prevent abuse, and to ensure that institutions are only offering places to genuine students with an appropriate level of English.

    Since the new rate was introduced, visa applications from students wishing to study at the UK’s world-class universities have continued to rise. Latest figures show that visa applications from university students are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010, and visa applications to Russell Group universities are 33 per cent higher than in 2010.

    We will continue to keep the visa refusal rate under review but we have no imminent plans to change the maximum permitted rate.

  • Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of halving the maximum visa refusal rate on the Highly Trusted Sponsor status given to higher education institutions in the UK.

    Lord Bates

    Highly Trusted Sponsor status was replaced with Tier 4 Sponsor status in April 2015.

    The maximum permitted visa refusal rate for Tier 4 sponsors was reduced from 20% to 10% in November 2014 to make sure that the colleges and universities who directly benefit from student migration help prevent abuse, and to ensure that institutions are only offering places to genuine students with an appropriate level of English.

    Since the new rate was introduced, visa applications from students wishing to study at the UK’s world-class universities have continued to rise. Latest figures show that visa applications from university students are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010, and visa applications to Russell Group universities are 33 per cent higher than in 2010.

    We will continue to keep the visa refusal rate under review but we have no imminent plans to change the maximum permitted rate.

  • Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the current visa regime has had on international student numbers in the UK.

    Lord Bates

    The student migration system we inherited was too weak, and open to widespread abuse, damaging the UK’s reputation as a provider of world-class education.

    We have clamped down on immigration abuse from poor quality institutions selling immigration rather than education, and since 2010 we have struck off more than 900 bogus colleges. Visa applications for the further education sector, where abuse has been most prevalent over recent years, are down 74 per cent compared with 2010.

    At the same time, we have maintained a highly competitive offer for international students who would like to study at our world-class institutions. This is borne out by the figures: visa applications from international students to study at British universities are up by 17 per cent since 2010, whilst visa applications to our world-leading Russell Group institutions are up by 33 per cent since 2010.

    We will continue to reform the student visa system to tackle abuse and deliver an effective immigration system that works in the national interest.

  • Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which of the 34 current OECD countries include international students within their national immigration statistics, and which do not.

    Lord Bates

    The majority of our major competitors for the brightest and best students, including Australia, Canada and the USA, include international students in their national migration statistics.

    The UK’s immigration statistics, published by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS), follow the internationally agreed United Nations definitions. These define a migrant as someone who changes their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants.

    The categories of migrant included by other OECD countries in their statistical returns to the OECD is contained in the annex to the OECD International Migration Outlook at: http://www.oecd.org/migration/international-migration-outlook-1999124x.htm

  • Lord Scriven – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Scriven – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have carried out to determine whether the police facial recognition database complies with the Data Protection Act 1998; and what were the findings of that review.

    Lord Bates

    There is no facial recognition database as such. The Police National Database (PND) includes photographs of persons taken on their arrest. These images can be uploaded onto the PND by police forces. Full face images of a suitable size and quality are then enrolled in the facial image recognition gallery within the PND, which can be searched using automated facial recognition software. As set out by the Code of Practice on the Operation and Use of the PND, chief police officers are responsible for the development and implementation of appropriate procedures and systems so that personal data is processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and other relevant legislation and guidance.

  • Lord Scriven – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Scriven – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many faces have been uploaded onto the police facial recognition database since the ruling against the Metropolitan Police Service in 2012; which police forces made those uploads; and how many faces each force has uploaded.

    Lord Bates

    There is no facial recognition database as such. The Police National Database (PND) includes photographs of persons taken on their arrest. These images can be uploaded onto the PND by police forces.

    Full face images of a suitable size and quality are then enrolled in the facial image recognition gallery within PND, which can be searched using automated facial recognition software. Information on the number of facial images loaded by forces since June 2012 is not readily available

  • Lord Ramsbotham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Ramsbotham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish the Shaw review into the welfare of vulnerable persons in immigration detention.

    Lord Bates

    On 9 February, the Home Secretary announced an independent review into the policies and operating procedures that have an impact on detainee welfare. Stephen Shaw CBE, the former Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales, has completed the review and has recently submitted his report. His findings are being carefully considered. The report will be published by laying it before Parliament, alongside the Government’s response to the recommendations. We want to ensure that this is before the Immigration Bill completes its passage through Parliament.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to enable refugees from the Middle East and other war zones who have close family connections with the UK to come to this country safely to apply for protection.

    Lord Bates

    There is no provision in our Immigration Rules for someone to be given permission to travel to the UK to seek asylum or humanitarian protection. However, we recognise that families may become fragmented because of the nature of conflict and persecution and the speed and manner in which those seeking asylum often flee their country of origin. Our refugee family reunion policy allows immediate family members of a person in the UK with refugee leave or humanitarian protection status – that is a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18, who formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin – to reunite with them in the UK.

    We also operate three discretionary resettlement schemes for recognised refugees for whom resettlement is the most appropriate answer. We operate these schemes in partnership with the UNHCR: Gateway; Mandate; and the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme. Under the Syrian VPR Scheme we are working closely with the UNHCR to resettle close family groups where at least one member qualifies under the scheme.

    We are also making a significant contribution to support refugees and their families in other ways. The UK has contributed over £1 billion in humanitarian aid in response to the Syrian crisis and we intend to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees displaced to neighbouring countries over the lifetime of this Parliament.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Turkey about the arrests of the senior editors of Nokta, and of journalists from Bugun and Milliyet.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to monitor these specific cases and regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. We welcomed the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey, released on 10 November, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these areas. Freedom of expression must be respected and all media outlets must be allowed to report freely without intimidation.