asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of typical waiting times for the various categories of application for entry clearance at each port in the Indian sub-continent.
As at 31 March 1987, waiting times for interview in respect of applications for entry clearance for settlement are as set out in the table (in months):
Priority Queue
| Spouses and children under 18
| Fiancé(e)s and others
| re-applicants
| |
| Islamabad | 3 | 8 | 14 | 15 |
| Karachi | 3 | 6 | 11 | (no cases) |
| New Delhi | 3 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| Bombay | 3 | 6 | 10 | 12 |
| Calcutta | No queues in operation | |||
| Madras | No queues in operation | |||
| Dhaka | 3 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
The great majority of applications for visit visas is currently dealt with within 24 hours. In the few cases where a more detailed interview is required the waiting times are 12 working days in New Delhi, five working days in Bombay and one to three days in Madras. There are no queues for visit visas at the other posts listed above.