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Immigration

Volume 229: debated on Wednesday 21 July 1993

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outstanding immigration applications there are at Lunar house from (a) students, (b) family members in the United Kingdom applying for variation of stay, (c) settlement entry clearance applications referred from overseas posts and (d) asylum seekers; and what are the average times applicants in each category might expect to wait before a decision.

The available information is that at the end of June 1993 there were in total about 16,700 cases in the general immigration caseworking groups— including referred entry clearance applications—the majority of which were under consideration or the subject of further inquiries, and about 46,300 cases in the asylum and special cases division.The estimated average length of time between the receipt of an application and the decision, for cases decided in caseworking groups and the public inquiry offices, in the first quarter of 1993, was one and a half months for students and 20 months for asylum applications. The latter figure reflects the increase in staffing in the asylum and special cases division which has enabled work to proceed on the resolution of older and more complex cases. Information on average waiting times for family members in the United Kingdom for variation of leave and for settlement entry clearance applications referred from overseas posts is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) British nationals and (b) holders of certificates of identity from Hong Kong have been admitted to the United Kingdom in each quarter

Admissions to the United Kingdom of BDTCs and BN(O)s from Hong Kong
199219931
Admission category1st quarter2nd quarter3rd quarter4th quarterYearJanuary, February
Visitors:
Ordinary7,70012,30022,0007,03049,1005,220
Business1,5901,4701,6101,4506,1201,090
Students4905007,2909409,230470
Husbands and fiancés21010201060
Wives and fiancées23040503014020
Parents and grandparents21010
Children220301001017010
5 or fewer.
1 Provisional figures.
2 Seeking, or accepted for, settlement in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for (a) single entry and (b) multiple entry visit visas were (i) received, (ii) granted and (iii) refused at each post in the Indian sub-continent, Ghana, Nigeria, the Philippines and Jamaica in each quarter of 1992 and the first quarter of 1993; and what was the delay between application and interview for those whose applications were felt to need a

Applications received for single entry and multiple entry visit visas and the numbers granted, refused and those interviewed on a date subsequent to the date of application in specified posts in 1992
Applications
Received1GrantedRefusedNumber not interviewed on day of application
Islamabad
single entry30,03619,0998,3931,389
multiple entry8,1926,29543
Karachi
single entry14,73611,2442,2561,951
multiple entry8,0827,516308
New Delhi
single entry25,87919,8522,9380
multiple entry11,32610,76443
Bombay
single entry17,94314,6613,2910
multiple entry16,48815,890363
Calcutta
single entry3,5743,346175109
multiple entry3,3042,95024
Madras
single entry4,7094,4992070
multiple entry4,4854,44325
Colombo
single entry6,3824,7341,0540
multiple entry2,0371,99515
Dhaka
single entry10,2077,6062,7510
multiple entry2,9852,9850

since January 1992 as (i) persons of independent means, (ii) self-employed persons, (iii) business people, (iv) visitors, (v) students, (vi) husbands and fiancées, (vii) wives and fiancées and (viii) other dependent relatives.

The available information for British dependent territories citizens and British nationals (overseas) from Hong Kong is given in the table. Data on admissions of holders of certificates of identity from Hong Kong are not available.second or long interview at each of the above posts in (1) June 1992, (2) January 1993 and (3) June 1993 or the nearest available date.

Only annual data are available centrally for single visit and multiple entry visit visas and the only information available on the delay between application and interview is of the number of people not interviewed on the day of application.The available information for 1992 is given in the table.

Applications

Received1

Granted

Refused

Number not interviewed on day of application

Accra
single entry11,6646,9014,8440
multiple entry4,4644,13549
Lagos
single entry27,71715,6329,9590
multiple entry17,71514,447724
Kaduna
single entry4,8783,1941,5090
multiple entry1,9131,82742
Manila
single entry10,0668,9709940
multiple entry2,5092,31480
Kingston
single entry2,5271,8976520
multiple entry1031030

1 These will include cases dealt with in a later period and also those subsequently withdrawn.