asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many visas were issued to citizens of the Russian Federation in each of the years 2002 to 2007; and how many have been issued in each month of 2008. [HL4728]

The total number of visas issued to citizens of the Russian Federation in each of the calendar years 2004 to 2007 are as follows (reliable data are not available for prior years):

2004—122,615;

2005—140,118;

2006—157,357; and

2007—159,720.

The total numbers of visas issued to citizens of the Russian Federation in each of the months January to June 2008 are as follows:

January 6,898;

February 10,045;

March 9,204;

April 12,374;

May 18,702; and

June 17,945.

Source: Central Reference System, 9 July 2008.

Please note these data are unpublished and should be strictly treated as provisional. The published annual entry clearance statistics do not specifically show the total number of visas issued to Russian nationals.