§ Mr. Dubsasked the Prime Minister if she will take steps to reduce the 10-week period that Poles have to wait before receiving a visa from the British Embassy in Warsaw to visit the United Kingdom.
§ The Prime MinisterThe imposition of martial law has meant that it has taken longer to process visa applications from Poles because of the need to satisfy ourselves that the latter were bona fide visitors to the United Kingdom. The waiting period for the issue of visas has recently been considerably reduced by the relaxation of the interview requirement for certain Polish applicants, mainly elderly pensioners, and by some reinforcement of the visa section. Many applicants are now receiving their visas in two or three weeks, whilst those it is necessary to interview are having to wait for only five to six weeks. We expect the situation to improve steadily, but the matter will be kept under constant review.