HC Deb 09 February 1988 vol 127 c137W
Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of time it takes for his Department to process applications for(a) variation of leave for a visitor and (b) variation of leave for a person who arrives as a visitor and wishes to remain on the basis of marriage.

Mr. Renton

Excluding cases decided on the same day by the public inquiry office, the average length of time between the receipt of an application and the decision for cases decided in 1987 was about three months for those who applied to extend their leave as a visitor and between eight and nine months for visitors who applied to remain on the basis of marriage.