HC Deb 16 March 1993 vol 221 c127W
Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the current queues awaiting interview in Bombay, New Delhi, Calcutta, Dhaka, Islamabad, Karachi, Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

As at 31 December 1992, the queues awaiting interview were:

Settlement Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
Bombay 0 124 351 239 714
New Delhi 0 298 246 117 661
Dhaka 522 1,830 252 293 2,897
Islamabad 45 844 244 901 2,014

There are no queues in Karachi, Calcutta, Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.

As at 31 December 1992, the estimated waiting times—in months—were:

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Bombay 0 4 7 10
New Delhi 0 3 3 10
Dhaka 3 6 7 9
Islamabad 3 3 6 9

Settlement queues are organised as follows:

  • Q1: Persons with a claim to the right of abode, dependent relatives over 70 years, special compassionate cases.
  • Q2: All spouses, and all children under 18 years.
  • Q3: Fiancé(é)s and others applying for the first time for settlement.
  • Q4: Re-applicants.

Visitors

During periods of seasonal high demand applicants for visit visas in Islamabad requiring a full interview can expect to wait up to five days. Elsewhere, they are dealt with on the day of application.