§ Lord Ahmedasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the immigration and visa section at the British High Commission in Islamabad is now providing a full service. [HL954]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)As a result of the security situation in Pakistan there were three partial evacuations of staff at the High Commission in Islamabad between October 2001 and May 2002. The visa section has operated a restricted visa service since June 2002.
We are working towards restoring the full visa service in Pakistan this spring.
§ Lord Ahmedasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many appeals against refused visa applications were received in all categories in 2003 from Pakistan; and how this compares with appeals against refused visa applications from Canada and Australia. [HL955]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe table below shows the total number of applications lodged, applications refused, and appeals received, by our visa sections in Pakistan, Canada and Australia during 2003. A direct comparison of appeal statistics across different countries would be misleading. Citizens of Canada and Australia are not visa nationals and therefore do not require a visa to visit the United Kingdom. However, they must obtain entry clearance to come to the UK in another immigration category, such as working holidaymakers. Citizens of Pakistan on the other hand are visa nationals and would therefore require a visa to visit the UK. A substantial proportion of the appeals lodged in Pakistan relate to refusal for family visits.
Pakistan Canada Australia Number of applications lodged in 2003 99,679 18,285 33,683 Number of refused applications in 2003 14,012 135 48 Number of appeals received in 2003 3,349 10 1
§ Lord Ahmedasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to continue to use Gerry or Fedex private courier services for future visa applications to the British High Commission in Islamabad once a full service is resumed. [HL956]
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§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanIt is likely that a courier service will be retained for the foreseeable future. The contract for Gerry's or Fedex will be reviewed in June 2004.
§ Lord Ahmedasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will support the service provided by the Immigration Advisory Service in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir. [HL957]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanNo. Her Majesty's Government do not support the Immigration Advisory Service provision of offices outside the United Kingdom but the High Commission in Islamabad will continue to liaise with any reputable organisation, which offers fair and impartial advice to applicants.
§ Lord Ahmedasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether all United Kingdom visa applications from Pakistani students for the 2003– 04 academic year were processed in time for the start of that year. [HL958]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanStatistics show that of the 14,315 applications for student entry clearance received last year at our High Commission in Islamabad, 13,089 were processed by 31 December 2003. Unfortunately these statistics do not break down in a way that indicates how many were processed in time for the start of the 2003–04 academic year. However, I can confirm that staff at our High Commission in Islamabad prioritised student applications over the period immediately before the start of the academic year.
§ Lord Ahmedasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to resume the family reunion visa service in Islamabad. [HL959]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanEntry clearance applications for family reunion from close family of those accepted as refugees in the UK have been accepted at the visa section of our High Commission in Islamabad since 22 January 2003.