§ Lord Mowbray and Stourtonasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will lay before Parliament a statement of the further changes they propose to make in the Immigration Rules.
§ Lord Elton: My right honourable friend has today laid before Parliament a statement of further changes in the Immigration Rules to replace the statement laid before Parliament on 6th December [HC 66] and disapproved by a resolution in another place on 15th December. The rules as changed will come into effect on 16th February.
In the light of the debate in another place on the present rules, the Home Secretary has concluded that the right course is to retain the changes introduced in those rules under which a British citizen woman may be joined here by her husband or fiancé. My right honourable friend also thinks, however, that it should continue to be for an applicant husband or fiancé to show that he qualifies under the rules for leave to enter or remain, rather than for immigration officials to show that he does not. He has decided not to retain the provisions which increased the length of temporary stay for a husband and amended the grounds for deportation.