HC Deb 01 August 1984 vol 65 cc321-2W
Mr. Kaufman

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants since the relevant change in the immigration rules to join wives and male fiancés in the United Kingdom for settlement have been refused because of the primary purpose provision; what proportions these are of total refusals and of total applications, respectively; and if he will break the statistics down into countries of origin.

Mr. Waddington

The information requested for 1982–4 for the whole of the Indian sub-continent is given in the following table. I will reply as soon as possible giving the separate information for Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and will publish the reply in theOfficial Report.

Number of persons/percentages
under the 1980 rules under the 1983 rules
*1982 1983 First quarter 1984
Applications refused solely or partly because the primary purpose of the marriage was to obtain admission to the United Kingdom (number)
Solely 20 500 250
Partly 100 220 30
Primary purpose refusals as a percentage of all refusals
Solely 2 52 78
Partly 16 23 11
Primary purpose refusals as a percentage of all decisions
Solely 1 25 37
Partly 10 11 5
* estimated; information on reasons for refusal in 1982 is incomplete.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fiancés have been granted entry clearance since the change in immigration rules which dictates that the parties to the proposed marriage should have met, where the fiancé has not met his intended wife; and if he will indicate the circumstances.

Mr. Waddington

The information requested is not available centrally. Only in very exceptional circumstances would discretion be exercised where the couple had not met.

Mr. Leighton

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many husbands and fiancés were given entry clearance in the Indian sub-continent in the first and second quarters of the current year.

Mr. Waddington

The information requested is published quarterly in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Control of Immigration: Statistics" (table 7 of the latest issue 13/84 for the first quarter for 1984). Corresponding information for the second quarter of 1984 will be published towards the end of August.