HC Deb 07 March 1985 vol 74 cc555-6W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of applications for entry clearance into the United Kingdom submitted by citizens from (a) former British Commonwealth countries and (b) present British Commonwealth countries were turned down in each single year since 1979.

Mr. Waddington

The available information relates only to countries in the Indian sub-continent, and is given in the table below.

Refusal rate* for all applications† for entry clearance to the United Kingdom
Percentage
Parkistan Bangladesh India
1979 27 27 10
1980 23 27 10
1981 22 25 8
1982 27 35 13
1983 27 50 16
‡1984 24 41 13
* Applications refused initially as a percentage of applications decided (i.e. refused initially or granted initially or on appeal)
† Applications for entry clearance for immediate settlement, for entry as husbands or fiances, students, visitors, etc. The refusal rates will be affected by the proportion of applications in the various categories.
‡ First three quarters of the year; fourth quarter figures will become available next week.