§ Mr. Stuart Hollandasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visa applications have been turned down by entry clearance officers since the introduction of the visa requirement for persons travelling to the United Kingdom from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
§ Mr. EggarFrom 15 October up to the end of November, of the 25,092 short-term entry clearances applied for in the four countries, 1,063 have been refused. The breakdown by country is as follows:
Applications received Applications refused India 12,719 100 Pakistan 6,558 336 Bangladesh 1,583 353 Nigeria 4,232 274 Since the visa requirement for Nigeria has not yet been introduced, in the case of Nigeria the above figures relate to applications for optional entry clearance between 15 October and the end of November.
§ Mr. Stuart Hollandasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current waiting time from the first application to the final decision for persons seeking settlement in the United Kingdom, at the relevant posts overseas in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
§ Mr. EggarWaiting time in months from application to first interview as at 31 October were as follows:
mission concerned. Any outstanding settlement application will not necessarily prove an impediment to the granting to a visit visa in a genuine emergency.