HC Deb 16 June 1988 vol 135 cc216-7W
Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current waiting time for interviews for applicants who are (i) fiancées, (ii) spouses and (iii) dependants in(a) Bombay, (b) New Delhi, (c) Islamabad, (d) Karachi and (e) Nairobi.

Mr. Eggar

Waiting times for interviews are currently as follows:

Months
Spouses and dependants (Q2) Fiancées (Q3)
Bombay 6 9
New Delhi 5 8
Islamabad 12 20
Karachi 6 11
Nairobi 3 3

Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average length of time it takes for an applicant who is refused entry clearance for(a) notification of refusal following interview, (b) dispatch of ECO's statement to the Home Office, (c) dispatch of Home Office papers to immigration appeals tribunal and (d) listing of case by the immigration appeals tribunal.

Mr. Eggar

The time taken from interview to decision on an application for entry clearance depends entirely on what further inquiries (including the applicant being asked to produce further documentary evidence) the entry clearance office (ECO) deems necessary to satisfy himself that the applicant qualifies for admission under the immigration rules.

The dispatch of ECO's explanatory statements direct to the appellate authority varies from post to post and can currently take from one week, in the case of smaller less busy posts, to up to six months in the case of larger posts in the Indian sub-continent processing in excess of 45,000 entry clearance applications per year.

Statistics about the time taken to complete individual appeals are not available, but I understand from my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General that the following time scale is currently likely;

  1. (i) from receipt in London of the ECO's explanatory statement to despatch to both parties: up to four weeks;
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  2. (ii) from receipt of papers by both parties to issue by each party of a certificate of readiness to proceed: this is in the hands of the parties and times vary from a few weeks to many months;
  3. (iii) from certificate of readiness to proceed to hearing date: up to two months, but longer where parties request adjournments;
  4. (iv) from hearing date to issue of appeal decision: about two weeks.