§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how long a person applying for entry clearance on 31 March or the latest convenient date at each post in the middle-east, including Israel and Turkey, could expect to wait in each queue, for(a) first interview, (b) referral of the case to the Home Office and the requested information being received by the post, (c) decision after first interview and (d) the explanatory statement prepared by the post in the case of appeal against refusal to be despatched to the immigration appellate authorities in the United Kingdom;
(2) what are the present waiting times to first interview for entry clearance for all categories of applicant in each country in the middle-east, including Israel and Turkey.
§ Mr. EggarThe majority of visa applications received are straightforward and require no interview. In such cases visas are normally issued within 48 hours.
559WThe information sought at (b) and (c) is not available. Processing times vary from case to case.
As to (a) and (d) the position for all categories of applicant as at 28 February is set out in the table. Column (d) represents the time lapse from the date of receiving notice of appeal from the applicant. The distinction between residents and non-residents at Dubai, Istanbul and Nicosia reflects a high volume of applications from non-resident foreign nationals.
(a) (d) Abu Dhabi 7 days 1 month Aden 2 weeks 2 weeks Amman 3 days within 3 months Baghdad 2 days 1 week Bahrain 3 days 4–6 weeks Beirut 2same day 1— Cairo same day 3 weeks Damascus 3 same day 1— Doha 5 days 2 weeks Dubai Residents 4 weeks 1 month Non-residents 5 months 1 month Istanbul Residents same day 3 months Non-residents 3½ months 3 months Jedda 2 weeks within 1 month Jerusalem 4 days 2 weeks Kuwait 1 day 1 week Muscat same day 1 month Nicosia Residents same day 1 week Non-residents 1 week 1 week Riyadh 4 weeks 8 weeks Sana'a 1 week 1 week Tel Aviv same day 1 week 1A limited visa service is in operation; cases involving lengthy interview and/or possible refusal are directed to nearby posts. 2Straightforward cases only. 3Urgent medical and compassionate cases only.