HC Deb 24 July 1991 vol 195 cc579-83W
Mr. Darling

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for British citizenship made under the provisions of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990 have been(a) granted and (b) refused, under each class and category of the scheme; and when he expects all the applications made before 28 February to have been decided.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

As at 23 July 1991, the numbers of applicants recommended by the governor to the Secretary of State and registered as British citizens under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990 were as follows:

Number
Sensitive Service class 158
Entrepreneurs' class 12
Dependants of the above 278
Total 448

None of those recommended by the Governor has been refused registration.

The Hong Kong Government estimate that the majority of recommendations will have been made to the Secretary of State by around the middle of 1993. Final decisions on registration will be taken as quickly after recommendation as resources allow.

Mr. Darling

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) British nationals and (b) holders of certificates of identity from Hong Kong have been admitted to the United Kingdom in each quarter since January 1990 as (a) persons of independent means, (b) self-employed persons, (c) business people, (d) visitors, (e) students, (f) husbands and fiances, (g) wives and financeées and (h) other dependent relatives.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The available information for British dependent territories citizens and British nationals (overseas) from Hong Kong is given in the table. Figures on admissions of holders of certificates of identity from Hong Kong are not available.

of stay and (ii) settlement in the United Kingdom on the grounds that he is not satisfied that they can be maintained and accommodated without recourse to public funds in each quarter since January 1990.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The available information relating to after-entry cases is given in the table. Information on dependent children is not readily available.

Refusals, on grounds of maintenance and accommodation, of after-entry applications by husbands and wives
Number of persons
Refusals to grant probationary year on grounds of: Refusals1
Accommodation Maintenance Maintenance and accommodation
1990
Quarter 1
Husbands 1 3
Wives 1 4
Quarter 2
Husbands 3 1 2 8
Wives 1 8
Quarter 3
Husbands 3 1 1 8
Wives 1 5
Quarter 4
Husbands 1 7
Wives 1 1 1
1991
Quarter 1
Husbands 3 7
Wives 7
1 Refusals of settlement after probationary year on general considerations, including recourse to public funds.

Mr. Darling

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken by his Department to investigate cases referred from overseas posts in order to assess whether the maintenance and accommodation requirements of the immigration rules have been met.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The information is not available in the form requested. The estimated average time taken by the immigration service to deal with all categories of cases deferred by entry clearance officers during the past 12 months was about 61 days.

Mr. Darling

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications from over-age re-applicants from the Indian subcontinent seeking to join a sponsor settled in the United Kingdom have been(a) made, (b) deferred, (c) refused and (d) granted in each year since 1986 and the first quarter of 1991; and how many such re-applicants in each category had undergone successful DNA tests.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The available information is that a total of 570 applications from over-age re-applicants in the Indian sub-continent to join parents in the United Kingdom have been decided under the terms of the concession announced by my right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary on 14 June 1989 at columns461–62. All these cases involved over-age re-applicants who have established relationships by means of DNA evidence but do not qualify for admission under the immigration rules. Entry clearance has been authorised in 116 of these cases and refused in 454.

Mr. Darling

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many wives and dependant children applying for entry clearance in the Indian subcontinent in each quarter since January 1990 were refused(a) on first application and (b) on second or subsequent application.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Quarterly information up to the end of 1990 on the total numbers of wives and children in the Indian subcontinent refused entry clearance to the United Kingdom is published in table 18 of Cm. 1571 "Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom, 1990", a copy of which is in the Library. In the first quarter of 1991, 166 wives and 171 children were initially refused entry clearance. Separate information on first-time applicants and re-applicants is not available centrally.

Mr. Darling

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were waiting for special quota vouchers in(a) India and (b) east Africa in (i) May 1990 and (ii) December 1990; when those issued with vouchers on those dates had applied; how many vouchers were issued in (1) India and (2) east Africa in (A) 1990 and (B) the first quarter of 1991; when those applying now can expect to receive vouchers; and how many applicants there were for vouchers in (v) India and (w) east Africa in (x) 1990 and (y) the first half of 1991.

22 Mr. Peter Lloyd

The information which is currently available is given in the tables.

Table 1: Persons applying for a special voucher for entry to the United Kingdom
Number of persons
Applications newly received1 Vouchers issued Applications awaiting a decision at end of quarter
1990 1991 1st quarter 1990 1991 1st quarter 1990 2nd quarter 1990 4th quarter
India 360 90 600 220 950 790
Kenya 270 50 250 50 560 570
Tanzania 30 + 20 + 70 70
Malawi 10 + 10 + + +
Zambia 40 + 40 10 20 10
Elsewhere 10 + 10 + + 10
Total2 720 150 920 290 1,600 1,400
+ Five or fewer.
1 Including applications subsequently withdrawn or lapsed.
2 Total may differ from sum of countries due to rounding.

Table 2: Waiting times for persons applying for a special voucher
Months
Waiting time to main interview for:
Persons interviewed at end of quarter 1 Persons applying at end of quarter
Quarter 2 1990 Quarter 4 1990 Quarter 1 1991 Quarter 1 1991
India2 32 24 20 20
Kenya 3 3 3 3
Tanzania 1 1 1
Malawi3 ¼ ¼ ¼
Zambia 1 1 1 l
1 Data relate to expected waiting time.
2 Data relate to non-priority applicants. Priority applicants (ie widows with a child in the United Kingdom, heads of household aged 65 or over, and special compassionate cases) are interviewed within three months.
3 Within a week.

Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationals of(a) Jamaica, (b) Turkey, (c) Morocco, (d) the United States of America, (e) Australia, (f) Malaysia, (g) Hong Kong, (h) Guyana, (i) Trinidad, (j) Colombia, (k) Algeria, (l) Canada and

Passenger admissions and persons refused leave to enter and removed, for selected nationalities.
Number
1st quarter 1990 2nd quarter 1990 3rd quarter 1990 4th quarter 1990 Year 1990 1st quarter 1991
Admissions Refused and removed Admissions Refused and removed Admissions Refused and removed Admissions Refused and removed Admissions Refused and removed Admissions1 Refused and removed
Jamaica 5,600 160 7,870 140 10,700 135 6,280 145 30,500 580 4,700 102
Turkey 17,100 82 17,900 71 25,800 120 18,700 116 79,500 389 13,700 80
Morocco 4,620 353 3,420 102 7,090 112 3,780 67 18,900 634 2,700 36
USA 510,000 313 872,000 321 944,000 345 514,000 340 2,840,000 1,319 339,000 286
Australia 80,900 45 150,000 58 170,000 52 102,000 64 504,000 219 70,700 74
Malaysia 13,900 107 21,700 256 27,500 235 17,500 260 80,500 858 11,100 126
Hong Kong 15,300 40 18,300 75 34,800 68 13,500 78 81,900 261 14,000 35
(BDTCs & BN(O)s)
Guyana 1,090 15 1,510 11 2,370 8 1,210 23 6,180 57 1,000 13
Trinidad & Tobago 3,360 32 4,890 31 6,760 37 3,810 31 18,800 131 3,000 27
Colombia 3,340 130 6,020 265 6,400 177 4,300 178 20,000 750 3,400 103
Algeria 4,950 748 4,070 81 7,500 84 3,670 65 20,200 978 2,100 47
Canada 98,800 21 199,000 20 224,000 36 110,000 37 632,000 114 75,500 21
Ghana 7,900 110 8,940 118 12,600 123 9,250 128 38,700 479 7,500 128
1 Provisional figures.