§ Fiona MactaggartTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, for each British post abroad which operates a pre-sift system for people applying for visit visas, how many people(a) were advised to withdraw their applications and (b) followed that advice, in (i) 1998 and (ii) 1999 to the latest convenient date.[81688]
§ Mr. Tony LloydDuring 1998, a total of 44,031 applicants withdrew their application at the Preliminary Assessment Stage. 52 posts operated a pre-sift system in 1998. They were as follows:
33W
Post Applications withdrawn Abuja 1,862 Accra 1,038 Abu Dhabi 28 Addis Ababa 1,179 Amman 1,507 Amsterdam 790 Ankara 4 Bahrain 7 Baku 13 Bangkok 66 Banjul 545 Beirut 3 Belgrade 532 Bombay 4,302 Calcutta 20 Cairo 1,422 Casablanca 421 Colombo 80 Copenhagen 44 Damascus 92 Dar es Salaam 9 Dhaka 1,158 Dubai 3 Dublin 177 Dusseldorf 312 Geneva 29
Post Applications withdrawn Hanoi 12 Islamabad 12,350 Istanbul 123 Kiev 3 Kingston 780 Kinshasa 41 Lagos 2,060 Los Angeles 925 Madras 1,076 Madrid 5 Manila 126 Nairobi 139 New Delhi 5,549 Oslo 133 Peking 35 Paris 1,917 Quito 338 Rome 236 Sana'a 348 Sarajevo 8 Stockholm 47 Tashkent 2 Tehran 1,639 Tunis 245 Washington 111 Wellington 140 The number of applicants who choose not to withdraw their application is not separately recorded.
Figures for 1999 will not be available until posts complete their 1999 Annual Statistical Return early in the year 2000. These figures are not collected monthly.
§ Fiona MactaggartTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors underlie the decisions on which posts abroad operate a pre-sift system in dealing with applications for visit visas. [81689]
§ Mr. Tony LloydThe decision to introduce a "sift" at any post can be taken only with the agreement of Migration and Visa Division. The factors taken into account will include overall numbers of applicants and the time each has to wait. Where a post experiences a large number of inadequately documented applications or visit visa applicants who have no connection with the UK or who are unclear about what they intend to do there, a "sift" may be introduced. The benefits of the "sift" procedure are that it prevents unnecessary work for the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) and saves time, money and the disappointment of a refusal for the applicant. In addition, it shortens the waiting time for the well-prepared and well-supported applicant.
Any decision not to proceed is the applicant's. If he/she wishes to pursue the application it will be accepted on payment of the appropriate fee.