§ 16. Ms Oona KingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken to reduce the backlog of immigration applications at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [116800]
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in reducing the backlog of outstanding immigration cases. [116801]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe backlog of immigration (that is general and settlement) cases has been reduced from 38,000 in June 1999 to 29,000 at the end of February.
We aim to clear the backlog by July this year. We have streamlined the process for dealing with the intake of after-entry casework. We have introduced revised procedures to speed up the consideration of cases and are allocating around 100 caseworkers to deal exclusively with backlog cases.
§ Mr. StunellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken by the Immigration and Nationality Department to speed up the processing of applications for indefinite leave to remain. [117330]
§ Mrs. RocheNew applications for indefinite leave to remain are currently being completed within about a week of receipt in straightforward cases that do not require any further inquiry or information. Those cases that cannot be decided upon initial examination will from 10 April be sent directly to dedicated caseworking teams for consideration which should help reduce delays caused by cases awaiting allocation to caseworkers for action. The time taken to complete each case will depend entirely upon its complexity.
§ Mr. StunellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used in assessing claims for indefinite leave to remain made by foreign nationals. [117331]
§ Mrs. RocheAll applications for indefinite leave to remain are assessed against either the requirements of the relevant categories of the Immigration Rules or the criteria in any specific concessions outside the Rules, or are considered exceptionally in the light of the particular circumstances of the individual case where the application is made on compassionate grounds.
§ Mr. StunellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was(a) the average and (b) the longest time taken by the Immigration and Nationality Department to process applications for indefinite leave to remain first lodged in (i) January 1996, (ii) January 1997, (iii) January 1998, (iv) January 1999 and (v) January 2000. [117329]
§ Mrs. RocheThe available information, which relates to applications decided in calendar years 1996 to 1998, is set out in the table. There was a reorganisation of caseworking practices at the beginning of 1999, and an analysis of decisions taken subsequently has not yet been undertaken.
The time taken to process an application for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom is affected by a number of factors, including the complexity of individual cases. About 70 per cent. of all new applications are currently being decided within two weeks. New 66W applications for indefinite leave to remain that do not require further inquiry or information are currently being completed within about a week. Applications where further inquiries are needed may take considerably longer. However, streamlined procedures have been introduced throughout the Integrated Casework Directorate to speed up the consideration of all applications and these processes are regularly reviewed.
Year of decision Average time (in days) to decide applications for indefinite leave to remain 1996 46 1997 53 1998 72