§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications were made for visa renewal in each year since 1997; and what was the(a) average and (b) upper decile time taken to determine applications in each year. [25997]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 11 January 2002]: Statistics on the number of general and settlement applications for further leave to remain received and the upper decile time taken to determine applications are not available.
Information on the number of applications decided, 1997 to 2000 is given in the table.
The average time, in days, to decide applications for further leave to remain in the United Kingdom was 46 in 1997 and 49 in 1998. This includes applications decided on the day in the Public Enquiry Offices and excludes asylum-related decisions. Comparable data for later years are not available.
Decisions on applications for an extension of leave to remain1 in the United Kingdom and settlement2, excluding EEA nationals 1997–2000 Total decisions 1997 166,580 1998 160,080 1999 178,810 2000 249,920 1 Excludes dependants of principal applicants, asylum related decisions, the outcome of appeals and withdrawn applications. 2 Excludes 'in line' dependants and the outcome of appeals.
§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to investigate the delays in processing the visa application Ref. N1048443, date of birth 15 May 1972; if he will set up an inquiry into the reasons for the delay; and if he will make a statement. [25635]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 10 January 2002]: This case has been reviewed by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), the result of which is set out in my reply of 16 January 2002 to the hon. Member's letter of 19 December 2001. I apologise to the hon. Member and his constituent for IND' s mishandling of this case but as the circumstances have been established I see no grounds for setting up an inquiry.
363W
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend the time span for visas for those studying in this country. [26783]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 14 January 2002]: Students who have been accepted for a course of study will normally be granted leave to enter or remain to cover the whole duration of the course, unless there is any reason not to do so. Subject to the requirements of the Immigration Rules being met, students on courses of one year or more that finish in the summer will be granted leave until 31 October following the end of the course. For courses that do not follow the standard autumn to summer pattern, an additional two months leave is added to the end of course date. These extra months give students the opportunity to plan the next step of their career. Information regarding the length of leave to enter or remain to be granted to students may be found on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website in the Immigration Directorate Instructions (Chapter 3).