§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if illegal immigrants who have spent a long period of time in the UK will be considered for deportation in the same way as those who have just arrived in the country. [88857]
§ Beverley HughesLength of residence in the United Kingdom is one of the factors taken into account when deciding whether or not to remove an illegal entrant. Other factors include: age; strength of connections with the United Kingdom; personal history; domestic circumstances; previous criminal record and the nature of any offence of which the person has been convicted (where applicable); any compassionate circumstances; and any representations received on the person's behalf.
Under the Long Residence Concession, persons who have continuously been in the United Kingdom for 14 years unlawfully, or a mixture of lawfully and unlawfully, before the commencement of enforcement action are normally given indefinite leave to remain unless there are strong countervailing factors.
In addition, it is our policy not to proceed with enforcement action against those families where there are children who have lived continuously in the United Kingdom for seven years or more. However, there may be cases where it is appropriate to depart from this policy, for example, if one of the parents has been convicted of a serious offence.
§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people he estimates are in the UK illegally but not in contact with authorities. [88858]
§ Beverley HughesThere is currently no official estimate of the number of immigrants unlawfully present in the United Kingdom who are not in contact with the authorities. The Home Office has commissioned a review of methods of estimating the size of the illegally resident population used in other countries.