HC Deb 13 January 2003 vol 397 cc455-6W
Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines are given to case workers at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to assist them in determining what constitutes(a) a straightforward and (b) a non-straightforward further leave to remain visa application. [88699]

Beverley Hughes

There are no specific guidelines. A straightforward application for leave to remain in the United Kingdom is one where it is clear from the information and evidence submitted that the requirements of the immigration rules are satisfied. An application which is not straightforward may require further inquiries, additional checks or discretionary consideration before it can be decided. Whether individual applications are straightforward depends on the individual circumstances of the case.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it is taking the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to process(a) a non-straightforward and (b) a straightforward further leave to remain visa application; and which month's post is being opened by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate with regard to visa applications. [88700]

Beverley Hughes

We aim normally to screen all postal applications within three weeks and decide those that are straightforward at that point. However, because of the high number of applications in the latter part of 2002, this is currently taking around 10 weeks on average. Some that are not straightforward because they need further inquiries or more detailed consideration can take around 12 months to decide, subject to how easy it is to obtain the information and how quickly applicants respond to such requests. We are taking measures to improve this situation and expect to make significant progress towards our three-week target for initial screening over the next two to three months, and to reduce the turnaround time for deciding more complex cases.

Postal applications received at the very end of December 2002 are currently being opened and details entered on to the General Casework Information Database. Those received in early January 2003 will be opened and entered very shortly and it is anticipated that the time-lag will be reduced to a week or less by the end of January.