§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits to enter and work in the UK have been applied for in each of the last 24 months; and how many have been granted in each of the last 24 months. [113600]
158W
§ Beverley HughesBetween 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2003 Work Permits considered a total of 331,277 applications for work permits, of which 297,331 were approved. The following table provides a monthly breakdown of the number of work permits approved and refused during that period:
Month Approved Refused Total Number of Applications
2001 April 10,595 673 11,268 May 12,453 669 13,122 June 12,674 696 13,370 July 12,682 832 13,514 August 12,439 1,005 13,444 September 10,701 933 11,634 October 12,288 1,012 13,300 November 10,865 797 11,662 December 9,014 831 9,845 January 12,493 1,178 13,671 February 10,917 1,287 12,204 March 12,452 1,527 13,979 2002 April 13,627 1,560 15,187 May 14,301 1,363 15,664 June 12,223 1,068 13,291 July 15,499 1,466 16,965 August 13,860 1,431 15,291 September 13,239 1,639 14,878 October 13,439 2,351 15,790 November 11,778 2,093 13,871 December 10,615 1,728 12,343 January 13,117 2,543 15,660 February 11,818 2,730 14,548 March 14,242 2,534 16,776 Total 297,331 33,946 331,277