Select Committee on Foreign Affairs Minutes of Evidence


ANNEX B

HANDLING OF EC APPLICATIONS AT OVERSEAS POSTS: THE TRIAGE SYSTEM

  1. The procedures for handling Entry Clearance applications at overseas Posts are as follows:

Preliminary Assessment—or "pre-sift"

  2. At certain posts queuing applicants are seen initially by an ECO. If they do not have the necessary documentation or they appear very unlikely to qualify for a visa they are invited, before a fee is paid, not to proceed with their application. If the applicant withdraws, the ECO provides a letter explaining that the application has not been refused. Applicants are entitled to proceed with the application despite advice or to return at a later date. Forty posts operate a pre-sift. Two point seventy-seven per cent of applicants withdrew at the pre-sift stage in 1996.

Tier 1

  3. After this initial assessment fees are collected and applications move to the Tier 1 stage. An ECO will examine the papers and if satisfied will authorise a visa for collection later that day or early the following day. If necessary an ECO may ask one or two questions to clear up minor points, but if the ECO has doubts s/he will move the applicant to a Tier 2 or Tier 3 interview (see below). An ECO has a target time of three minutes for dealing with a Tier 1 application. In 1997 69.0 per cent of total applications were dealt with at Tier 1.

Tier 2

  4. This involves a secondary examination at the counter of less straightforward applications, which are nevertheless likely to result in the issue of a visa. Target time for Tier 2 is 10 minutes in total. In 1997 18.4 per cent of all applications were dealt with at Tier 2.

Tier 3

  5. Visit applications which the ECO believes may lead to a refusal are handled at Tier 3. An interview is scheduled with the applicant within a target time of 10 working days. Questions and answers are recorded in writing. The target time for Tier 3 interviews is 30 minutes. In 1997 9.8 per cent of visit applications were dealt with at Tier 3; 53.71 per cent of them were refused. Paragraphs 31-35 contain more detail of action in case of refusals.

  6. Posts are required to alert MVD if the waiting time for Tier 3 interviews extends beyond 10 days. If temporary reinforcement staff are available, they will be despatched to post to help bring the queue back within the 10 day target.

Tier 4

  7. All settlement applications are dealt with at Tier 4 level. These involve an interview which is scheduled as quickly as possible. Because of the volume of settlement applications in certain posts in the Indian sub-continent, the Tier 4 queue at these is divided into four sub-queues with different waiting time targets. These are:

  Queue 1: Right of Abode claimants; dependent relatives over 65; special compassionate cases: three month maximum waiting time.

  Queue 2: Spouses, children under 18: three month maximum waiting time.

  Queue 3: Fiancé(e)s, other settlement categories: six months maximum waiting time.

  Queue 4: Re-applications: nine months waiting time.

  Details of actual waiting times at major posts in the Indian sub-Continent, as at 31 December, are at Annex C.

Migration and Visa Division

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

January 1998


 
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