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22 Jun 2004 : Column 1380W—continued
Sham Marriages
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alleged sham marriages have been reported to his Department by marriage registrars, and from which registries, in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many of those cases were sham marriages in respect of which enforcement action was taken by his Department. [177009]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 7 June 2004]: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate has received the following notifications of alleged sham marriages from registrar offices over the past three years;
2001: 756 notifications from 126 Registrar districts
2002: 205 notifications from 154 Registrar districts
2003: 2,712 notifications from 188 Registrar districts
In the last financial year, enforcement teams in London have conducted operations at over 60 weddings resulting in the arrest of 110 individuals. These operations have not only resulted in the removal from the United Kingdom of illegal immigrants but 37 of those arrested were charged with criminal offences.
Following information received through existing intelligence channels and concerns raised by Registrars on the increasing number of potential sham marriages, and the limited powers of registrars to prevent them, the Government have recently announced a number of measures that are being taken to protect the integrity of UK marriage ceremonies.
A joint team of caseworkers and immigration officers has been set up to analyse intelligence and follow up reports from Registrars more effectively.
Extra enforcement operations are being conducted, with more operations at registry offices against sham marriages and those who organise them.
A joint working group between the Home Office and Registrars has been established to share intelligence and enable enforcement efforts to be better targeted.
As the Home Secretary set out in his statement to the House on 22 April the Government will also shortly be bringing forward legislation to restrict the capacity to authorise marriage involving non-EEA nationals to designated register offices, which will enable us to focus our enforcement efforts into a more concentrated area, and also allow intelligence and expertise on marriage abuse to be built up in these dedicated centres. In addition, we will be introducing a new pre-marriage lawful status eligibility requirement for marriages involving non-EEA foreign nationals to further deal with those seeking to circumvent immigration controls by entering into sham marriages. In such cases registrars would be given the power to refuse to accept notification of marriage in the absence of a document from the Home Office or an entry clearance for marriage.
Home Office officials will be working closely with Registrars to ensure that our proposals achieve the necessary balance between facilitating the vast majority of genuine marriage applicants and tackling abuse.
It is not possible to provide historical statistics regarding previous activity to counter marriage abuse as such information has only recently started to be recorded in a form that can be easily collated.
UK Settlement
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been admitted to the UK as (a) spouses, (b) fiancées and (c) children for a limited period prior to settlement, broken down by nationality, in each year since 1979. [177032]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 8 June 2004]: The latest available data relating to the number of people admitted to the United Kingdom for a limited period prior to settlement, by the requested categories, have been placed in the Library.
To provide the data for the entire period would incur disproportionate cost.
Detailed statistics on immigration control are published in the Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom" also available from the Library and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/commandpubs1.html. The latest edition is that for 2002 (Cm6053).
David Davis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been granted settlement in the UK in each year since 1979 on the basis of
22 Jun 2004 : Column 1382W
(a) employment, (b) asylum, (c) family formation and reunion and (d) other discretionary grants, broken down by (i) nationality and (ii) age of applicant. [177091]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 8 June 2004]: It is not possible to provide the information in the format or for the period requested as this would incur disproportionate costs.
The latest available information has been provided on:
Grants of settlement by category of grant, excluding EEA nationals
Grants of settlement on removal of time limit by age, excluding EEA nationals
Grants of settlement by nationality, including EEA nationals
Copies have been placed in the Library.
Detailed statistics on immigration control are published in the Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom" also available in the Library, and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/commandpubs1.html
The latest edition is that for 2002 (Cm6053).
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's liaison and co-operation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. [177930]
Mr. Browne: The UK is currently the fifth largest donor to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Government gave the organisation £25 million in 2003–04. Both the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Home Office work with UNHCR in a number of areas. DFID's regional staff work closely with UNHCR on refugee protection projects all over the world, and its London-based staff liaise with UNHCR's headquarters over programme strategy and financial management. The Home Office also works closely with UNHCR on a number of issues including on the Gateway Protection Programme (resettlement) and voluntary returns.
Work Permits
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits have been granted in each year since 1979, broken down by (a) country, (b) occupational earnings category and (c) duration of employment. [177101]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 8 June 2004]: The number of work permits granted in each year since 1995 broken down by (a) country and (b) duration of employment is as follows:
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| Duration | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 1 year | 5,829 | 5,878 | 7,048 | 7,938 | 6,466 | 9,802 | 11,560 | 11,895 | 11,419 |
| 1–2 years | 4,422 | 5,269 | 7,065 | 9,008 | 10,097 | 13,726 | 16,517 | 16,429 | 24,182 |
| 2–3 years | 4,508 | 5,676 | 6,883 | 7,876 | 10,917 | 18,190 | 22,379 | 24,032 | 19,738 |
| 3–4 years | 4,570 | 4,975 | 6,035 | 6,464 | 7,142 | 10,139 | 10,666 | 9,896 | 10,355 |
| 4–5 years | 2,892 | 3,558 | 4,662 | 6,580 | 8,546 | 14,866 | 29,087 | 39,056 | 47,989 |
| Others | 22,155 | 22,656 | 22,757 | 26,685 | 29,525 | 35,451 | 46,572 | 53,135 | 53,287 |
| Total | 44,376 | 48,012 | 54,450 | 64,551 | 72,693 | 102,174 | 136,781 | 154,443 | 166,970 |
No figures are available for the years preceding 1995. No figures are available showing occupational earnings categories.
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