Summary
Entry clearance, normally in the form of a visa,
is required for over 100 nationalities prior to travel to the
United Kingdom, whatever the purpose of their journey. In addition,
people of all nationalities who intend to enter for certain purposes,
including to settle or to marry, must also obtain entry clearance.
Responsibility for entry clearance is allocated between
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Home Office. UKvisas
is the joint FCO/Home Office body responsible for managing the
entry clearance operation and implementing immigration controls
at visa-issuing posts overseas. In 2002-03 UKvisas dealt with
1.94 million visa applications at 162 Embassies, High Commissions
and Consulates worldwide.
On the basis of a Report by the Comptroller and Auditor
General,[1] we examined
the work of UKvisas in managing the entry clearance operation
at visa-issuing posts overseas. Demand for visas has increased
by over 33% in the past five years, placing increased pressure
on the entry clearance operation. UKvisas has responded by making
significant efforts to streamline its procedures for processing
entry clearance applications. But there is a tension between achieving
a more efficient process and allowing sufficient time to apply
robust checks, and at times, staff felt that efficiency took precedence
over the application of effective controls. UKvisas is developing
a number of ways to improve its emphasis on control, through better
risk assessment and through tackling specific abuses such as bogus
students. But the lack of feedback on the subsequent actions of
visa holders after entry to the United Kingdom makes it impossible
for UKvisas to evaluate whether it is achieving its objectives.
We also explored the operation of the European Community
Association Agreements (ECAA) in Bulgaria and Romania, where allegations
were made that applications were being granted despite the concerns
of entry clearance staff. A difference of opinion between Home
Office and UKvisas staff in the standards which should be applied
to such applications was not satisfactorily resolved. This failure
to resolve the dispute, together with ineffective communication
and a lack of monitoring, resulted in over 7,000 people entering
the United Kingdom under the scheme, of which entry clearance
staff estimated that they would have issued visas to fewer than
10% of them.
1 C&AG's Report, Visa entry to the United Kingdom
- the entry clearance operation (HC 367, Session 2003-04) Back
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