12. Supplementary memorandum
submitted by the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS)
During the course of IAS giving oral evidence
to the Committee on 17 January 2006 the following requests for
further information were made:
QUESTIONS
[1] from the Chairman "Could you supply,
if you have not already, for the Committee a breakdown of which
posts you think from your experience are problematic, and that
is by reference to your success of appeals? Specifically the Committee
is going to go, in two groups, later this year to India and Pakistan
and Nigeria and Ghana, so perhaps you could tell us whether the
High Commissions in those four countries are ones that give you
particular concern because it would help us to know whether we
should be, as it were, looking for a culture of disbelief when
we go to those countries. Mr Best: Certainly we can supply
that."
[2] from Janet Dean MP "Mrs Dean: I understand
that 82% of family visit cases that went to appeal with you were
successful and, similarly, 65% of student visit cases were. Can
you tell us what percentage of cases referred to the IAS are actually
taken to appeal? Mr Yeo: Not off the top of my head, I
am afraid. We can get back to you on that."
ANSWERS
[1] The posts of main concern to IAS as to the
number and nature of refusals and the reasons as well as success
rates on appeal are Accra (Ghana), Islamabad (Pakistan), Dhaka
(Bangladesh), Lagos (Nigeria) and New Delhi (India). According
to the Home Office statistics the total number of appeals determined
against entry clearance refusals in 2004 were 44,375 of which
20,825 (47%) were allowed and 22,780 (51%) were dismissed (770
were withdrawn).
IN 2004-05
Lagos received 176,866
applications (an increase of 106% on the previous year). Of 1,369
settlement applications 464 were refused and of 175,497 non-settlement
applications 69,783 were refused (overall refusal rate 39.7%).
Islamabad received 169,234
applications (an increase of 40% on the previous year). Of 11,985
settlement applications 3,281 were refused and of 157,249 non-settlement
applications 73,359 were refused (overall refusal rate 45.3%).
Mumbai received 131,782
applications (an increase of 16% on the previous year). Of 3,255
settlement applications 811 were refused and of 128,527 non-settlement
applications 24,917 were refused (overall refusal rate 19.5%).
New Delhi received 116,111
applications (an increase of 9% on the previous year). Of 3,402
settlement applications 1,132 were refused and of 112,709 non-settlement
applications 31,231 were refused (overall refusal rate 27.9%).
Chennai (Madras) received
82,407 applications (an increase of 22% on the previous year).
Of 740 settlement applications 155 were refused and of 81,667
non-settlement applications 13,557 were refused (overall refusal
rate 16.6%).
Accra received 71,984
applications (a reduction on the previous year). Of 1,806 settlement
applications 444 were refused and of 70,178 non-settlement applications
39,962 were refused (overall refusal rate 56.1%).
Dhaka received 42,568
applications. Of 5,133 settlement applications 1,764 were refused
and of 37,435 non-settlement applications 17,389 were refused
(overall refusal rate 45.0%).
[2] Of the appeals in which we were instructed
28% of family visit appeals and 36% of student appeals were withdrawn
by us. Some withdrawals are because the client has failed to maintain
contact with us. With both categories one of the main reasons
for withdrawal on the instructions of the client is the length
of time it takes for an appeal to be heard (when both categories
by their nature require speedy appeals). Students may well have
found other courses in other countries not being prepared to wait
several months or longer for an appeal to be heard. Of course,
if withdrawn appeals (both by us and by the Home Office) are removed
from the calculation of successful outcomes then the respective
figures for IAS' success rates are 82% and 65%.
Keith Best
Chief Executive
3 March 2006
| 
