Memorandum submitted by Mr Kevan Jones
MP, Minister for Veterans, Ministry of Defence
Since the immigration changes were announced
on 21 May 2009, my Department has been leading on the arrangements
to make sure that ex-Gurkhas, many of whom are very old and cannot
speak English, get the right sort of information to help them
decide whether to come and live in the UK; and; if they do decide
to come, that arrangements are made to ensure their settlement
happens smoothly.
In October 2009 MOD opened a Gurkha Settlement
Office in Nepal. This office offers information about life in
the UK, free help to fill out the visa application form and help
with other documents. It has received nearly 4,000 visits, and
around 2,000 ex-Gurkhas and/or their dependents have registered
on the settlement office database for help with their visa application.
With the help of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, the lead Gurkha charity,
we have sent briefing teams to the East and West of Nepal to explain
the benefits of using the settlement office. In addition, both
we and the UKBA have sent briefing teams who have met with several
hundred ex-Gurkhas to explain how the new immigration arrangements
work.
In the UK, again in partnership with the Gurkha
Welfare Trust, we have enhanced our welfare arrangements in the
Gurkha Welfare Centre in Aldershot and in the Trust's offices
in Salisbury.
We have formed a Cross-Government Working Group
to address settlement issues. The Department of Work and Pensions
(DWP) have introduced fast-tracking arrangements for the allocation
of National Insurance numbers, the process for which starts in
Nepal. This means that for those using the MOD Gurkha Settlement
Office in Kathmandu there is no delay in getting benefits or employment.
The UKBA have introduced a special endorsement on the visa to
enable DWP to waive the normal three months' residency requirement
before receiving benefits. The Department of Community and Local
Government setting up a "National Housing Advisory Service"
for ex-Gurkhas. It is intended that this service will provide
housing advice and practical resettlement support to newly arriving
Gurkhas. It will advise them on their housing options and support
them to access the private rented sector. The service will include
provision for a rent deposit bond guarantee to facilitate access
and reduce the risk of homelessness. All Government departments
are sharing information to make sure that these ex-Gurkhas do
not have to navigate their way around the UK welfare system. In
addition, a local authority working group has been set up to ensure
that National and Local Government are joined up on the settlement
arrangements.
We understand that the UKBA have received over
6,600 visa applications from ex-Gurkhas and their dependants to
date and have authorised or issued over 3,650 visas. We do not
know how many of these ex-Gurkhas have found their way to the
UK but we have to assume that many have done so and settled without
any problems. However, I am aware from meetings that both myself
and my officials have had with the Service Charities that some
Gurkhas are falling through the safety net arrangements we have
put in place. These numbers are relatively small (around 120 welfare
cases) and in nearly all cases the individuals had not used the
free service of the settlement office in Nepal. Whilst the numbers
are small, they are distressing for the individual and his family.
Often these people appear to have been told by unscrupulous agents
in Nepal to expect to find that arrangements including accommodation
will already be in place when they touch down at the airport.
These stories coming through our welfare system and that of the
charities appear also to be corroborated by recent media stories
(I attach a recent press article on this subject).
I am concerned about such reports and I have
had a recent meeting with the Service charities to see what more
we might do to counteract any misinformation that may be propagated
by individuals who might seek to exploit these vulnerable people.
We will be increasing our efforts in Nepal to get information
out about the benefits of using the settlement office, particularly
the fast-tracking arrangements. I also intend, through the MOD
welfare system and with the help of the service charities, to
monitor closely the welfare cases in the UK to see if the work
we are doing in Nepal is as effective as it can be.
March 2010
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