Written question asked by Damian Green (Conservative) on Thursday, 8 November 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 November 2007. It was answered by Kim Howells (Labour) on Monday, 19 November 2007 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Entry Clearances

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people, including their dependants, from outside the EEA were given permission to (a) enter and (b) stay on in the UK in a visa category which could lead to them being granted the right to settle in each of the last five years; and how many of these permissions were in work-related categories.

Answer: Although the information is not available in the format requested, the relevant statistics on immigration control are published in the 'Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom, 2006' Command Paper. Copies are available in the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:"www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html."The following sections provide information on the reason for entry/stay in the UK for non-European Economic Area nationals and their dependents."Section 2 Passengers give leave to enter;""Section 4 Decisions on applications for leave to remain; and""Section 5 Grants of settlement."

Secondary information