Written question asked by Baroness Neville-Jones (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord West of Spithead (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 December 2009.

Visas

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the risk of individuals who pose a terrorist threat using the student visa system to enter the United Kingdom.

Answer: The integrity of the visa system is regularly assessed by the UK Border Agency and other government departments. All those applying for UK visas must submit fingerprints, which, in conjunction with their biographical data, are checked against a range of police and security databases. Those assessing visa applications are trained in identifying applicants who may pose a threat and taking appropriate action. The Government are committed to preventing those who pose a terrorist threat from entering the UK, and have a range of powers at their disposal in order to achieve this, including the ability to exclude individuals permanently from the UK.

Secondary information