Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 May 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 11 May 2001. It was answered by Keith Vaz (Labour) on Friday, 11 May 2001 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the nature of the reduction in the amount of paperwork required from applicants for entry clearance at Islamabad.

Answer: Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the nature of the reduction in the amount of paperwork required from applicants for entry clearance at Islamabad. [160843] Mr. Vaz: The visa section in Islamabad has recently significantly improved the service they offer. A special exercise conducted in March reduced the non-settlement queue from 42 working days to a same day service and brought all the settlement queues back within the Ministerially agreed targets. Alongside the special exercise, it was felt that less emphasis should be placed upon the documents submitted with an application when making a decision on the case. Islamabad formerly produced forms which listed in great detail the documents that an applicant should submit with each type of application. Applicants are offered the INF series of visa information leaflets, which clearly explain the Immigration Rules and how to make an application.

Secondary information