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Home Office

Answer

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government is taking to combat the illegal entry of Pakistani Pathan asylum seekers. [83891] Beverley Hughes: A four tier screening process is in place for all new asylum applicants. Those holding documentation establishing their identity and nationality undergo the first level of screening, which is photographing, fingerprinting and taking personal details. In all other cases, more in-depth screening is undertaken to ascertain nationality and identity along with the route taken to the United Kingdom. The highest level of screening is used in cases where prosecution is a possibility and these interviews are conducted under caution by specially trained officers. Country information is available to immigration officers to assist in establishing nationality. A pilot project took place at the Asylum Screening Unit in Croydon exploring ways of identifying nationality by the use of language analysis experts. Samples of conversations were forwarded to language experts to establish if the asylum applicant's language and dialect were consistent with his nationality. The results of this project are still being assessed. Flights identified as potentially `high risk' for carrying passengers who destroy their documents en route to the United Kingdom are met by specially designated and trained immigration officers who escort them to the immigration control for further examination. On a number of occasions full document checks are carried out on arriving flights to ascertain that passengers have the appropriate travel documentation. In addition specialist expertise and advice on passport and visa documentation is readily available from the British High Commission in Pakistan and this resource is used by the airlines when denying boarding to inadequately documented passengers.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

83891; 395 c713-4W;395 c712-3W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Asylum Immigration controls Undocumented migrants Pakistan

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk