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Written question asked by Siobhain McDonagh (Labour) on Friday, 2 September 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 September 2016. It was answered by Robert Goodwill (Conservative) on Monday, 12 September 2016 on behalf of the Home Office.


Entry Clearances

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Urdu speakers are employed at the (a) Home Office in Marsham Street, London and (b) British High Commission in Islamabad to investigate the background of people applying for entry clearance.

Answer

There are no Urdu speakers employed by the Home Office in Marsham Street involved in processing Entry Clearance, as entry clearance applications are not considered at that location. There are 11 Urdu speaking staff employed at the British High Commission in Islamabad and seven at the British embassy in Abu Dhabi involved in the processing of visa applications, including investigating the background of people applying for entry clearance.

Under our ‘hub and spoke’ arrangements, applications lodged in Pakistan for settlement, applications under the Points Based System, and EEA applications are processed at the Visa section in Sheffield. Applications lodged in Pakistan for visits are processed in Abu Dhabi. The British High Commission in Islamabad processes Official applications made in-house.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
44164
Session
2016-17
Subjects
Diplomatic service Entry clearances Home Office Staff Urdu
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk