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Written question asked by Lord Laird (Ulster Unionist Party), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Taylor of Holbeach (Conservative) on Wednesday, 10 April 2013.

Visas

Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 14 March (WA 94) whether they will publish annually the number of immigrants sponsored by each of the sponsoring employers registered under tiers 2 and 5 of the points-based system; whether such figures are maintained and available on application; and what were the numbers so sponsored overall in the last three years.[HL6341]

Answer

There are currently no plans to publish data relating to individual sponsoring employers. However, quarterly statistics are kept under review, taking into account the needs of users and burdens on suppliers and producers, in line with the

Code of Practice for Official Statistics. There was a total of 26,179 employers on the tier 2 and tier 5 register on 2 January 2013.

The numbers of certificates of sponsorship used to support an entry clearance or extension of stay application for the last three years are shown in the table below.

Applications from outside the UK for entry clearance visas for work, using certificates of sponsorship from employers
2010
 2011
 2012
*Total
 79,027
 77,740
 81,036
of which
Tier 2
 42,433
 39,508
 40,740
Tier 5
 36,594
 38,232
 40,296
Applications from within the UK for extensions of stay for work using certificates of sponsorship from employers
2010
 2011
 2012
*Total
 20,931
 18,065
 28,212
of which
Tier 2
 20,621
 17,744
 27,815
Tier 5
 310
 321
 397

Note: individuals may be counted more than once e.g. if they are sponsored for an entry clearance visa and subsequently sponsored for an extension, or if they are sponsored on more than one occasion

Source: Immigration Statistics October to December 2012 tables cs.02 and cs.03

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
744 cc340-2WA; HL6341
Session
2012-13
Related items
Visas
Monday, 3 June 2013
Written questions
House of Lords
Visas
Monday, 3 June 2013
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects
Employment Immigration controls Statistics Visas Sponsorship
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk