For courses starting from 1 January 2024, students will only be able to bring dependants if they are on a PhD, other doctoral qualification, or a research-based higher degree, or in receipt of a full government scholarship. If a student is unsure of what level their course is, they should check with their sponsor or the course details on their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

Our guidance products are regularly updated to reflect changes to the immigration rules and such an update was published following the rules changes of 17 July 2023. The Home Office regularly engages with stakeholders regarding policy changes.

Visa processing times for family migration applications are updated regularly on gov.uk.

Refugee family reunion visa processing is currently outside of service standard. We are committed to improving and speeding up processing times for family reunion applications and are reviewing our processes to streamline decision making to enable us to provide a better service to all our customers

I would be happy to look into the case for the hon. Gentleman, but I can say to him that we are processing applications in third countries within service standards. We have closed the visa application centre in Khartoum for obvious reasons to protect the security of our staff and contractors, but we have teams in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and in other close countries who are there to support applicants, such as his constituents.

The Home Office publishes data on visas in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release(opens in a new tab)’. Data on the number of ‘Seasonal Worker’ visas granted are published in table Vis_D02 of the Entry clearance visas applications and outcomes(opens in a new tab) dataset.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2022.

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar(opens in a new tab)’.

Russian nationals who are in the UK with permission to stay in a non-visit capacity can, before their permission ends, apply from within the UK to extend or vary their permission. Russian nationals who are visiting are expected to leave the UK before the end of their visa.

Our offer to international students is extremely competitive and ensures that we continue to attract the best and brightest students from around the world.

The Government’s International Education Strategy set out a target of attracting 600,000 international Higher Education students to the UK by 2030, which we have achieved almost a decade early.

The public also rightly expects us to control immigration and ensure we have a system that works in the UK’s best interests.

As the Growth Plan set out, the Government is looking at how immigration contributes to growth and will set out further details in due course.

The appropriate number of operators is a collaborative decision made by Defra and the Home Office. It is based on operator capacity to source seasonal workers and uphold sponsorship responsibilities, ensuring the visa route is well managed and worker welfare and exploitation risks are mitigated.

In 2019 and 2020, the Seasonal Workers visa route had two operators for 2,500 visas and 10,000 visas respectively. In 2021 and 2022 there were four operators for 30,000 visas and, to accommodate for the release of the extra 10,000 visas (8,000 visas going to the horticulture sector and 2,000 to the poultry sector) several additional operators will be required.

Defra will continue to closely monitor the supply of labour to UK horticulture throughout the year, working with operators and sector growers to ensure there is sufficient labour to bring home the harvest this summer.

On 24 December 2021, the Government announced that the Seasonal Worker Visa Route has been extended to 2024 to allow overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible and ornamental crops. An initial allocation of 30,000 visas was made available in 2022. This was being kept under review with the potential to increase by up to 10,000 visas if there was evidence of need.

We have just announced in the Food Strategy that the Government will release an extra 10,000 visas for the Seasonal Worker visa route (bringing the total to 40,000 visas for 2022) with 8,000 of these going to the horticulture sector and 2,000 to the poultry sector.

A Request for Information (RFI) to recruit additional operators for the horticulture and poultry sectors went live Monday 27 June 2022. The RFI is for one additional operator for the horticulture sector and two operators for the poultry sector. This brings the total number of operators for the horticulture sector to five and two for the poultry sector.

While acknowledging the sector’s reliance on foreign workers the Government has been clear that more must be done to attract UK workers through offering training, career options, wage increases and to invest in increased automation technology.

Defra works with the agriculture sector and other government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including for both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the farming workforce.

Following an announcement in the Food Strategy White Paper the extra 10,000 visas have now been released for the Seasonal Worker Visa Route (bringing the total to 40,000 visas for 2022) with 8,000 of these going to the horticulture sector and 2,000 to the poultry sector.

We will continue to monitor the labour needs of the agriculture sector and the impacts of these additional visas.

Details of the numbers of visas granted for seasonal workers as of 27 June 2021, through the Seasonal Worker Visa Route, have been published in the usual way via the Home Office’s quarterly immigration statistics. Similarly, details of the numbers granted as at June this year will be published in the Home Office’s immigration statistics.

All workers entering the UK via the Seasonal Worker Visa Route will reside in the UK for the length of stay of their visas.

Details of the numbers of visas granted for seasonal workers as of 27 June 2021, through the Seasonal Worker Visa Route, have been published in the usual way via the Home Office’s quarterly immigration statistics. Similarly, details of the numbers granted as at June this year will be published in the Home Office’s immigration statistics.

All workers entering the UK via the Seasonal Worker Visa Route will reside in the UK for the length of stay of their visas.

Due to supporting the Home Office’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, applications for Entry Clearance under our economic routes are currently taking longer than our published service standard.

With the return of staff to the teams who handle these cases, alongside additional resources also being deployed the length of time taken to receive a visa in these routes is reducing.

Visa statistics relating to the number of visas issued under any aspect of the temporary scheme will be released in the usual way by the Home Office as part of their quarterly immigration statistics reporting requirements.

Information regarding workers and organisations involved in the temporary visa schemes will be managed by our scheme operators. This information is commercially sensitive and not held by Defra.

The temporary visa schemes for poultry, food sector HGV drivers and pork butchers were facilitated by the ‘Temporary Work - Seasonal Worker’ visa route, which requires approved scheme operators to sponsor workers entering the UK.

Pilot operators select, sponsor and monitor migrants, and adhere to all Home Office requirements in practice, including those on migrant safety and welfare. The Seasonal Workers Pilot requires operators to ensure that all workers have a safe working environment; are treated fairly, paid properly including time off and breaks; are housed in safe hygienic accommodation; that their passport is never withheld from them; and that robust systems are in place for the reporting of concerns and rapid action.

More information about the Seasonal Workers Pilot RFI can be found on the Government website:

Seasonal Workers Pilot request for information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Government does not currently plan reintroduce the scheme for temporary visas to poultry workers in 2022. We will however monitor the position closely.

Our points-based system allows for many roles in poultry production to be recruited via the Skilled Worker route, such as poultry processors, bird dressers, pluckers, trussers and butchers for all meats.

We are working to implement the decision taken on 14^th October to make available temporary visas for pork butchers.

This requires changes to the Immigration Rules and operational processes across both the Home Office and Defra. Further details will be provided in due course.

Butchers can also be recruited under the Skilled Worker Route.

The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O) route opens for applications from 31 January 2021.

BN(O) citizens and their partners with permission on the Hong Kong BN(O) route may give notice of their intention to get married or form a civil partnership, but a referral to Home Office immigration for investigation may take place.

Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships

The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; this includes those who are currently in the UK as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner.

A person with six months’ leave as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner whose wedding or civil ceremony has been delayed due to coronavirus may request additional time to stay, also known as exceptional assurance, and extend their leave until their wedding or civil partnership takes place.

Otherwise, applicants can apply to extend their stay for a further six months to allow their ceremony to take place. The current family Immigration Rules allow a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner to apply for an extension of leave if there is good reason for their wedding or civil partnership not taking place during the initial six-month period of leave to enter. Cancellation of a wedding due to COVID-19 will be considered a good reason under this policy. Further information is set out for customers on GOV.UK and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents#if-youre-applying-to-enter-the-uk-or-remain-on-the-basis-of-family-or-private-life

On 27 January, the Government announced details of the reformed Global Talent visa, including a new fast-track scheme for top scientists, researchers and mathematicians, which would be managed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). These changes are part of an initial phase of wider reforms to enable those with world-class specialist skills to come to the UK.

The Government will continue to work closely with the existing Endorsing Bodies, including UKRI, and the wider scientific community. As part of this development we will discuss the inclusion of additional endorsing bodies.