Written questions by Dodds.

What assessment was made of the potential impact on atrocity prevention in the decision to introduce student visa breaks for nationals of Sudan.

Equality Impact Assessments have been completed in line with the Equality Act 2010 for the emergency brakes on Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. These were completed alongside extensive cross-government assessments and consultations as each nationality was under consideration.The UK takes its humanitarian, development, and conflict prevention work seriously and remains committed to supporting countries affected by conflict, instability, and poverty. In Afghanistan, the UK’s £151 million aid programme (equivalent to 13.3 billion Afghanis) provides lifesaving support to vulnerable communities, with a commitment that at least half of those reached are women and girls.The UK is equally committed to supporting people in Sudan, Myanmar, and neighbouring regions. The UK provides £146 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan this financial year, assisting over 2.5 million people since the conflict began in 2023. In Myanmar, the UK continues to support a more stable future for the population, providing humanitarian assistance to more than 1.4 million people in the past year and essential health services to 1.3 million. Since the 2021 military coup, the UK has supplied over £190 million in assistance to help address the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.As set out in the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government remains committed to the introduction of capped safe and legal routes for refugees and displaced people to come to the United Kingdom. These new safe and legal routes will start this autumn with a student refugee route, with the first arrivals in Autumn 2027. Dedicated humanitarian routes are the appropriate way to combine compassion and control with securing our border.Continuing to operate a Study route where, for example, in the past 3 years more Afghan students claimed asylum than we issued new student visas in each year, does not achieve the appropriate balance between compassion, control and a secure border.The Impact Assessment published alongside the Statement of Changes on 5 March sets out the anticipated costs and potential savings of the visa brakes.

What assessment was made of the potential impact of the decision to introduce student visa breaks for nationals of Sudan and Afghanistan on access to higher education in those countries.

Equality Impact Assessments have been completed in line with the Equality Act 2010 for the emergency brakes on Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. These were completed alongside extensive cross-government assessments and consultations as each nationality was under consideration.The UK takes its humanitarian, development, and conflict prevention work seriously and remains committed to supporting countries affected by conflict, instability, and poverty. In Afghanistan, the UK’s £151 million aid programme (equivalent to 13.3 billion Afghanis) provides lifesaving support to vulnerable communities, with a commitment that at least half of those reached are women and girls.The UK is equally committed to supporting people in Sudan, Myanmar, and neighbouring regions. The UK provides £146 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan this financial year, assisting over 2.5 million people since the conflict began in 2023. In Myanmar, the UK continues to support a more stable future for the population, providing humanitarian assistance to more than 1.4 million people in the past year and essential health services to 1.3 million. Since the 2021 military coup, the UK has supplied over £190 million in assistance to help address the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.As set out in the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government remains committed to the introduction of capped safe and legal routes for refugees and displaced people to come to the United Kingdom. These new safe and legal routes will start this autumn with a student refugee route, with the first arrivals in Autumn 2027. Dedicated humanitarian routes are the appropriate way to combine compassion and control with securing our border.Continuing to operate a Study route where, for example, in the past 3 years more Afghan students claimed asylum than we issued new student visas in each year, does not achieve the appropriate balance between compassion, control and a secure border.The Impact Assessment published alongside the Statement of Changes on 5 March sets out the anticipated costs and potential savings of the visa brakes.

Whether a cost-benefit analysis was conducted of the visa brake being applied to Sudanese and Afghan students.

Equality Impact Assessments have been completed in line with the Equality Act 2010 for the emergency brakes on Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. These were completed alongside extensive cross-government assessments and consultations as each nationality was under consideration.The UK takes its humanitarian, development, and conflict prevention work seriously and remains committed to supporting countries affected by conflict, instability, and poverty. In Afghanistan, the UK’s £151 million aid programme (equivalent to 13.3 billion Afghanis) provides lifesaving support to vulnerable communities, with a commitment that at least half of those reached are women and girls.The UK is equally committed to supporting people in Sudan, Myanmar, and neighbouring regions. The UK provides £146 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan this financial year, assisting over 2.5 million people since the conflict began in 2023. In Myanmar, the UK continues to support a more stable future for the population, providing humanitarian assistance to more than 1.4 million people in the past year and essential health services to 1.3 million. Since the 2021 military coup, the UK has supplied over £190 million in assistance to help address the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.As set out in the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government remains committed to the introduction of capped safe and legal routes for refugees and displaced people to come to the United Kingdom. These new safe and legal routes will start this autumn with a student refugee route, with the first arrivals in Autumn 2027. Dedicated humanitarian routes are the appropriate way to combine compassion and control with securing our border.Continuing to operate a Study route where, for example, in the past 3 years more Afghan students claimed asylum than we issued new student visas in each year, does not achieve the appropriate balance between compassion, control and a secure border.The Impact Assessment published alongside the Statement of Changes on 5 March sets out the anticipated costs and potential savings of the visa brakes.

If the new community sponsorship safe routes will be open to nationals from Sudan and Afghanistan.

In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced persons.The Named sponsorship routes will enable community groups to identify and select refugees and displaced persons to sponsor.Eligibility requirements for the route, including who can be sponsored, have yet to be set. Further details, including eligibility requirements, will be set out in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 119435 on Asylum: Sudan, how many of those who claimed asylum were Chevening Scholars.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Available data on asylum claims linked to study visas for Sudan is referenced in the answer to Question 119435.The requested information on asylum claims from Chevening scholars is not available from published statistics.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

Whether her Department operates a policy of ending study visas for nationalities where asylum claims from students go beyond a certain percentage.

From 26 March 2026, we will refuse sponsored study visa applications from main applicants outside of the UK who are nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan. Additionally, we will refuse Skilled Worker visa applications from main applicants outside of the UK who are nationals of Afghanistan. Almost 8,000 students from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan and Cameroon have claimed asylum since 2021. This is over 470% of their 2021 level. Without action, asylum claims will start to outstrip visas issued – and in the case of Afghan workers has already done so.Due to the impact of asylum claims on border operations and the wider immigration system, these high numbers are not sustainable. The UK keeps its visa system under regular review and decisions on changes are informed by a range of factors.

How many Sudanese nationals with student visas claimed asylum in the UK in the last five years.

The Home Office publishes breakdowns of the number of people claiming asylum after entering the UK with a visa or other leave, by nationality and latest leave held prior to claim, for the top five nationalities in Asy_01e. This table does not currently include a full nationality breakdown. The total number of people claiming asylum after entering the UK on a visa or other leave is published in Asy_01d for Sudan.The Home Office does publish a full nationality breakdown of data on asylum claims and initial decisions, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The latest data relates to the year ending December 2025.A full Impact Assessment has been published for the Visa Brake policy; see Table 1 for historic volumes of asylum claims linked to visa for the relevant nationalities and routes in scope of the Brake.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her recent decision on Sudanese student visas on the Chevening Scholarship programme.

The decision to introduce a visa brake on the Student visa route for Sudan and the other three nationalities was based on data-driven migration and border security considerations. While we recognise that most people who apply to study in the UK do so genuinely, the evidence is clear that the Student route for these nationalities has been a source of a high number and high proportion of visa-linked asylum claims. We have therefore acted to halt this unacceptable strain on our asylum system, and to ensure that the system remains fair, credible, and sustainable.This decision may be disappointing to nationals of these countries who wished to join the Chevening Scholarship programme. The visa brake was introduced on account of patterns of visa-linked asylum claims by nationality and we have no plans, at present, to provide exceptions for the Chevening Scholarship programme or any other scholarship programme.

With reference to her oral statement of 17 November 2025 on Asylum Policy, what her timeline is for establishing a Named Community Sponsorship scheme.

In the Restoring Order and Control Statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes.The Government is working with a range of stakeholders, including civil society, to design and develop the new sponsored pathways to ensure they work for beneficiaries, stakeholders and government. Stakeholder engagement is ongoing throughout the design process.Work is underway to operationalise these new routes and further details will be provided in due course.

With reference to her oral statement of 17 November 2025 on Asylum Policy, what steps her Department has taken to engage civil society in the establishment of a Named Community Sponsorship scheme.

In the Restoring Order and Control Statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes.The Government is working with a range of stakeholders, including civil society, to design and develop the new sponsored pathways to ensure they work for beneficiaries, stakeholders and government. Stakeholder engagement is ongoing throughout the design process.Work is underway to operationalise these new routes and further details will be provided in due course.

With reference to her oral statement of 17 November 2025 on Asylum Policy, what discussions she has had with her Canadian counterpart on the operation of Named Community Sponsorship schemes.

In the Restoring Order and Control Statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes.The Government is working with a range of stakeholders, including civil society, to design and develop the new sponsored pathways to ensure they work for beneficiaries, stakeholders and government. Stakeholder engagement is ongoing throughout the design process.Work is underway to operationalise these new routes and further details will be provided in due course.

What the cost is of processing a citizen application fee-waiver for under 18s.

The Home Office has previously estimated the cost of processing fee waivers for under 18s applying for British citizenship in the Impact Assessment published alongside the Fee Regulations introducing the waiver in June 2022 – please see at page 8 of the following link: The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2022.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the ability of airports to complete full customs checks on small packages imported from abroad in the last 12 months.

Border Force work closely with law enforcement partners to share intelligence and have a strong track record in targeting illicit commodities via a threat and intelligence led approach; and we continue to examine goods brought into the UK by passengers are appropriately declared and abide by customs and excise rules. Border Force has an excellent relationship with airport security personnel nationally, ensuring they are aware and able to identify potential smuggling risks. If, when carrying out their security function, airline staff identify a person who may be of interest to Border Force, they will share that information, allowing Border Force Officers (BFOs) to take appropriate action. Border Force examines thousands of parcels arriving into the UK every day as part of Border Security checks. Border Force has had a record-breaking year in terms of seizures, highlighting our ability to complete high volumes of checks, with data available via Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

What information her Department holds on whether any airports are unable to complete customs checks on small packages to expected standards.

In the interests of border security, it is longstanding Home Office policy to not disclose information of a port or region-specific nature. This is because it could allow an individual with malintent the ability to identify any potential weak points in the UK Border.

What information her Department holds on the potential impact of airport staffing on the ability of airports to complete customs checks on small packages imported from abroad.

Border Force has an intelligence-led approach to how it assesses the many threats to the UK Border and is robust in how it deploys resource. Border Force operates a flexible resourcing model, regularly assessing operational needs and deploying staff dynamically in response to passenger volumes, security requirements and developing threats.

What assessment she has made of the extent to which the ten recommendations from the IOPC report 'National learning recommendations and responses - EIP searches of children, published on 19 March 2024 have been implemented.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) ‘National Learning Recommendations re: Exposure of Intimate Parts Searches of Children’ report made ten recommendations. Seven recommendations have been fully implemented, and work is ongoing for the other three. Progress on these is set out below:Recommendation 1, Updating Authorised Professional Practice Guidance: The College of Policing has reviewed and is in the process of updating the Authorised Professional Practice guidance, which will embed trauma-informed and child-centred principles.Recommendation 2, Provision of Appropriate Adults: The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has worked closely with forces to ensure that officers understand the legislative requirements for providing Appropriate Adults during searches of children. They have also engaged with stakeholders to develop and disseminate clear information to help children in custody understand how Appropriate Adults can and should support them.Recommendation 3, Child First Approach: The College of Policing is reviewing and updating guidance and training materials to reinforce a child-centred, trauma-informed, approach to searches of children.Recommendation 4, Coordination of National Policing Response: The Home Office has fostered greater collaboration across policing partners by convening regular engagement with the NPCC, College of Policing, and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, to ensure that the response to the IOPC’s recommendations is coordinated, evidence-based and embedded in frontline practice.Recommendation 5, Annual Data Requirements (ADR): The ADR has been significantly expanded to create a more comprehensive and robust dataset, enabling clearer monitoring of police practice and better-informed safeguarding assessments. Forces are now required to provide detailed and consistent information on searches that expose intimate parts, both in custody and under stop and search powers. This includes the geographic location of the search, whether a supervisor was consulted, and whether an Appropriate Adult was present. The latest stop and search data, published on GOV.UK recently (Stop and search, arrests, and mental health detentions, March 2025 - GOV.UK), includes additional details on strip searches. Data on searches in custody is due to be published in March 2026.Recommendation 6, Data Collection and Monitoring: The NPCC has implemented regular data monitoring procedures, so that the circumstances and rationale for child strip searches are consistently reviewed. Any issues or learning identified through these reviews are addressed by the Custody Leadership Team within each force, helping drive improvements in practice.Recommendation 7, Authorisation Guidance: The NPCC has reviewed and strengthened authorisation processes for exposure of intimate parts searches. It has also recommended that a senior officer must authorise the strip search of a child, ensuring decisions are made with the necessary accountability, justification, necessity and proportionality.Recommendation 8, Research Around Trauma: The College of Policing has enhanced its evidence base and incorporated key findings related to the trauma experienced by children during strip searches into their products.Recommendation 9, Voice of the Child: Relevant guidance and training products are being reviewed and updated by the College of Policing, to ensure the ‘Voice of the Child’ is more consistently reflected.Recommendation 10, Mandatory Safeguarding Referral following exposure of intimate parts searches: The Home Office has led system-wide consultations to consider amendments to Code A and C of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984), including mandating a safeguarding referral for any child who is subject to an exposure of intimate parts search. The Government is committed to introducing new legal safeguards around the strip search of children as soon as possible.

Which Police Forces in England are meeting service levels on processing times for DBS checks, and which are not.

For certain ‘Enhanced’ level applications (‘Basic’ and ‘Standard’ level checks are not sent to local police forces), the DBS will check with local police forces whether they hold any information that is considered relevant to the individual’s application. There is a 60-day Service Level Agreement (SLA) in place between the DBS and police forces to complete this work. Out of the 52 independent Police Disclosure Units carrying out these checks (across local police forces and other law enforcement agencies) 8 are currently unable to meet the 60-day SLA: Hampshire & Isle of Wight, Sussex, Thames Valley, Dyfed Powys, Durham, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that every child in care has their immigration status resolved before turning 18.

The Home Secretary set out in the Immigration White Paper published on 12 May that the Home Office will ensure children who have been in the UK for some time, turn 18 and discover they do not have status, are fully supported and able to regularise their status and settle where appropriate. This will also include a clear pathway for those children in care and care leavers.As part of this, separate targeted engagement will take place with external stakeholders to help us to understand the challenges in this area and develop a policy solution which supports children in care without status while upholding the need to have a robust and coherent migration system. Children who have claimed asylum are dealt with under separate provisions.A range of reforms are underway across the immigration and asylum system, and the development of a clear pathway to settlement for children in care and care leavers must be considered alongside these changes.Further detail on this will be set out in due course.

With reference to the Immigration White Paper S.221, if he will set out the timeframe for the implementation of measures against sponsors who fall short of their duties.

The current measures to tackle sponsors who fall short of their sponsorship duties can be found on Gov.uk in Part 3 of the guidance for sponsors: Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible) - GOV.UK These range from reducing a sponsor’s allocation of certificates of sponsorship to revoking their licence and, if necessary, reporting them to the relevant authorities for further investigation. The sponsor guidance is kept under close ongoing review, with enhancements to the relevant criteria made on an iterative basis.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of not resolving the immigration status of children in care before they turn 18.

The Home Secretary set out in the Immigration White Paper published on 12 May that the Home Office will ensure children who have been in the UK for some time, turn 18 and discover they do not have status, are fully supported and able to regularise their status and settle where appropriate. This will also include a clear pathway for those children in care and care leavers.As part of this, separate targeted engagement will take place with external stakeholders to help us to understand the challenges in this area and develop a policy solution which supports children in care without status while upholding the need to have a robust and coherent migration system. Children who have claimed asylum are dealt with under separate provisions.A range of reforms are underway across the immigration and asylum system, and the development of a clear pathway to settlement for children in care and care leavers must be considered alongside these changes.Further detail on this will be set out in due course.