Written questions by Blackman.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing emergency visas to students in Gaza who have confirmed UK university places; and whether her Department has had recent discussions with UK universities on facilitating safe passage for affected students.

The Government provided exceptional support to enable the departure of Chevening Scholars and fully funded scholarship students from Gaza, for students whose courses began before 31 December 2025. This support was for students who met the relevant requirements of the Immigration Rules.The Government is reviewing the impact of the policy implemented to-date, and any decision on further support will depend on the evolving international situation. We will continue to keep the policy under review.This has been a cross-Government initiative and the Home Office, Department for Education and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office have engaged with Higher Education Institutions throughout this process.

With reference to her Oral Statement of 18 November 2025 on Asylum Policy (Official Report, Vol.775, c.509-513), whether equalities impact assessments have been made for the new measures announced.

Specific Equality Impact Assessments will be produced for individual policies in due course. These will be kept under review to ensure that there are no unintended impacts on people with protected characteristics.

With reference to her Oral Statement of 20 November 2025 on A Fairer Pathway to Settlement (Official Report, Vol.775, c.889-891), whether equalities impact assessments have been made for (a) the decision to extend the standard settlement qualification time from five to ten years and (b) the other measures she announced would go for consultation.

The new earned settlement model outlined in A Fairer Pathway to Settlement has been subject to an equality impact assessment. Equality impact assessments are kept under regular review.

Whether her department plans to publish statistics on the time taken by newly recognised refugees to submit family reunion applications.

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.

Whether her Department carried out an equality impact assessment prior to suspending refugee family reunion.

Impacts on vulnerable individuals and equalities considerations are at the front and centre of our work. As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impacts throughout the policy development process, refugee family reunion is no exception.The Home Office has carried out and published an Economic Note on the changes to the Immigration Rules on 4 September 2025.

Whether her Department carried out an economic impact assessment prior to suspending refugee family reunion.

Impacts on vulnerable individuals and equalities considerations are at the front and centre of our work. As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impacts throughout the policy development process, refugee family reunion is no exception.The Home Office has carried out and published an Economic Note on the changes to the Immigration Rules on 4 September 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing the refugee move-on period to 28 days on levels of risk to women of (a) homelessness and (b) exposure to violence and abuse.

From 1 September 2025, the Home Office has taken the decision to pause the 56 day move on period pilot for single adults in receipt of a positive asylum decision, with the exception of individuals who are pregnant, over the age of 65 or have a known/evidence disability, as defined by the 2010 Equality Act. All families and single adults that fall within the exception criteria granted asylum will continue to be given the 56-day pilot move on period until the end of December. We are committed to providing all our partners with appropriate notice of any further changes to the Move On period through our regular engagement forums and in writing.We closely monitor the impact of all our policies, including the move on period, on the number and occupancy of asylum hotels, the overall costs of the asylum accommodation estate, the wider effect on local communities, and any pressures placed on local authorities and public amenities. We remain committed to working closely with our partners to identify improvements and make efficiencies in supporting newly recognised refugees move on from asylum accommodation. We are committed to keeping our partners informed through regular engagement.This Government is also delivering a cross-government transformative approach to halve violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published this year.

What steps she is taking to help reduce the criminalisation of asylum-seeking survivors of violence against women and girls.

Asylum-seeking victims of VAWG must be treated as victims, first and foremost. We recognise the challenges asylum-seeking victims of VAWG can face and the VAWG Strategy will include more detail on our approach to criminalisation of victims of VAWG. It is vital that we get this right, and we are committed to publishing the Strategy as soon as possible.We are committed to delivering an asylum process that is gender sensitive, building on the Government’s wider strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).In addition, the Government provides support to migrant victims of VAWG through the Migrant Victims Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) and works with sector leads on this group to ensure they are part of the broader strategy on VAWG.

Whether she is taking steps to provide community-based alternatives to immigration detention for women.

The Department will keep under review the feasibility of alternatives to detention, taking account of effectiveness and cost efficiency, as part of our plans to transform the asylum and returns system.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of suspending refugee family reunion applications on (a) women, (b) children and (c) other vulnerable groups.

The suspension of the refugee family reunion route is temporary while the Government undertakes a full review and reform of the current family rules to ensure we have a fair and properly balanced system. In the meantime, those with protection status can use other family routes to sponsor a partner and child to come to the UK. Information relating these changes are published on gov.uk at Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1298, 4 September 2025 - GOV.UK.

What assessment she has made of the compatibility of (a) the Government’s commitment to halving levels of violence against women and girls within a decade and (b) the detention of women in immigration removal centres.

Asylum-seeking victims must be treated as victims, first and foremost. We recognise the challenges asylum-seeking victims of VAWG can face and the VAWG Strategy will include more detail on our approach to migrant victims of VAWG. It is vital that we get this right, and we are committed to publishing the Strategy as soon as possible.

What guidance her Department has produced for sub-contracted accommodation providers to (a) prevent and (b) better respond to the sexual violence and abuse faced by asylum-seeking women in hotel accommodation.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration and asylum system under regular review, and works closely with our accommodation providers, the police and a range of other experts and stakeholders to provide the best possible safeguards for female asylum seekers against violence and abuse.

With reference to (a) the Women for Refugee Women report entitled Coercion and Control, published in September 2024 and (b) the Imkaan and Rape Crisis England and Wales joint report entitled Not Safe Here, published in October 2024, what safeguarding measures her Department has recently put in place as a response to the sexual violence and abuse faced by asylum-seeking women in hotel accommodation.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration and asylum system under regular review, and works closely with our accommodation providers, the police and a range of other experts and stakeholders to provide the best possible safeguards for female asylum seekers against violence and abuse.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) women-only and (b) family-only hotels staffed exclusively by women for female refugees.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration and asylum system under regular review, and works closely with our accommodation providers, the police and a range of other experts and stakeholders to provide the best possible safeguards for female asylum seekers against violence and abuse.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the asylum system on the vulnerability to gender-based violence and exploitation of women seeking safety; and what steps she has taken to mitigate this impact.

While the wellbeing of those in the asylum system is important, it is also vital to continue cracking down on illegal working, and protect those employers and employees who will play by the rules from being undercut.However, the Government provides specific support to migrant victims of VAWG through the Migrant Victims Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) and works with sector leads on this group to ensure they are part of the broader strategy on VAWG.Asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, can currently apply for permission to work in jobs on the Immigration Salary List (ISL). The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration and asylum system under regular review, and recently published a White Paper setting out the Government’s plans for reform in relation to the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers, and a wide range of other areas.The Home Office also continues to invest in a programme of transformation to speed up asylum decision making and therefore reduce the time people spend in the asylum system. This approach will ensure that genuine asylum seekers can be accepted quickly and gain access to the labour market, and those who are not can be removed to their home country.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential long-term impact of the work ban for people seeking asylum on (a) mental health, (b) barriers to future employment and (c) integration into their new communities.

While the wellbeing of those in the asylum system is important, it is also vital to continue cracking down on illegal working, and protect those employers and employees who will play by the rules from being undercut.However, the Government provides specific support to migrant victims of VAWG through the Migrant Victims Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) and works with sector leads on this group to ensure they are part of the broader strategy on VAWG.Asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, can currently apply for permission to work in jobs on the Immigration Salary List (ISL). The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration and asylum system under regular review, and recently published a White Paper setting out the Government’s plans for reform in relation to the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers, and a wide range of other areas.The Home Office also continues to invest in a programme of transformation to speed up asylum decision making and therefore reduce the time people spend in the asylum system. This approach will ensure that genuine asylum seekers can be accepted quickly and gain access to the labour market, and those who are not can be removed to their home country.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of a ban on employment for women seeking asylum on levels of vulnerability of those women to gender-based (a) violence and (b) exploitation; and what steps she is taking to tackle gender-based (i) violence and (ii) exploitation among these groups.

While the wellbeing of those in the asylum system is important, it is also vital to continue cracking down on illegal working, and protect those employers and employees who will play by the rules from being undercut.However, the Government provides specific support to migrant victims of VAWG through the Migrant Victims Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) and works with sector leads on this group to ensure they are part of the broader strategy on VAWG.Asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, can currently apply for permission to work in jobs on the Immigration Salary List (ISL). The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration and asylum system under regular review, and recently published a White Paper setting out the Government’s plans for reform in relation to the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers, and a wide range of other areas.The Home Office also continues to invest in a programme of transformation to speed up asylum decision making and therefore reduce the time people spend in the asylum system. This approach will ensure that genuine asylum seekers can be accepted quickly and gain access to the labour market, and those who are not can be removed to their home country.

How many decisions on statelessness applications made in 2024 were challenged through administrative review; how many of those reviews have been completed; and how many of those completed resulted in a grant of leave.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

What the most common grounds were for the rejection of statelessness applications submitted in 2024.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

With reference to data provided by her Department in relation to the court case Asylum Aid v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWHC 316 (Admin), for what reason 170 statelessness applications submitted between 31 January and 31 December 2024 were rejected without consideration.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.