UK Borders Bill

We think that the amendment is misconceived because UKvisas will not issue biometric immigration documents. Although UKvisas issues biometric visas, they are issued at posts abroad under existing legislation. Biometric immigration documents, on the other hand, will be issued in the United Kingdom, initially to foreign nationals, those subject to immigration control who have made a successful in-country application to the Border and Immigration Agency. However, in future, that may include other foreign nationals who are subject to immigration control. Fees for in-country services are set by the Secretary of State with the consent of the Treasury, and the regulations prescribing those fees are laid before Parliament and are subject to the negative resolution procedure. We consider that that offers Parliament sufficient scrutiny and oversight of the costs of biometric immigration documents and the fees that may be charged without the need for a code of practice. So, we anticipate that the majority of applications for the initial allocation of biometric immigration documents will be processed alongside immigration applications and completed within existing published service levels. Obviously, some cases may take longer for a variety of reasons, and that will include cases in which we have to make further inquiries. We do not consider it necessary to have a code of practice setting service levels and maximum costs for issuing biometric documents, given the wide-ranging and complex nature of the applications we process. As I have made plain, those making an application will be charged and that will be included in the immigration application charge fee. I cannot provide the noble Lords with precise details, but I am happy to write in response to the general fall-out of questions put to me today to which I have not been able to provide direct answers. The noble Lord, Lord Avebury, asked about time periods. No decision has been made to reduce the length of time beyond which a person is required to have a BID from six months to three, as the noble Lord suggested. The noble Lord, Lord Hylton, asked about short-term visitors. Visa nationals coming for a short visit—currently up to six months—would not require a BID; the visa document itself will suffice. On the cost of biometric immigration documents, we are developing a cost base for these and a charging model to recover them. We are determined to keep the cost of BIDs as low as possible, but it would not be appropriate to commit to an artificial limit—certainly not at this stage. As I have explained, costs and fees will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.