Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
Set out actions to meet visa processing targets and publish quarterly updates on performance.
Recommendation
The Home Office’s failure to meet its targets for processing visas is leaving some Ukrainians facing an unacceptably long wait for decisions to be made on their applications. Initially visa turnaround times for the scheme were longer than the Home Office wanted. In March 2022, of the 26,000 applications received, 18% were processed within five working days and 21% took more than 15 working days. To speed up the process, the Home Office introduced measures such as: deferring the collection of biometrics; increasing the number of people from the Home Office and other government departments working on the scheme from around 165 staff in March 2022, to over 1,000 by June 2022 working across all the Ukraine schemes; and rolling out new digital systems to increase flexibility of working and productivity. These measures helped improve visa turnaround times in April and May 2022. However, despite the changes the Home Office implemented, visa turnaround times have taken longer since June 2022. Almost two-thirds (63%) of visa applications were taking more than the 15 working day target to be processed in July 2023, compared to 19% in June 2022. The Home Office asserts that it is building its capacity to process visas in case there is a surge in applications for this scheme as well as to respond to other areas of high demand in the Home Office, such as asylum processing. Recommendation 3a: The Home Office should, as part of its Treasury Minute response, set out what action it will take to meet its targets in future, and what plans it has in place to respond should there be a future surge in applications. b) The Home Office should publish quarterly updates on visa processing times for the remainder of the Scheme.
Government Response Summary
The Home Office has formally introduced a 15-working-day customer service standard for processing visas from February 2024, which will be published quarterly. It also has plans to reprioritise resources and leverage experienced caseworkers and systems to manage future surges in applications.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendations. Recommendation implemented As part of ‘normalising’ the operational delivery of Homes for Ukraine, the Home Office has formally introduced a 15 working day customer service standard from February 2024 which will be published quarterly as part of the migration transparency data. This information will be captured and recorded in line with existing processes on other visa routes and will include all non-complex applications, as well as any complex applications which can still be processed within 15 days. To ensure targets on processing times can be met, the Home Office has used data on application volumes over the last few months to ensure there is sufficient resource in place to process new applications, whilst also resolving any outstanding complex applications as and when the relevant checks are complete. Should there be a future surge in applications due to a change in circumstances in Ukraine, the Home Office will be able to urgently reprioritise the deployment of resource within the department’s operational teams, as demonstrated in the early months of the war. This time, there are caseworkers available who have experience of Homes for Ukraine and the necessary processes and casework systems are already in place to enable an effective response to any increase in volumes.