Dear M Oyesiku,

Thank you for your enquiry of 30 June in which you have requested statistical information on the International Graduate Scheme and Tier 1 Post Study Worker category. Your request for information has been dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

There were 4,205 International Graduate Scheme Leave to Remain applications during the period 01.05.08 to 30.06.08. Of the 4,205 applications 3,760 were granted, 175 were refused and 265 were rejections/withdrawals. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals. During the same period there were 391 International Graduate Scheme Entry Clearance applications. Of the 391 applications 351 were granted, 31 refused and 9 were lapsed/withdrawn.

The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information. The figures are therefore provisional and subject to change.

You also requested statistical information relating to the number of applications received for the new Tier 1 (Post Study Work) Migrant under the Transitional Arrangements (only) from December 2008 to May 2009.

I can confirm that statistical information post PBS implementation is held by the UK Border Agency. I have decided, however, not to communicate this information to you pursuant to the exemption under section 22 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This allows us to exempt information if it is intended for future publication.

We intend to publish PBS data in the Home Office publication “Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2008” which will be available via the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html towards the end of August 2009 and in subsequent publications.

The use of exemption 22 requires consideration of whether it is:

This is a two stage test but the central issue is whether in all circumstances it is reasonable and in the public interest to require you to wait until August 2009 for publication.

We recognise there may be a public interest in disclosing this information to you now and that this may also weigh in favour of it being unreasonable to make you wait until later this year to see the information you have requested. We have considered the following:

But there are also public interest reasons for maintaining the exemption to the duty to communicate which weigh in favour of it being reasonable to require you to wait for publication until later this tear. We have considered the following:

After balancing these conflicting arguments around the date of publication, we have concluded not only that it is reasonable to require you to wait for publication in August 2009 but also that the balance of the public interest identified favours maintaining the exemption. This is not least because we believe that in this case the overall public interest lies in favour of ensuring that the UK Border Agency is able to plan publication of points-based system statistics in a managed and coherent way, and this would not be possible if immediate disclosure was made.

In keeping with the spirit and effect of the Freedom of Information Act, all information is assumed to be releasable to the public unless exempt. The Department will, therefore, be simultaneously releasing to the public this response together with any related information that will provide a key to its wider context.

If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of our handling of your request. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of UK Border Agency sending a substantive reply to your original request and should be addressed to:

Information Access Policy Team

(Freedom of Information Team)

11th floor (short corridor)

Lunar House

40 Wellesley Road

Croydon

CR9 2BY

During the independent review the Department's handling of your information request will be reassessed by staff who were not involved in providing you with this response. Should you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you will have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Yours sincerely,

Sandra Birkinshaw

Freedom of Information Team

North East, Yorkshire and the Humber Region

UK Border Agency