Measures for preventing forced marriages

Colin Yeo made this Freedom of Information request to UK Border Agency

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, UK Border Agency should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

From: Colin Yeo

24 June 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

I make this request further to an identical one made on 26 May 2009
to the Home Office. It transpires that there may be separate FOI
teams for the Home Office and UKBA, so I am repeating my request
for the sake of completeness. It is now over 20 days since I made
my initial request.

In the UK Border Agency consultation response entitled 'Marriage
Visas: The Way Forward', published in July 2008, it was proposed
that several changes would be made to law and processes around
forced marriages.

I would be grateful if the following information could be made
available:

1. What is the timetable for introducing agreements for foreign
spouses to learn English and why was no Statement of Intent
published in the autumn of 2008 as stated in the consultation
paper?

2. What changes, if any, were made following the consultation
process for 'investigating allegations for abuse of the marriage
route'? If no such changes have yet been made, what changes are
planned and what is the timetable for their introduction?

3. What changes, if any, were made following the consultation
process to 'ensure information and advice is available to sponsors,
including awareness of the Forced Marriage Unit'? If no such
changes have yet been made, what changes are planned and what is
the timetable for their introduction?

4. It was stated in the consultation response that by September
2008 the Home Office would 'review the evidence required for an
application for indefinite leave to remain on the basis of
marriage'. Please publish the results of the review. If the review
is not completed, please provide a timetable for completion.

5. The consultation response stated that 'a requirement for British
citizens and permanent residents who are seeking to sponsor a
spouse to come to the UK to first declare their intention before
leaving the UK and marrying abroad' would be introduced, along with
compulsory interviews for sponsors in cases deemed appropriate.
What is the timetable for this change and why was no Statement of
Intent published in the autumn of 2008 as stated in the
consultation paper?

6. In the consultation response it was stated that a Code of
Practice and 'clear tests for identifying risks' would be published
by December 2008. Please publish the Code of Practice and the
contents of the 'clear tests' if these have been completed or
provide a timetable for this change.

Yours faithfully,

Colin Yeo.

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From: Freedom Of Information Team ( IND )
UK Border Agency

24 June 2009

Dear Colin Yeo,

Thank you for your below email. We have already acknowledged your below
request on the 2 June so as you have pointed out there is no need to
submit it twice.

The Home Office does have its own Freedom of Information Team as do all
government departments. The UK Border Agency is part of the Home Office
but the agency is responsible for immigration related matters and
therefore requests on immigration should made directly to the UKBA's
Freedom of Information Team.

Colleagues at the Home Office will forward requests for information to
UKBA which have been sent to them in error but as you will appreciate
this can cause delays in answering requests.

I apologise that we have not yet been able to respond to your request
was due yesterday (23/06) but your request is under consideration and we
will respond as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Feakins,
Freedom of Information Team

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Colin Yeo left an annotation ( 5 September 2009)

This request is identical to another and is effectively defunct. It was made because the initial FOI response to that other request was that I had approached the wrong team within the Home Office. This appears to have resolved itself internally at the Home Office.

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From: Colin Yeo

7 March 2010

Dear Freedom Of Information Team ( IND ),

My request is very long overdue and I will complain to the
Commissioner if no substantive reply is received within the next
week.

Yours sincerely,

Colin Yeo

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