Lucy has today pressed for a resolution to an egregious ongoing delay of seven months for a Telford resident to be granted re-entry clearance to the UK.
The constituent, a Telford resident married to a British citizen, applied for entry clearance having spent time abroad in the United States – the country of their birth. Having applied in December 2022, Lucy’s constituent’s entry clearance has still not been granted.
Lucy has been in direct contact with Immigration Minister Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP to see if the case can be expedited and has written to the Home Office on three occasions to no avail. If Ministers and local MPs are unable to make the case for a very basic approval to the Home Office, the system is not working. In the meantime, Lucy’s constituent remains in the United States unable to return to their home and family in Telford.
Lucy’s constituent has been given a number of excuses by the Home Office including that due to the number of visas being processed for Turkish businesspeople, they are unable to approve entry clearance within their application timescales.
No timeline has been given to Lucy or her constituent as to when entry clearance will be granted.
Lucy Allan MP said:
It is insulting for my constituent to be told that business visa applications from third party countries are being prioritised over re-entry clearance for a returning UK resident.
I know that Robert Jenrick is an excellent and capable Minister, but the officials under him at the Home Office are failing to properly prioritise applications for visas and entry clearance. Something is wrong if this simple re-entry clearance application for a Telford resident is being held up for so long in this way. There is no indication when this UK resident will be allowed to return or even when their case will be reviewed.
I will be following this case closely and standing up for my constituent, as I would for any resident of Telford who is being locked out of this country and their home by mindless and insensitive bureaucracy.
