New report points to delays and abuse of UK entrepreneur visa
A HUGE backlog of entrepreneur visas has overwhelmed the UK’s immigration system, according to a report published yesterday by the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration.
John Vine’s report found that the number of applications for entrepreneur visas rose by 1,520 per cent between February and December last year. The backlog was highest at 9,000 cases by March 2013.
The Home Office dealt with 70 per cent of these cases by July, but the report suggests this was at the expense of the quality of decisions.
According to Vine, only 62.5 per cent of decisions on entrepreneur visas were reasonable, in comparison to 91 per cent of decisions on investor applications. He called the lack of evidence retained by the Home Office “unacceptable”, adding: “The Home Office must ensure that decisions on applications are properly evidenced and recorded.”