Claimants and applicants
11.The provisions:
amend section 99(1) and 99(4) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to enable local authorities to provide support, in accordance with arrangements made with the Secretary of State, under section 4 of the same Act and to incur reasonable expenditure in connection with the preparation of proposals for entering into those arrangements.
amend section 118(1)(b) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 so as to allow local authorities to use their powers under existing housing legislation to grant tenancies or licences to occupy to persons subject to immigration control, including those provided with accommodation pursuant to sections 4 and 98 of the 1999 Act. The provision will ensure that accommodation provided under section 4 does not give rise to a secure tenancy among recipients of such accommodation and make other amendments to UK housing legislation to achieve the same result across the UK. The section will also make amendments to UK housing legislation similar to those made in Schedule 14 to the 1999 Act.
amend section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to enable the Secretary of State to make regulations to provide specified goods and services for those in section 4 accommodation.
enable the Secretary of State to repeal by order paragraph 7A of Schedule 3 to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and certain other provisions of section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Act 2004 by which paragraph 7A was inserted. The order is subject to the negative resolution procedure.
amend section 13 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 to enable those with leave to enter or remain (rather than indefinite leave to enter or remain) and who have been recognised as refugees to access integration loans and enable the Secretary of State to extend eligibility, in the regulations, to other categories of migrants.
amend section 5A(5A) of the Prison Act 1952 to enable HM Chief Inspector of Prisons to inspect short-term holding facilities and escorts on a statutory basis.
provide that a decision to remove a person from the UK may be made while their leave is continued by virtue of sections 3C(2)(b) or 3D(2)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971. Provide that this decision will be an immigration decision under section 82(2) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
amend section 10(8) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to allow an individual’s leave to be invalidated by the giving of a notice of a decision to remove.
insert a new section 44A into the British Nationality Act 1981, conferring on the Secretary of State a discretion to waive the requirement (for the purposes of naturalisation and the renunciation and resumption of citizenship) to be “of full capacity” in cases where he considers it in the applicant’s best interests to do so.
allow the Secretary of State to prescribe, in the immigration rules, procedures to be followed in making an application, and to prescribe what will happen to that application if the procedures are not followed. The Secretary of State also has power to specify that particular forms are used, and to reject applications which are not made on that form.
enable the Secretary of State to designate, in secondary legislation, any immigration or nationality-related applications, claims, services, processes, information or advice for which a fee may be charged. Regulations may specify the amount of the fee and provide for matters such as exemptions or the consequences of failing to pay a required fee.