Introduce super visa category for parents of British citizens similar to Canada
- Parliament:
- 2017–19
- Signatures:
- 14,297
- Responded:
- 3 May 2018
The petition
Parents for British citizens are treated differently if they reside in countries outside the EU and are not EU citizens and government has made the settlement of parents under ADR practically impossible so we are looking for a middle ground as it is done in Canada with SUPER VISA
With the parent and grandparent super visa, eligible parents and grandparents can visit family in Canada for up to two years without the need to renew their status .The Super Visa is a multi-entry visa that provides multiple entries for a period up to 10 years. The key difference is that the Super Visa allows an individual to stay for up to two years on initial entry into Canada, while a 10-year multiple entry visa would only have a status period for each entry of six months only. Refer visa rules by Canada government and criteria as reference ,sponsor does most work
The government's response
The Government has no plans to change the Immigration Rules for visitors to introduce a super visa for parents of British citizens.
The UK welcomes genuine visitors to the UK. The visitor routes are for people who are coming to the UK for a temporary purpose, usually for up to six months. Visitors should not be living in the UK through frequent or successive visits or making the UK their main home.
Every visitor is assessed against the same Immigration Rules regardless of nationality. The only difference is where that assessment is made. Some individuals are assessed overseas by an entry clearance officer, while others are assessed at the UK border. All visitors to the UK are assessed against the Immigration Rules on a case by case basis.
Nationals of some non-EEA countries need a visa to visit the UK. Visas are an important part of securing the UK’s border and are an effective tool for the UK in reducing illegal immigration, tackling organised crime and protecting national security.
Adopting a similar model to that of Canada and allowing a select group of people to remain in the UK for 2 years as visitors, would mean that important considerations against the Immigration Rules would not be applied consistently and could raise equality concerns.
The Government recognises the importance of family ties. Visit visas are available with validities of 6 months, 2 years, 5 years and 10 years, allowing individuals wishing to visit the UK regularly or at short notice to do so without having to apply for a new visa each time they wish to travel.
The family Immigration Rules were reformed in July 2012 to prevent burdens on the taxpayer, promote integration and tackle abuse, and thereby ensure that family migration to the UK is on a properly sustainable basis that it is fair to migrants and the wider community.
Highlighted: the sentence the model picked as the strongest evidence cited.
Debate
Debated in Parliament on 9 Jul 2018. This is shown for context and is not part of the assessment.
Of 5 MPs who spoke in their own right, 4 were for the petition, 1 neutral and 0 against. The government's response: declines.
- For
- Neutral
- Against
Show as a table
| Group | For | Neutral | Against | MPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour |