A Home Office hotline has identified 5,000 people as potential Windrush cases who may have suffered immigration problems. The hotline of the dedicated taskforce, set up in the wake of the scandal last month, hasreceived a total of 13,000 calls. The Home Office said that more than 850 people now have been granted documentation following an appointment with the dedicated team. These figures were revealed as Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced that legislation has been introduced to bring into force a package of measures designed to help resolve this situation.
Mr Javid said, “I am clear that we need to make the process for people to confirm their right to be in the UK or put their British citizenship on a legal footing as easy as possible. That is why I have launched a dedicated scheme which brings together our rights, obligations and offers to these people into one place. I want to swiftly put right the wrongs that have been done to this generation and am committed to doing whatever it takes to make this happen.”
The Home Secretary's scheme was criticised by Yvette Cooper, Labour MP and chairperson of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, who said, “I’m extremely concerned they rule out any appeals or reviews of Windrush decisions. Given the history of this, how can anyone trust Home Office not to make further mistakes? If the home secretary is confident that senior caseworkers will be making good decisions in Windrush cases, he has nothing to fear about appeals and reviews.”
Mr Javid said the scheme covered the government’s commitment to help members of the Windrush generation who wish to return to the UK after spending last few years back in their home countries. These people will be able to apply for relevant documentation free of charge. He revealed 63 cases of Caribbean nationals who may have been removed from the country despite living in the UK legally for decades. Applicants for citizenship, under the scheme, will need to meet the good character requirements in place for all citizenship applications, but they would not need to take a “knowledge of language and life in the UK” test or attend a citizenship ceremony.
However, the guidance issued as part of a package of measures by Mr Javid clarified that those rejected under the scheme “will not attract a right of appeal or an administrative review”.
Home Office also confirmed the departure of the director general of immigration enforcement, Hugh Ind, who will be moving to work at the Cabinet Office. Ind was one of the officials questioned by the home affairs committee over Windrush and removal targets.
