A Bradford MP has raised claims of “racial or religious bias at the Home Office” over visitor visa applications.

Imran Hussain (Labour, Bradford East) claimed: “According to the Home Office’s own figures, of the total accepted and rejected visitor visa applications, just under 20% ended up as rejected.

“Yet when it comes to those of Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationality, these figures suddenly, dramatically and unexplainably rise to 30%. So does the minister really expect us to believe that there is no racial or religious bias at the Home Office?”

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick replied: “(He) is completely wrong and that is a baseless slur on my officials at the Home Office.

“All visa applications are based on objective criteria and I would add there were, in fact, 303,000 visas and permits granted for family members in the year ending June 2022 – which is 61% more than in 2019.

“So the Home Office is granting record numbers of these visas and we do so in an entirely objective fashion.”

Anyone who needs a standard visitor visa must apply online before travelling to the UK and attend an appointment at a visa application centre.

The earliest date for applications is three months before you travel.

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