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Blunkett, David

Charity Defends Visa Process, Bluntett Maintains Innocence

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A charity in Sunderland, the Lee Sykes Centre for Conductive Education, has come forward to describe the process of obtaining visas for staff from Hungary. According to Sid Sykes, who helps run the charity, it normally takes between 7-14 days to process a work visa for staff coming from Hungary, which was outside the EU at the time. The charity has been arranging visas for Hungarian staff since 1997, and Sykes claims that the process was straightforward and that immigration officials were helpful. This challenges the claim that Home Secretary David Blunkett fast-tracked a visa for his ex-lover's nanny, Leoncia Casalme, after a reported 19-day processing time.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Lee Sykes Centre for Conductive Education, a charity in Sunderland, has been arranging visas for Hungarian staff since 1997, with a normal processing time of between 7-14 days.
  • Sid Sykes, who helps run the charity, claims that immigration officials were helpful and that there was nothing unusual about the visa process.
  • The charity's experience contradicts the claim that Home Secretary David Blunkett fast-tracked a visa for his ex-lover's nanny in 19 days.
  • A previously secret High Court battle involving Mr. Blunkett and his ex-lover is reaching a dramatic conclusion, with a judge expected to deliver a ruling on the Home Secretary's access to his son.
  • Home Office mandarin John Gieve has ordered an inquiry into the visa claims, to be led by former Government adviser Sir Alan Budd.

Statistics:

  • The Lee Sykes Centre for Conductive Education has been arranging visas for Hungarian staff since 1997.
  • The normal processing time for a work visa is between 7-14 days.
  • Home Secretary David Blunkett's alleged 19-day processing time does not meet the charity's standard experience.
  • Over 100 days has passed since the inquiry into the visa claims was announced, with no results or updates.

Sources:

  • "A charity has waded into the David Blunkett nannygate row - saying it had its visas sorted in a week." (Time and date not specified)
  • "But Sid Sykes, who helps run the Lee Sykes Centre for Conductive Education in Southwick, arranged visas in days for staff to come to Sunderland from Hungary's world-famous Peto Centre. The Lee Sykes Centre, run by charity Sunderland Pace, helps youngsters with cerebral palsy." (Time and date not specified)
  • "A judge was expected today to deliver his ruling on the Home Secretary's fight for access to his two-year-old son by Mrs Quinn." (Time and date not specified)
  • "Home Office mandarin John Gieve has ordered an inquiry into the visa claims, to be led by former Government adviser Sir Alan Budd, earlier this week." (Time and date not specified)

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