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Visas: Armed Forces

Asked by Euan StainbankLabourHome OfficeTabled Answered 2 March 2026UIN 114069

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what length of time since the date of issue may Military Service Exemption cards be used by VISA applicants before they no longer qualify as proof of VISA applicants' circumstances by Home Office Entry Clearance Officers.

Answered by Mike Tapp

Evidence of exemption from military service is not a requirement of the UK Immigration Rules. Where an applicant presents a document to demonstrate their exemption from military service in their home country, the entry clearance officer would consider this evidence in the round and against the relevant immigration rules for the route applied for.

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