UK Visas and Immigration guidance on when and how staff may make an arrest using administrative immigration or criminal powers.
This is part of Immigration Enforcement General Instructions.
Guidance in this section has been reworked into a new format and plainer language. Not all of the enforcement guidance has been revised yet. If you cannot find the information you need in this section, please look in the chapters sections of Enforcement instructions and guidance.
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Published 24 March 2016 Last updated 14 October 2024 +show all updates
Guidance on 'Enforcement visits' has been updated. A full list of the changes is available in the document.
Published version 14.0 of the critical incident management guidance. A full list of changes can be found in the guidance.
Updated Irregular or unlawful entry and arrival guidance to link section to age dispute cases and prosecution.
Updated 'Dealing with potential criminality (ICE teams)' guidance. Updated information on age dispute cases who are referred for prosecution.
Updated the safeguarding and establishing lawful residence with changes to staff grading from 1 April 2024. A full list of the changes is included in the guidance.
Updated the enforcement planning assessments guidance with changes to staff grading from 1 April 2024. A full list of the changes is included in the guidance.
Updated search and seizure guidance. From 1 April 2024, individuals who were previously described as the Immigration Enforcement (IE) operational grade of Assistant Director will now be known as Grade 7 in this guidance.
Replaced 'Record keeping during enforcement visits guidance'.
Enforcement visits: safety and personal protection guidance updated. From 1 April 2024, individuals who were previously described as the IE operational grade of Assistant Director will be known as Grade 7 in this guidance.
Updated the irregular or unlawful entry and arrival guidance. From 1 April 2024, individuals who were previously described as the IE operational grade of Assistant Director will be known as Grade 7 in this guidance.
Updated the arrest and restraint guidance. From 1 April 2024, individuals who were previously described as the IE operational grade of Assistant Director will be known as Grade 7 in this guidance.
Updated Immigration Enforcement powers to reflect that from 1 April 2024, individuals who were previously described as the IE operational grade of Assistant Director will now be known as Grade 7 (Assistant Director) in this guidance.
Updated warrants: procurement and use guidance to reflectthat from 1 April 2024, individuals who were previously described as the IE operational grade of Assistant Director will now be known as Grade 7 (Assistant Director) in this guidance.
Partnership working guidance updated with the following changes: from 1 April 2024, individuals who were previously described as the IE operational grade of Assistant Director will now be known as Grade 7 (Assistant Director); individuals who were previously described as the IE operational grade of Deputy Director will now be known as Grade 6; the IE operational grade equivalent of Grade 5 (SCS, PB1), will be referred to as Deputy Director.
Updated the dealing with potential criminality (ICE teams) guidance, as from 1 April 2024 individuals who were previously described as the IE operational grade of Assistant Director will now be known as Grade 7 (Assistant Director) in this guidance.
Updated version of the Record keeping during enforcement visits guidance. All references to the paper pocket notebook (PNB) have been removed from the main body and placed into a contingency section at the end of the guidance.References to obsolete systems have also been removed.
Replaced Enforcement planning assessments guidance to give extra clarification on the completion of Equalities and Community Impact Assessment (ECIA) in line with the ECIA v2.0 template and to update the link to the generic Home Office EIA guidance and template page.
