UK to launch review of Home Office’s Management of migrant contact  

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has announced a new inspection focusing on the Home Office’s management of contact with migrants who lack legal status to remain in the UK.

The review, according to the released statement, will assess the Home Office’s processes for establishing, maintaining, and re-establishing contact with these individuals, as well as the impact of any lapses in communication—migrants who are in the UK without legal permission to stay or enter.

The inspection will examine the effectiveness and efficiency of the Home Office’s processes for managing contact with these individuals.

Inspection Focus 

Reports inform that the inspection will scrutinize several key aspects of the Home Office’s contact management system.

According to the ICIBI, the review will cover the  

• recording of personal and contact details,

• the efficiency of serving correspondence, and

• the clarity of communication sent to migrants.

The inspection will also look into how well migrants understand the importance of staying in contact with the Home Office and the methods used for reporting conditions.

“The aim of this inspection is to evaluate how effectively the Home Office manages contact with migrants, especially those without legal status,” said an ICIBI spokesperson.  

“We want to understand both what is functioning effectively and where improvements can be made.” 

Scope and Limitations 

The inspection will look at how the Home Office records and manages contact details, how quickly it sends correspondence, and how well it works to re-establish contact with individuals who are out of touch.

It will not cover the quality or consistency of Home Office decisions or how quickly these decisions are made.

“The review will not cover the decision-making process itself,” the spokesperson clarified. “Instead, it will focus on the processes related to managing contact and communication with migrants.” 

Call for Evidence 

The ICIBI has called for submissions from individuals with knowledge or experience related to Home Office contact management.

ICIBI seeks input on what is working well and what could be improved in the Home Office’s contact management practices.

The call for evidence is open until 30 September 2024. 

“We encourage those with relevant experience to share their insights,” the spokesperson said. “Anonymised case studies and detailed feedback are particularly valuable to this inspection.” 

Submission Guidelines 

One is informed that submissions should be sent to [email protected]

The ICIBI has also stated that while individual cases cannot be investigated directly, any information that highlights systemic issues will be considered.

Information provided may be quoted in the final report, but sources will be anonymised to protect confidentiality.

What to know 

• The report stresses that “the ICIBI’s statutory remit does not extend to investigating or making decisions about individual cases. This remains a Home Office responsibility.
• However, the Independent Chief Inspector can take an interest in individual cases to the extent that they illustrate or point to systemic problems.”
• It is also noted that the information submitted may be quoted in the final inspection report.
• However, it is the ICIBI’s practice not to name sources and to anonymise as much as possible any examples or case studies.