Call for evidence: An inspection of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK
The ICIBI invites anyone with knowledge or first-hand experience of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK to submit evidence to contribute to this inspection by close of play 20 August 2025.
The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has begun an inspection of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK.
As Independent Chief Inspector, I am inviting anyone with knowledge or first-hand experience of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK to submit evidence to inform this inspection. I would be pleased to hear about both what is working well and what could be improved in the following areas:
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the role of Border Force officers in refusing and cancelling permission to enter the UK at airports, seaports and juxtaposed controls
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the efficiency, effectiveness and consistency of current practice
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the impact of carrier checks for organisations and passengers
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the impact of digitisation of the border on the ability of Border Force officers to identify individuals whose permission to enter the UK should be refused or cancelled
These areas of interest are not exhaustive, and I welcome submissions that touch on other points. Information received in response to this call for evidence will play an important part in defining the precise scope and focus of the inspection.
This call for evidence will remain open until 20 August 2025.
The information you submit may be quoted in the final inspection report, but it is the ICIBI’s practice not to name sources and to anonymise as much as possible any examples or case studies.
Please click here to email your submission to the Independent Chief Inspector.
Please note: The ICIBI’s statutory remit does not extend to investigating or making decisions about individual cases or applications for asylum. This remains a Home Office responsibility. The Chief Inspector is interested in hearing from people with lived experience of refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK, to the extent that they illustrate or point to systemic problems.
Data Protection
Information on how we process personal data submitted in response to a call for evidence can be found in the ICIBI privacy information notice available on the ICIBI website.
David Bolt CBE, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration
24 July 2025