Complaints procedure
How to make a complaint to the Office for the Independent Examiner of Complaints.
When to contact the Office for the Independent Examiner of Complaints
The Office for the Independent Examiner of Complaints (OIEC) can only look at your complaint if:
- you have received a final response to your complaint, that explains you can bring it to the OIEC if you are unhappy with the outcome
- you contact us within 3 months of receiving the final complaint response
Complaints the OIEC can look at
The OIEC looks at complaints about these business areas:
- UK Visas and Immigration
- Immigration Enforcement
- Border Force
- Detention Services
- HM Passport Office
- General Register Office
Your complaint may be about:
- a delay or error
- poor service, advice, or information
- a failure to follow the correct procedures
The OIEC is unable to look at complaints:
- about Home Office decisions that carry review or appeal rights
- about Home Office policy or legislation
- that are, or have been investigated by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
- about how the Home Office has acted as an employer
- that are, or have been the subject of judicial review or other court proceedings
- which fall under the remit of the Windrush Compensation Scheme
- about serious misconduct which are being reviewed by the Professional Standards Unit
- about the Home Office’s compliance with data protection regulations
Make a complaint
You can make a complaint to the OIEC if you are unhappy with the Home Office’s final response to your complaint.
To make a complaint, download the complaint form. You can email it to iec@homeoffice.gov.uk.
You can also print it and post it back to:
Home Office
Office for the Independent Examiner of Complaints
PO Box 6147
Sheffield
S2 9JD
If you contact us by email or by post it will save time if you fill in and return the form.
If you have a representative
If you would like someone to act on your behalf, download the consent form and email it to us or post it back to us together with your complaint form.
If you have not yet made a complaint to the relevant business area, you can do so using these links:
- UK Visas and Immigration
- Immigration Enforcement
- Border Force
- Detention Services
- HM Passport Office
- General Register Office
How the OIEC will handle your complaint
The OIEC has a clear process for handling your complaint.
Registering your complaint
When the OIEC receives your complaint its Business Support Team will:
- register your complaint
- decide if the OIEC can look at your complaint
The OIEC may ask you for more information. This may include a copy of the business’s final response to your complaint.
If it cannot look at your complaint, the OIEC will let you know why, within 2 working days of receiving your complaint.
If you have not yet made a complaint to the relevant business area, you can do so by contacting them.
If you have received a final response to your complaint, the OIEC will contact you within 5 working days of receiving your complaint to:
- agree the elements of complaint the OIEC can look at
- ask what you think needs to be done to put things right
- ask you to explain how any service failures have affected you
Resolving your complaint
Once the elements of complaint have been agreed with you, the OIEC may try to resolve your complaint using the information you have given.
This may include asking the business to take action to put matters right.
The OIEC will only resolve a complaint if you agree the action the business has agreed to take puts matters right for you. If so, the OIEC will send you a resolution closure letter.
The OIEC aims to complete the cases that can be resolved within 6 weeks of you agreeing the elements of the complaint.
If they cannot resolve your complaint, they will ask you and the business for more information.
Once the OIEC have all the information they need, your complaint will be ready to allocate to an investigator. All complaints are allocated in strict date order.
The OIEC will contact you to let you know when your complaint has been allocated to an investigator.
Settling your complaint
Once the OIEC has looked at all the information provided by you and the business, they may try and settle your complaint if it is clear what went wrong and what needs to be done to put matters right.
This may include the business giving you an apology or financial redress.
The OIEC will only settle a complaint if you agree the action the business has agreed to take puts matters right for you. If so, they will send you a settlement closure letter.
The OIEC aims to complete the cases they settle within 8 weeks of your complaint being allocated to an investigator.
Investigation report
If the OIEC cannot settle your complaint, the investigator will document the facts of your case and the Independent Examiner of Complaints will decide whether to uphold your complaint and if any recommendations for redress are needed.
You will receive an investigation report which explains the outcome of your complaint.
The OIEC aims to complete the cases that result in an Independent Examiner of Complaints investigation report within 14 weeks of the complaint being allocated to an investigator.
If you disagree with the outcome of the investigation or the content of the investigation report, you can contact the OIEC about it.
If the business does not act on the OIEC’s recommendations within the given timeframe, you can contact the OIEC about it.
What you can expect from the OIEC
The OIEC will:
- treat you with respect and courtesy
- look at your complaint in a fair and open way
- be clear about their process
- keep in contact with you
What the OIEC expects from you
The OIEC expects you to:
- treat OIEC staff with respect and courtesy
- give correct and relevant information about your complaint
- let the OIEC know of any reasonable adjustments you may need
Unacceptable behaviour
The OIEC knows that having an unresolved complaint can be frustrating, and that you may be stressed or annoyed when you contact them. However, the OIEC has to consider the safety and wellbeing of its staff.
The OIEC may change the way it communicates with you, if:
- your behaviour to staff is abusive, offensive or threatening
- your contact with the OIEC becomes unmanageable
Complain about the OIEC
If you are unhappy about the service the OIEC have provided, the attitude or behaviour of a member of staff, or if you are unhappy with the Independent Examiner of Complaints investigation findings, you can complain in writing or verbally.
They will first try to resolve your complaint, for example, by giving an update or explanation. If you are still unhappy, your concerns will be registered as a formal complaint.
You can make a complaint at any point of the OIEC process, including after your case has closed.
You can make your complaint in writing or by phone.
Email: iec@homeoffice.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 071 5679 between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Home Office
Office for the Independent Examiner of Complaints
PO Box 6147
Sheffield
S2 9JD
In making a complaint, you can appoint a representative to act on your behalf, if you wish to do so.
Complaints about service or the behaviour of a member of staff
The OIEC will consider your complaint and give you a full response, usually within 15 working days. If they are unable to do so, they will let you know when they hope to be able to give you a final response.
They will reply to your complaint in writing unless they have agreed a reasonable adjustment with you.
If you are unhappy with the outcome, the OIEC will explain how to escalate your complaint or signpost you to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
Complaints about the outcome of an investigation report
The OIEC will consider complaints about the outcome of an investigation report if they are made within 3 months of the report being sent to you.
You must provide new evidence that has not already been considered or show that there are factual errors in the report.
The OIEC will reply to your complaint in writing, and explain how you can escalate it to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) or the Prisons and Probation Service Ombudsman if you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint.
Learning from complaints
The OIEC works hard to make sure that it learns from customer feedback. This helps them to improve the service they provide to their customers.
Contact us
You can contact the OIEC in writing or by phone.
Email: iec@homeoffice.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 071 5679 between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Home Office
Office for the Independent Examiner of Complaints
PO Box 6147
Sheffield
S2 9JD