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Haslar Immigration Removal Centre: factsheet

Updated 4 September 2026

Introduction

The government is committed to removing foreign criminals and others who have no legal right to be in the UK. Immigration detention is a necessary part of an effective returns system, enabling the Home Office to hold individuals securely where detention is lawful and necessary, including while arrangements are made for their removal.

Over 80,000 illegal migrants have been removed or deported from British soil under this government, an increase of 52%. This includes over 11,700 foreign criminals – a 41% increase since July 2024.

The government continues to strengthen enforcement and increase returns of foreign criminals. Investments such as Haslar are essential to continue ramping up these removals.

Immigration detention general 

Immigration detention means that a person is held in a secure centre under immigration powers. While detained, they are not free to leave the centre or to access the local area or local services.

Published Home Office detention policy is clear that detention for the purpose of removal must only ever be used where there is a realistic prospect of removal within a reasonable timeframe.

Most periods of detention are short: in the year ending June 2026, 97% of people leaving detention had been detained for less than six months, and 64% for one month or less.

Individuals can be granted bail, by either the Home Office or Court.

People granted immigration bail are released to a specified address, which may be existing accommodation or the home of family or members of their support network. They will not be released into Gosport unless the specified bail address, including asylum accommodation, is in the area or to no fixed address in a very small number of cases.

Those not collected by their friends or family will be taken to a transport hub and, where needed, given a travel warrant for their onward journey. Those released with no fixed address will receive information about support services and help to reach their chosen destination.

For more information about the release of people from immigration detention, read Detention Services Order (DSO) 01/2018 – Release of detainees from immigration detention.

For published statistics on immigration detention and returns, see How many people are detained or returned?.

Plans

The Home Office is proceeding with plans to open a redeveloped IRC at the former Haslar IRC at Gosport in Hampshire in 2027. Development is being undertaken in two phases: refurbishment of existing buildings (Phase 1) and new build accommodation (Phase 2).

Haslar IRC will be a mixture of refurbished and new-build accommodation built to the latest standards, taking account of findings from external scrutiny reports and internal lessons learned reviews to provide modern, safe, secure accommodation for detained men.

Around 130 bed spaces will be created through the refurbishment of the existing accommodation, compared with 198 places at the former IRC when it closed in 2016. Subject to planning permission and the necessary approvals, Phase 2 would provide around 470 additional places, increasing Haslar’s total capacity to around 600.

The main contractor for Phase 2 has been appointed, with initial work focused on design and project development.

Planning permission is being sought through the Crown Development process. This requires extensive consultation with the local planning authority and other consultees. The Home Office has engaged with local councillors, Members of Parliament and stakeholders including the police, fire and health services, and independent oversight bodies.

The initial design contract for Stage 1 is expected to end in 2027. Subject to planning permission and further approvals, a separate Stage 2 construction contract may then be awarded and construction could commence.

For more information on Crown development, see the guidance on Crown development and urgent Crown development.

Facilities and environment

The site will be a secure IRC, with robust physical security measures and appropriate procedures in place to ensure it operates safely and securely. These will include perimeter fencing and other security measures to protect both local residents and detained people.

The IRC will hold a mixture of time-served foreign national offenders and immigration offenders while we prepare to remove them from the UK. An individual may be detained under immigration powers under certain circumstances, for example, whilst their identity is being established, where there is a risk of absconding, or in support of the return of an individual with no legal right to be in the UK.

All rooms will meet the standards as set out in the accommodation standards DSO. Bedrooms will primarily be twin occupancy.

All facilities for detained individuals will be provided on site.

For more information about our DSOs, see Detention services orders

Healthcare provision is being procured through NHS England, and there will be no impact on primary healthcare services provided within the local community.

Visits will be facilitated in line with those in other centres. Visitors arriving at the Gosport ferry point, from Portsmouth, may be transported to the centre via a private shuttle bus service.

A car park will be provided for staff and visitors. The car park will be safe, secure and will meet the standards required for planning.

Lighting is integral to the safety and security of the centre, but short-term construction lighting and longer-term security lighting is being sensitively planned to minimise impact on local residents, whilst ensuring that security measures are not impacted.

Costs and contracts

The Home Office is committed to ensuring value for money on all IRC sites. The costs to refurbish/build are approved via a robust government approval process and scrutinised throughout the duration of the build. Costs will be refined during the planning process and once contractors have been onboarded.

Current costs in the public domain:

• contract for the provision of operational, management, maintenance and related works and services at Haslar Immigration Removal Centre - Find a Tender

• contract for the provision of operational, management, maintenance and related works and services at Haslar IRC. Content of this PIN may be subject to change - Find a Tender

• the contract award for Phase 2 design and development