Transparency data

Future Border and Immigration System (FBIS): SRO appointment letter for Simon Bond, February 2026 (accessible)

Updated 23 April 2026

To: Simon Bond, Senior Responsible Owner for the Future Border and Immigration System (FBIS) Programme

From: Simon Ridley, Acting Permanent Secretary of Home Office; and

Karina Singh , Director, Function, Insight and Profession, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority and the Senior Accountable Officer for Project Delivery across Government

February 2026

Dear Simon,

Appointment as senior responsible owner for the Future Border and Immigration System (FBIS) programme

We are writing to confirm your appointment as sole Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) of the FBIS Programme with effect from 23rd January 2026. We also acknowledge this change is because of Phillipa Rouse leaving the post on that date and is a continuation of the duties you have undertaken since January 2021. This letter sets out your responsibilities and the support you can expect from your department, Government Project Delivery and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.

As SRO, you are directly accountable to Dan Hobbs Director General of Migration Borders and International Policy and Programmes (MBIPP), under the oversight of the 2nd Permanent Secretary as accounting officer for Migration and Border System and the Home Secretary.

Your programme forms part of the Home Office Portfolio under the oversight of the Investment Committee and is included in the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP).

You have personal responsibility for the delivery of FBIS Programme and will be held accountable for the delivery of its objectives, policy intent and outcomes. This encompasses securing and protecting its vision, ensuring that it is governed responsibly, reported on honestly, escalated appropriately and for influencing the context, culture, and operating environment of the programme. You are also responsible for ensuring the ongoing viability of the programme and recommending its pause or termination if appropriate. Where issues arise which, you are unable to resolve, you are responsible for escalating these to Portfolio Delivery Board, Investment Committee (InvestCo) and /or other HO Governance bodies as appropriate to the resolution of those issues.

You remain accountable to Ministers, as set out in the Civil Service Code, and should deliver the project in accordance with the objectives and policy intent as set by Ministers.

In addition to your internal accountabilities, SROs for GMPP projects and programmes are personally accountable to Parliamentary Select Committees. This means that, from the date of this letter, you will be held personally accountable to and could be called by Select Committees to account for and explain the decisions and actions you have taken to deliver the Programme.

It is important to be clear that your accountability relates only to implementation, within the agreed terms in this letter; it will remain for the Minister to account for the relevant policy decisions and development.

More information on this is set out in Giving Evidence to Select Committees - Guidance for Civil Servants, sometimes known as the Osmotherly Rules. Information on the roles and responsibilities of the SRO are detailed in Government Project Delivery’s guidance on the role of the senior responsible owner,

You are expected to run your programme in accordance with the Government Functional Standard for Project Delivery, and the requirements of other functional standards as required, which is mandated for government departments and arm’s length bodies to follow. You should also make yourself familiar with The Teal Book, Government Project Delivery’s code of practice for project delivery, and any further guidance and requirements set by Home Office Project Delivery Framework.

Time commitment and tenure

This role will require at least 50% of your time to enable effective delivery of the role and execute your responsibilities in full.

You are required to undertake this role until achievement of programme closure planned for 31st March 2027. Progress towards this will be reflected in your personal objectives. Any changes to the agreed time commitment or tenure of the role, as set out above, will require both departmental and National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority consent.

Objectives and performance criteria

The policy intent supported by this FBIS programme is to continue to transform the border and immigration system to deliver a simple, quick, digital end-to-end journey for people using our systems. The Programme will deliver a world leading, slick border which streamlines the journeys of British citizens and legitimate travellers whilst still providing strong security from those without permission to enter the UK.

The Programme is widely considered as a success, particularly as it has delivered a significant range of Ministerially directed change. The latest significant Ministerial directive relates to the programme’s contribution to the delivery of many of the technical changes outlined in the publication of the Immigration White Paper in May 2025. The programme is currently assessing the impact of these changes whilst protecting delivery of the committed programme roadmap.

The Programme’s key priorities and deliveries for the remaining years will be focused on the delivery of further eVisa capabilities e.g. decommissioning of Vignettes, the aim being to complete our move to eVisas by mid-2026.  Following the successful delivery of Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), we will commence the enforcement of ETAs in February 2026.  We will progress roll out of capabilities in the Digital passenger space by implementing the technical capability required to transform the border for greater automation and security.

Any proposed changes to scope which impacts on this intent or the realisation of benefits must be authorised by InvestCo and may be subject to further levels of approval.

The vision of the FBIS Programme is to transform the border and immigration system to deliver a simple, quick, digital end-to-end journey for people using our systems.  The programme will deliver using an outcome focus (Digital Permissions, Routes and Application Transformation, Digital passenger), this supports continuity of delivery due to the complexities of the programme and its objectives are to:

• Digital Permissions will achieve a fully digital process by delivering key commitments through innovative solutions to provide and prove identity and will deliver eVisa capabilities with an ecosystem underpinned by online accounts and compliance via ETA enforcement.
• Routes and Application Transformation will enhance casework by boosting efficiency, decision quality, and productivity, allowing skilled staff to focus on priority areas.
• Digital Passengers will enhance efficiency, boost automation, shift border processes upstream, and improve data delivery by Border Visions and Intelligent Border.

Your personal objectives and performance criteria which relate to the FBIS Programme are:

To visibly and actively lead FBIS to ensure that the Programme achieves its agreed objectives and outcomes. In particular:

• Monitoring and controlling the progress of all outcome areas (Digital Permissions. Digital Passenger and Routes and Application Transformation) at a strategic level, being honest and frank about its progress, risks, and issues,
• Communicating effectively with senior stakeholders regarding programme progress and providing clear, appropriate, and delivery-focused decisions and advice to the Programme Director,
• Escalating serious issues quickly and with confidence to senior management, and
• Ensuring that the Programme and its objectives remain relevant to the long-term strategic needs of the Home Office and the policy goals of the current and future Governments.

You are expected to run your project in accordance with the Government Functional Standard for Project Delivery, the other Functional Standards as applicable, and the requirements of the Government and Home Office Project Delivery Frameworks.

Performance Criteria: Timely delivery of the initiative, but also openness and pragmatism of response to risks and issues that threaten that.

DG Delivery has asked the CPO to provide feedback on performance against these criteria.

Extent and limit of accountability

Finance and Controls

HM Treasury spending controls will apply on the basis set out within the department’s delegated authority letter. Where the FBIS Programme exceeds the delegated authority set by HM Treasury, the Treasury Approval Point process will apply, and the details of each approval process must be agreed with your HM Treasury spending team. You should consult departmental finance colleagues on how to go about this.

You should note that where expenditure is considered novel, contentious, repercussive, or likely to result in costs to other parts of the public sector, HM Treasury approval will be required, regardless of whether the programme expenditure exceeds the delegated authority set by HM Treasury. If in doubt about whether approval is required you should, in the first instance, consult departmental finance colleagues before raising with the relevant HM Treasury spending team.

The overall estimated budget, resourcing requirements and tolerances for your project/programme will be agreed as part of the approval process. You will be expected to deliver within these tolerances and report quarterly on these as part of GMPP reporting.

You should operate at all times within the rules set out in Managing Public Money. In addition, you must be mindful of, and act in accordance with, the specific HM Treasury delegated limits and Cabinet Office controls relevant to FBIS Programme.

Information on these controls can be found here: Cabinet Office controls.

Delegated authority

You are authorised to:

• approve expenditure up to the limits granted by InvestCo plus stage tolerances described by Home Office Portfolio Change Control. Appropriate authority must be sought for expenditure which breaches tolerances. The Chief Portfolio Officer (CPO) and the Corporate Finance Director should be involved in such discussions along with the Director General of Chief Operating Officer (COO). Funding – especially underspends - must not be flexed within or between allocations without reference back to InvestCo.
• Agree the rescheduling of delivery within the tolerances described by Home Office Portfolio Change Control. Exceeding these tolerances requires the agreement of InvestCo, and the CPO should be involved in discussions seeking such agreement; and
• recommend to DG MBIPP and the InvestCo the need to either pause or terminate the programme where necessary and in a timely manner.

These authority limits are subject to change and other conditions or tolerances may be set as part of the business case approval and ongoing monitoring processes which you should then operate within.

Where issues arise which take you outside of these authority limits which you are unable to resolve, you are responsible for escalating these issues to the DG MBIPP, InvestCo and DG Chief Operating Officer.

Governance and assurance

You should pay attention to ensuring effective governance for your programme, including the establishment of a Programme Board with appropriate membership and clear terms of reference.

As primary owner, you must ensure that the FBIS programme secures business case approval from InvestCo including CO and HMT. You should also ensure that the FBIS programme remains aligned to the strategic outcomes, costs, timescales, and benefits in line with the approved business case as well as monitoring the context within which the programme is being delivered to ensure it remains valid.

Where a change impacts the scope, costs, benefits, or planned delivery milestones agreed as part of an agreed business case, you are responsible for following the agreed change request approval process and setting a new, approved, business case baseline.

You should ensure that an accounting officer assessment is completed alongside the approval of the Outline Business Case and that this is published on GOV.UK as part of the government’s transparency requirements on major projects. You are responsible for bringing to the attention of the accounting officer any material changes in the programme which could require a new accounting officer assessment to be completed and published. Guidance on completing accounting officer assessments for major projects is available from HM Treasury.

Although you are directly accountable for this programme, you are also expected to support delivery of the department’s overall strategic objectives. This means that you are expected to work collaboratively with other SROs and project directors in adjacent projects and programmes and with the Home Office Portfolio and Project Delivery portfolio management office and portfolio director to manage dependencies, resources, schedules, and funding to support delivery of the overall change the department needs to achieve its strategic objectives.

You should ensure that appropriate and proportionate assurance is in place and agree on the level and frequency of assurance reviews through the maintenance of an integrated assurance and approvals plan. You should develop this plan and its maintenance in collaboration with the Departmental Assurance Coordinator and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.

Programme status, reporting and transparency requirements

The programme status at the date of your appointment is reflected in the most recent quarterly return on the programme to the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority and is the agreed position as you assume formal ownership of the programme.

You are responsible for ensuring the honest and timely reporting on the position of the programme to the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority while it remains on the GMPP and for providing reports and information to the Home Office Portfolio and Project Delivery portfolio management office as required. Reporting should include carbon measurement, and other sustainable development goals demonstrating evidence that the project contributes to an overarching environmental strategy and is aligned with defined Net Zero pathways. Information on the programme will be published annually on major projects, you are responsible for publishing on GOV.UK:

• Either a summary business case or the Programme Business Case and deposit a copy in the House of Commons Library within 4 months of HM Treasury’s formal approval of the Programme Business Case.
• A summary of the accounting officer assessment completed in line with the approval of the Outline Business Case and summaries of any subsequent assessments should they be required;
• A close out report after the programme has completed.

Guidance on the publication of business cases and on the completion of accounting officer assessments is available from HM Treasury.

Evaluation

Evaluation of major projects is a requirement. Given the scale and complexity of major projects, it is essential that they are evaluated properly to learn lessons and help ensure accountability. As an SRO of a GMPP project, you are responsible for ensuring that your programme has proportionate and suitably resourced evaluation in place. Evaluation planning should begin from the very start of the policy development and the initiation of the programme. Progress with the development and implementation of evaluation plans will be monitored through the major project assurance process.

You are also responsible for registering all planned, live and completed evaluations on the Government Evaluation Registry. Guidance on using the evaluation registry is available on GOV.UK.

Development and support

As a graduate of the Major Projects Leadership Academy, you are expected to maintain your continuing professional development as a project leader, including your status as an accredited assurance reviewer. To maintain your accreditation, you will be required to participate in a review at least once every 12 months. 

The department will assist you in securing the necessary resources to support the programme, and will set clear guidance, requirements and standards, which align to the Government Functional Standard on Project Delivery, to enable good governance and effective delivery. You will be part of the department’s cohort of major project leaders who will be expected to support each other, share good practice and lessons learned and to collectively develop solutions. You should liaise with the department’s Head of Profession for project delivery to discuss the maintenance and development of your delivery and leadership skills.

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority and Government Project Delivery will be available to you for support, advice, and assurance throughout the programme’s time on the GMPP. Government Project Delivery’s suite of standards, guidance, tools, templates and services can be accessed from projectdelivery.gov.uk and we encourage you and your team to register for accounts

Following approval of the business case and entry onto the Home Office Portfolio, the Portfolio Delivery Board will provide ongoing oversight and support and will take steps to help resolve and escalate risks, issues or constraints that are acting as a blocker to successful delivery.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you every success in your role as SRO.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Ridley
Acting Permanent Secretary, Home Office

Karina Singh
Director, Function, Insight and Profession, National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority
Senior Accountable Officer for Project Delivery across Government

Confirmation of acceptance of appointment

I confirm that I accept the appointment of Senior Responsible Owner for the Future Borders and Immigration System Programme, including my personal accountability for implementation, as set out in the letter above.

Simon Bond