Guidance

Restricted leave: caseworker guidance

Immigration staff guidance on granting restricted leave.

• From: UK Visas and Immigration
• Published: 28 May 2012
• Last updated: 23 April 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 23 April 2026

     Updated criminality in relation to section 72(2) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, and updated references to reflect the current Immigration Rules.

  2. 5 January 2026

     Updated section on conditions to impose on a grant of leave, to reflect commencement of provisions in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025. Updated section on breach of conditions. Updated references to reflect the current Immigration Rules.

  3. 27 August 2025

     Updated guidance, including: updated condition code for recourse to public funds; updated references to the Immigration Act 1971; replaced references to biometric residence permit with immigration status online (eVisa); and updated travel outside the UK section.

  4. 25 October 2023

     Replaced document with a new version.

  5. 28 July 2023

     Guidance updated, including: removing condition requiring a person to register with the police; amending to include persons to whom Article 1(2)(iii) of the 1954 Convention on the status of stateless persons applies; updating to clarify approach to adult children of those granted restricted leave; amending to clarify approach when reviewing the no recourse to public funds condition.

  6. 20 July 2022

     Updated restricted leave PDF to reflect the Nationality & Borders Act 2022 amendments.

  7. 11 April 2022

     Updated guidance.

  8. 7 January 2022

     Guidance updated with the following changes: clarification of who the policy applies to; clarity on considerations around the duration and conditions of leave and travel outside the UK; removal of the requirement not to spend more than 3 consecutive nights or more than 10 days in a rolling 6-month period away from the place of residence without seeking prior permission from the Secretary of State; minor clarifications in respect of applicability of the policy to dependants; updates to reflect the Court of Appeal decision in MS & Anor v SSHD [2017] EWCA Civ 1190 (31 July 2017); inclusion of refusal of applications for leave under the EU Settlement Scheme.

  9. 25 May 2018

     Guidance updated to comply with GDPR.

  10. 7 December 2016

      Updated guidance.

  11. 23 January 2015

      Updated guidance.

  12. 28 May 2012

      First published.

Documents

Restricted leave (accessible)

HTML

Restricted leave

PDF, 457 KB, 65 pages

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Details

UK Visas and Immigration guidance on how staff make decisions who should be granted restricted leave, how to consider the duration of leave to be granted and what, if any, conditions should be imposed.