Guidance

Ask the Home Office to check your immigration status is correct

If you believe your immigration status is wrong, and it has stopped you accessing work, benefits or services, you can ask the Home Office to check it.

To ask the Home Office to check your immigration status, you need to:

  • complete the request form (ODT, 13.4 KB)

  • send it to the Home Office with any documents you have

If you’re using an iPhone or iPad, you may need to use an editing application to complete the form.

Documents you can send

You can include:

  • a copy of the letter you received telling you your access to work, benefits or services has stopped

  • information about who stopped your access to work, benefits or services – for example, an employer, a bank or a government department

  • reference numbers relating to your contact with another government department, if you have any

  • copies of letters that support your immigration status – for example, an immigration decision letter, or a letter you sent to your employer prompting them to check your right to work in the UK

  • a copy of the leaflet you received from your bank, telling you your account was closed or your application for an account was denied

  • any other documents that may help your claim

You do not need to send us any documents, but we’ll answer you more quickly if you do.

We can only accept documents in English or Welsh.

If you’re applying on behalf of someone else, we must have written permission from them to discuss their case with you. They must sign and date this written permission, and you must send it with the completed form and documents.

Where to send them

Email

Email your completed form and any documents to UKVI.IC@homeoffice.gov.uk.

This email address is only for people to check their immigration status if it was shared with another government department or a bank. For anything else, contact UKVI.

Documents other than the form should be in PDF or JPG format.

Post

Send your completed form and any documents to:

Customer Correspondence Hub (IC)
Lunar House
7th Floor
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY

Cost

This is a free service.

What happens afterwards

We’ll try to respond within 7 working days of receiving your form. It may take longer if we need more time to find your immigration status.

We’ll contact you using the details you provided in the form.

How your data is used

The Home Office hold and process personal information supplied or collected for a number of specified purposes including enforcing immigration laws. You can find more information on how your information is processed in the Home Office Privacy Information Notice and the Home Office Personal Information Charter.

We are aware this publication may have accessibility issues. We are reviewing it so that we can fix these.

Read more about our accessible documents policy.

Published 6 August 2021
Last updated 6 April 2023 + show all updates
  1. Updated the form and list of documents you can send. They now have information for people whose bank account was closed, or application for an account was denied, because of their immigration status.

  2. Added additional information about using an Apple smartphone or tablet.

  3. First published.