Complaints procedure
Find out about how to complain about or comment on Immigration Enforcement, its work and how we deal with complaints.
During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic we are currently unable to respond to written correspondence. If you have written to us by post in the last 20 working days and not received a response, please send (where possible) your complaint to the email address below so we can respond by email.
Email or write to us if :
- you have a complaint about our service or professional conduct
- the incident happened within the last 3 months
Complaints should be made no later than 3 months after the date of the incident unless there are exceptional circumstances.
If you want to report an immigration crime
You can use the contact form if you believe someone is working illegally, or has made a false application to stay in the UK, or is involved in smuggling.
If you’ve had goods or a vehicle seized
Goods and vehicle seizures are dealt with by the National post seizure unit.
If you want to complain about other areas of the Home Office
Other areas of the Home Office have their own complaints procedures:
How to complain
If you have a complaint about our service or professional conduct, we encourage you to email us at complaints@homeoffice.gov.uk, as you’re likely to receive a quicker reply.
If you are unable to email, you can also write to us at:
Complaints allocation hub
Central point of receipt
11th Floor
Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY
You can download and print the
Complaints do not affect our decision-making process and making a complaint doesn’t mean that your application will be dealt with more quickly or more slowly.
Tell us as much information about yourself as you can. This will help us to find the information relevant to your case, and to contact you about it. The information you should provide is listed below:
- your contact details. It is important you include your address and phone number as we may contact you to resolve your complaint by phone or to request further information
- the names of the applicant/ original complainant if you’re completing this on behalf of someone else. We must have written authority to disclose information about another person’s case
- full details of the matter you’re complaining about, including times, dates and locations
- the names or identifying numbers of any staff you’ve dealt with
- details of any witnesses to the incident, if appropriate
- copies of the relevant letters or papers
- details of any reimbursement issues including papers and receipts to support your claim
We can only accept complaints in English and Welsh.
What happens next?
Your complaint will be managed by our correspondence team. They’re responsible for ensuring that your complaint is resolved in a satisfactory and timely manner. We’ll send you an acknowledgement when you make a complaint and we may contact you during an investigation for further information.
Read the complaints management guidance for further information about how we deal with your complaints.
How long will it take?
We’ll investigate your complaint and reply to you within 20 working days.
We will contact you if we need more time to investigate your complaint. If your complaint suggests serious professional misconduct we aim to respond within 12 weeks, following an impartial investigation.
Serious complaints
If you make a very serious complaint we may refer it to the Home Office’s professional standards unit who will write to you and inform you that they are handling your case.
If you make a serious complaint related to Immigration Enforcement officers’ use of specified enforcement functions in England and Wales, we’ll refer this to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The IOPC has a remit to investigate some serious complaints relating to the work of our immigration, asylum and customs functions.
Similar arrangements are in place in Scotland with the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) and in Northern Ireland with the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI).
If you’ve made a complaint about serious professional misconduct, the investigators will tell you the outcome. Their letter will tell you who to contact if you’re still not satisfied with the outcome.
If you’re not satisfied
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can ask us to review the matter.
A more senior member of staff will undertake an independent review of your complaint. They will tell you their findings within 20 working days of the date when you ask for a review.
If you’re still not satisfied at this stage, you may be able to raise the matter with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman or in certain cases the IPCC, PONI or PIRC who may be able to assist you.