Guidance

Search of person: caseworker guidance

Immigration staff guidance on UK Visas and Immigration's powers to search people and seize items.

• From: UK Visas and Immigration
• Published: 22 January 2016
• Last updated: 30 March 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 30 March 2026

     Updates to the guidance include integration of retired guidance ‘Offensive weapons - safe handling procedures; and the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (Application to Immigration Officers and Designated Customs Officials in Northern Ireland) and Consequential Amendments Regulations 2026.

  2. 26 October 2023

     Update in Use of Force powers to include Article 6, PACE Order 2013.

  3. 18 March 2020

     Updated reasonable force criteria and included amendments to Section 45 Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016

  4. 25 November 2019

     Updated guidance with additions to reasonable force criteria, amendments to Section 45 Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 and minor style edits.

  5. 22 January 2016

     First published.

Documents

Search of person (accessible)

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Search of person

PDF, 236 KB, 19 pages

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Details

UK Visas and Immigration guidance for staff about its powers to search people and seize items.

This guidance includes information on:

• PACE 1984
• PACE Order (application to immigration officers and designated customs officials) 2013
• Immigration Act 1971
• Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• UK Borders Act 2007
• Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001