1. Checking and Advice Service
Official-Sensitive

2. An Enhanced checking and advice service
Why are we introducing new services?
Ensuring that immigration status checks are conducted prior to an individual obtaining benefit or services is an essential part of ensuring illegal migrants cannot access public services to which they are not entitled, encounter a compliant environment which encourages voluntarily departure and limit the harm they cause to the taxpayer.
As a Department, we already have a core offer of free (mainly online) guidance and checking services to private and public sector organisations. The majority of these extensive free services aim to provide a response within 2-5 working days. However, they do not always meet the needs of our customers.
Over the last 18 months we have tested the benefits of placing Immigration Officials in a number of organisations.
What was the role of the on-site Immigration Official?
Conducting immigration status checks
Training and assisting frontline staff
Signposting individuals to the voluntary returns service
These officials have delivered real benefits to our partners, including:
Financial savings and projected cost savings
Up-skilling partners to become better at making decisions on entitlement to services or benefits
Enabling partners to charge for or deny services where appropriate
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3. Checking and Advice Service: The Offer
What services are available?
How long will it take?
How much?
Standard Service
Checking Services
5 days
Free
Online Guidance & Training
Variable
Enhanced Checking Service
Telephone line
Real-time
80p per minute
On-site Immigration Official
£58.20 per hour
Bespoke training services
Specific to requirements
Variable according to number of delegates/length of session
Official-Sensitive

4. Real time telephone-based immigration status checking service
This is designed to give partner organisations the ability to conduct an instant immigration check.
Partners will be able to call a dedicated team of highly knowledgeable and skilled immigration staff (who have access to relevant Home Office systems) between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday and request the immigration status of a person or persons.
To date, the experiences of those organisations who have used this service has been positive with immigration status checks being completed, on average, within 7 to 8 minutes.
Call to checking service
Status check required by partner organisation
Immigration staff provide immigration status information in real-time
Partner makes informed decision
Status check complete
Official-Sensitive

5. An on-site Immigration Official
This service can be tailored as required, but it centres on an Immigration official being located within an organisation and conducting the following core functions:
providing immigration status checks and advice about those checks to support decision-making;
supporting wider processes (for example attending interviews with staff) and process changes (helping to put new systems in place); and
providing general immigration advice (for example on changes to legislation and policy).
Legally in the UK – not entitled to support/services
Legally in the UK
Illegally present in the UK – not entitled to support/services
Access to goods/services/ benefits/support considered by partner organisation
Status check required by partner organisation
Expedite any outstanding application where appropriate
Ensure all relevant information is available to inform decision-making
Meet/interview client
Refer client to the voluntary returns service
Apply other sanctions as appropriate
Confirmation of status and advice provided by immigration official
Official-Sensitive

6. Bespoke Immigration Training service
Designed to enable partners to request a tailored face-to-face training session, or programme of sessions, from a trained member of Home Office staff.
We envisage this service will be particularly useful where a partner organisation identifies a specific immigration knowledge gap and wishes to address it in a systematic manner.
The training sessions provided are tailored with the length of the sessions and content designed to address each organisation’s particular needs.
Official-Sensitive

7. Contact us
If you are interested in any of these services, please contact the team:
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