Enforcement Officer

Job summary

Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government’s immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. It also aims to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. Learn more on our careers pages.

Reporting and Offender Management Teams are responsible for the attendance and management of Immigration offenders, who, due to their circumstances are required to maintain contact with the Home Office. Contact with the reporting population can be via numerous formats including face to face attendance at reporting centres within the UK or at a suitable designated location.

Job description

In this role you will form part of the Immigration Enforcement (IE) team. The team are an integral part of IE and play a key role in detaining and removing those that remain illegally in the UK, promoting a compliant environment and encouraging voluntary departure.

Reporting teams are responsible for achieving:

• Meaningful contact that encourages voluntary return.
• Management of a reporting population that drives compliance.
• Progression of cases towards removal or other case conclusion.

As an Enforcement Officer, you will engage directly with the public, handling queries, complaints, and signposting individuals to relevant services. You will conduct face-to-face interviews, assess individual circumstances, and manage workflows. Promoting voluntary return and progressing cases are key responsibilities, alongside preparing office detentions when appropriate.

Key Responsibilities:

• Planning and assisting with the detention and removal of Immigration Offenders.
• Conducting marriage Investigation work, leading on interviews and referring cases for tasking.
• Conducting reporting events. Where appropriate, proactively prompting individuals towards case resolution options including meaningful voluntary departure conversations.
• Conducting appropriate Intervention and Emergency Travel Documenting interviews to assist in case progression and obtaining documentation for those liable to removal from the UK.
• Overseeing contact management with those who are required to report.
• Conducting face to face interviews to gain further information, being able to deal appropriately with resistance and having challenging conversations. Promoting voluntary return from the UK.
• Working collaboratively and develop strong working relationships across all relevant teams and stakeholders to deliver business outcomes. Being flexible and adaptive to change.
• Considering and addressing safeguarding and vulnerability issues appropriately.
• This list is not exhaustive.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis. However, compressed hours will be considered.

Training

You will receive full training and support to do the job. Training takes place initially in the classroom and then continues on the job with a mentor who supports you until you are fully confident in the role. Even then you are never alone; you work as part of a team where there is always someone around for advice and support. Further information on what the training involves can be found on our website.

Due to the face-to-face contact and detention element, the role can be physically demanding. Candidates must be willing to undertake and maintain certification in Personal Safety Training Level 2. Please note candidates will be expected to be available between 1-2 weeks (Mon-Fri - possibly weekends) for a classroom-based course. This may involve travel to a specific training location. Cost of travel and accommodation will be met by the business.

Apprenticeship

This position includes completing a Level 3 Leadership & Management Apprenticeship, which takes around 18 months. To apply, you must:

• Be 16 or older (no upper age limit)
• Have lived in the UK for at least 3 years before starting
• Not be in another apprenticeship or paid education
• Work at least 30 hours per week. In exceptional circumstances, it is possible to complete an apprenticeship on reduced hours, but you must work at least 16 hours a week.
• Not already hold a similar qualification at Level 3 or higher

You may be required to line manage and if so, the apprenticeship is included. For more details, see Team leader / Skills England.

Travel
Travel to training courses or police stations/other government departments may be required within the role on occasion.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Ability to confidently manage complex and challenging situations.
• Flexible and adaptable with a positive approach to change.
• Highly organised, able to deliver work on time and to a consistently high standard.
• Focussed and resilient when working under pressure.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to actively seek and understand the needs of others.
• Ability to take ownership of tasks and make sound, responsible decisions.
• High level of personal integrity and a strong sense of professional ethics.

Desirable Criteria

• Previous experience in an immigration or enforcement role.

Licences

Due to the nature of the work, driving is a key requirement for this role. Applicants must have a full valid UK manual/automatic driving licence.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

1. Application – by 27th February 2026

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• Personal Statement (maximum 750 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour Communicating & Influencing (maximum of 250 words).

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

2. Sift – week commencing 2nd March 2026

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement and Behaviour Communicating & Influencing.

Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of all the remaining elements submitted (Behaviour). Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the initial sift will not have their remaining submitted elements scored and will only receive a sift score for that assessed at the initial sift.

3. Interview – week commencing 23rd March 2026

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) and Strength based questions.

The interview will take place in person at Home Office Middlesbrough Reporting Centre, 21 Gosford Street, Middlesbrough, TS2 1BB.

Travel expenses will not be reimbursed.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Appearance

This is a uniformed post and as such requires the highest standards. Further information on this and policies regarding tattoos can be found on our website.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Security Checks

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is SC.

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Integrity Check

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, you will also be subject to an additional Integrity Check, as part of the pre-employment process, to determine your suitability to work for Border Force or Immigration Enforcement. For further information on what this involves, please visit our website.

Further Information

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Serviceon your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.

If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs

• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre
• Email : HORCCampaignTeamIE@homeoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB)candidate_information_v16_January_2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 429kB)