** Immigration 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.

Foreign National Offender Returns Command’s (FNO RC) objective is to protect the public by deporting or removing FNOs who commit criminal offences, and to actively monitor and manage FNOs released into the community. We manage each case through the legal process, negotiating barriers such as travel documents and ensuring that the use of immigration detention is appropriate.

The role is in the operational arm of the Foreign National Offender Returns Command (FNO RC), Immigration Prison Team.

The Immigration Prison Teams (IPT) are based in 13 embedded prison hubs across the United Kingdom, with some teams carrying out mobile roles across the region.

IPT officers engage with Foreign National Offenders (FNOs), and a range of stakeholders across the Prison and IRC estate.

Job description

The role is about managing relationships that assist in progressing cases to removal or release. IPT officers (at all grades) are required to be able to engage professionally with an FNO, a prison governor, an immigration caseworker, the voluntary sector, law enforcement and offender managers.

You will also engage with a range of internal and external stakeholders, building effective working relationships to support the delivery of key performance indicators. The role requires a professional approach to service delivery, balancing competing priorities and business needs across multiple deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

• Attend the prison establishments and manage a caseload of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) liable for deportation, engaging directly with individuals and stakeholders to progress cases and facilitate effective removals in line with Home Office policy and legislation.
• Engage proactively with case owners and prison staff, maintaining professional relationships through clear and effective communication.
• Promote compliant returns and voluntary departure options, including the Facilitated Return Scheme (FRS), ensuring individuals understand the available pathways and processes.
• Conduct FNO induction interviews and regular surgeries to establish nationality, identity, and other relevant information required to progress deportation cases.
• Serve deportation documentation, explain immigration processes and outcomes, and maintain accurate case records through effective use of systems such as ATLAS.
• Identify and respond to health, welfare, and vulnerability concerns, escalating issues appropriately to prison staff and case owners.
• Attend and support Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) reviews where immigration matters are identified as contributing factors to an FNO's wellbeing.
• Conduct screening and substantive interviews relating to Asylum and National Referral Mechanism (NRM) claims within prisons and Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs).
• Act as a key point of contact for Immigration Prison Teams (IPT), managing FNO wing applications and responding to queries from prison staff in a timely and professional manner.
• Ensure compliance with Home Office policies, safeguarding requirements, and operational procedures while maintaining high standards of customer service and case management.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.

Please note: Due to the operational needs of the role, this position does not offer hybrid working arrangements.

Successful candidates will need to be able to attend for all shifts including early starts, late night finishes, and overnight shifts. These shifts may be outside of public transport operating hours.

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.

Personal Safety Training (PST)

These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass specialist training including Personal Safety Training (PST) Level 2, which develops skills in personal safety, arrest and restraint techniques. This demands physical activity and physical contact with delegates on the course. You will be required to complete a PST health declaration and, if necessary, attend a medical examination. A formal offer will be conditional upon you being physically fit to undertake and pass the training.

Location and Travel

This position is based within the East Anglia Mobile Team, with the expectation to regularly travel to work within HMP sites, and Immigration Removal Centres across the aligned area. The main HMP estate will be HMP Highpoint.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Ability to work effectively under pressure with minimal supervision in a custodial environment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and external partners, promoting collaboration, transparency, and mutual respect.
• Effective team player who understands how individual contributions support wider operational objectives.
• Proactive and solution-focused, with the ability to identify issues early and take appropriate action to resolve them.
• Strong written skills, with experience drafting clear and accurate case records and correspondence.
• Ability to work collaboratively and empathetically with diverse individuals, including vulnerable people.
• Strong IT skills with advanced proficiency in Microsoft Outlook and the Microsoft Office suite. Experienced in using and maintaining databases, ensuring accurate data entry, record management, and regular system updates.

Driving Licence

Due to the nature of the work and/or the geographical area, driving is an essential requirement for this role. You will be required to drive on official business. You must have a full valid UK manual driving licence.

Licences

Behaviours

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

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

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

• Working Together

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.
• This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance (AHA) of 23.4%, which equates to a