Rights and LimitsSomeone at your doorImmigration enforcement at your door
Immigration enforcement at your door
What you must do, and what you can refuse
Every claim below links to the law it comes from, with the wording quoted so you can check it yourself.
You must
Refusing is a criminal offence.
Not obstruct an immigration officer who is lawfully acting in the execution of this Act.
Immigration Act 1971, s.26(1)(g)
“if, without reasonable excuse, he obstructs an immigration officer or other person lawfully acting in the execution of this Act”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
You can refuse
No penalty for saying no.
The power for an immigration officer to enter and search business premises without a warrant applies only for the purpose of arresting someone for a specific immigration offence, and only with the authority of the Secretary of State or, for a constable, a Chief Superintendent.
Immigration Act 1971, s.28CA(1)(a) and (2)(c)
“a constable or immigration officer may enter and search any business premises for the purpose of arresting a person— for an offence under section 24 — the power under subsection (1) may be exercised only— with the authority of the Secretary of State (in the case of an immigration officer) or a Chief Superintendent (in the case of a constable)”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
Ask to see the written authority itself, and check who signed it and when.
The authorisation must come from a civil servant of at least Assistant Director rank, and lapses after seven days.
Immigration Act 1971, s.28CA(3)
“authority for the purposes of subsection (2)(c)— may be given on behalf of the Secretary of State only by a civil servant of the rank of at least Assistant Director, and—shall expire at the end of the period of seven days beginning with the day on which it is given”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
Two very different routes into a building
Immigration officers do not always need a court warrant. For business premises, they can enter to arrest someone for specific immigration offences with internal authorisation instead — signed off by a senior civil servant, not a magistrate.
That authority has to come from someone at Assistant Director level or above, and it expires seven days after it is given. It is a real power, but a narrower and shorter-lived one than a warrant, and it is specific to business premises, not homes in general.
When a warrant is required instead
To search premises for documents — for example, after someone has already been arrested elsewhere under this Act — a justice of the peace has to be satisfied there are reasonable grounds for believing relevant documents will be found there before issuing a warrant.
If an officer at your door cannot show you either a warrant or a written Assistant Director authorisation for a specific business premises, they have no power under this route to come in.
You do not have to open the door or answer questions
Outside an examination at a port or airport — a different, more sweeping power covered elsewhere on this site — there is no general duty in this legislation to open your door to an immigration officer or to answer their questions on the doorstep.
What is an offence is obstructing an officer who is lawfully acting — for example, one who is validly executing a warrant. Not opening the door to someone who has neither a warrant nor a valid Assistant Director authorisation is not obstruction; physically stopping an officer who does have one of those is a different matter.
Last reviewed 2026-08-25. Next review due 2027-02-25. No solicitor has reviewed this page — see [email protected] if you think something here is wrong.