Border Force
The majority of ISU members work in Border Force, regulating entry of people and goods at over 140 airports and seaports around the UK and at Juxtaposed Border Control locations in France and Belgium.
Border Force was formed in 2012 from the ashes of the failed UK Border Agency, itself established only in 2008. Prior to that, the Customs and Immigration elements of Border Force had existed separately for many years. Nowadays Border Force marries both aspects of Border Control, focusing increasingly on prevention of crime, national security and supporting national prosperity.
ISU members in Border Force contribute critically to the national security of the UK and to maintaining our Border Controls.
ISU and Border Force, working together every day
Fighting Crime
ISU members in Border Force deal with many millions of inbound travelers to the UK each year, granting admission in accordance with Immigration Rules and preventing the entry of those aiming to cause the UK harm.
Border Force also apprehends people traffickers, disrupting the flow of illegal entrants to the UK, while the International arm supports other governments around the world in improving their Border processes and protections, disrupting international criminality.
Border Force and Customs
On the Customs side of the house, every year Border Force intercept vast quantities of illegal drugs, contraband cigarettes and alcohol and counterfeit goods while also ensuring that correct excise duties are paid in respect of import goods.
Border Force teams use sophisticated intelligence and detection tools in this work, leading to numerous successful prosecutions and significant disruption to organised crime networks.
Immigration Enforcement
ISU members in Immigration Enforcement ( IE ) work to prevent abuse of UK immigration law, tracing and removing foreign nationals illegally in the UK and targeting criminals profiting from illegal immigration. They are the ‘after entry’ part of Border Control, processing illegal entrants who, for example, have entered the UK clandestinely in the backs of lorries or who have failed to comply with conditions imposed on entry by Border Force.
This is some of the most challenging work in the public sector, often involving physical arrest of dangerous individuals who present serious risk to the UK public. Our people are out on the streets day and night, working in closely knit teams to combat immigration crime.
The results ISU members in Immigration Enforcement produce are too often unsung but bring great value to this country and contribute enormously to making our communities safer.
IE also have substantial case-working teams. Responsibilities include excluding foreign criminals from the country and arranging for deportation of foreign national prisoners in UK prisons. IE also handle regular reporting for offenders with pending applications or legal challenges – and arrange removals at the end of the process, including by chartered removal flights.
There are also dedicated Crime and Intelligence teams focussed on fighting serious, organised immigration crime around the country and with significant international aspects – with numerous very high profile and noteworthy successes.
Customer Services
ISU members in UK Visas and Immigration carry out wide-ranging functions within the immigration system.
UKVI are responsible for:-
- Managing UK visa issuing operations at British Embassies and High Commissions around the world
- Running Public Enquiry Offices in the UK and ‘Managed Migration’ case-working Teams, who decide all ‘in country’ applications for extensions of stay, up to and including permanent residency
- Managing European casework, including the registration for UK residency of EU citizens and dependants
- Running the Immigration Appeals system, including defence of Home Office decisions at Immigration Tribunal, along with high profile case litigation in the courts
- Managing the asylum system, arranging support for asylum seekers, deciding applications and arranging removal of those who do not qualify from the UK
Our members in UKVI undertake a wide variety of valuable functions, from far-flung points of the compass overseas to our larger UK based operations in Croydon, Liverpool and Sheffield.
The ISU understands the pressures that our members in UKVI are under. Our reps all have backgrounds in in Immigration and Borders. Our members in UKVI suffer under tremendous workloads due to under investment. Members are subject to scrutiny and criticism on their decisions, often from outside agencies with no knowledge of the system.
Members have been targeted due to the nature of the work they re involved in. The ISU has experience in supporting our members in these environments and will stand with you.
