UK Borders Act 2007
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 2007 c. 30 |
| Year | 2007 |
UK Borders Act 2007
2007 Chapter 30
An Act to make provision about immigration and asylum; and for connected purposes.
[30th October 2007]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
Detention at ports
1 Designated immigration officers
(1) The Secretary of State may designate immigration officers for the purposes of section 2.
(2) The Secretary of State may designate only officers who the Secretary of State thinks are—
(a) fit and proper for the purpose, and
(b) suitably trained.
(3) A designation—
(a) may be permanent or for a specified period, and
(b) may (in either case) be revoked.
2 Detention
(1) A designated immigration officer at a port in England, Wales or Northern Ireland may detain an individual if the immigration officer thinks that the individual—
(a) may be liable to arrest by a constable under section 24(1), (2) or (3) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (c. 60) or Article 26(1), (2) or (3) of the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (S.I. 1989/1341 (N.I. 12)), or
(b) is subject to a warrant for arrest.
(2) A designated immigration officer who detains an individual—
(a) must arrange for a constable to attend as soon as is reasonably practicable,
(b) may search the individual for, and retain, anything that might be used to assist escape or to cause physical injury to the individual or another person,
(c) must retain anything found on a search which the immigration officer thinks may be evidence of the commission of an offence, and
(d) must, when the constable arrives, deliver to the constable the individual and anything retained on a search.
(3) An individual may not be detained under this section for longer than three hours.
(4) A designated immigration officer may use reasonable force for the purpose of exercising a power under this section.
(5) Where an individual whom a designated immigration officer has detained or attempted to detain under this section leaves the port, a designated immigration officer may—
(a) pursue the individual, and
(b) return the individual to the port.
(6) Detention under this section shall be treated as detention under the Immigration Act 1971 (c. 77)
for the purposes of Part 8 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (c. 33)
(detained persons).
3 Enforcement
(1) An offence is committed by a person who—
(a) absconds from detention under section 2,
(b) assaults an immigration officer exercising a power under section 2, or
(c) obstructs an immigration officer in the exercise of a power under section 2.
(2) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1)(a) or (b) shall be liable on summary conviction to—
(a) imprisonment for a term not exceeding 51 weeks,
(b) a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or
(c) both.
(3) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1)(c) shall be liable on summary conviction to—
(a) imprisonment for a term not exceeding 51 weeks,
(b) a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale, or
(c) both.
(4) In the application of this section to Northern Ireland—
(a) the reference in subsection (2)(a) to 51 weeks shall be treated as a reference to six months, and
(b) the reference in subsection (3)(a) to 51 weeks shall be treated as a reference to one month.
(5) In relation to an offence committed before the commencement of section 281(5) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (c. 44)
(51 week maximum term of sentences)—
(a) the reference in subsection (2)(a) to 51 weeks shall be treated as a reference to six months, and
(b) the reference in subsection (3)(a) to 51 weeks shall be treated as a reference to one month.
4 Interpretation: ‘port’
(1) In section 2 "port" includes an airport and a hoverport.
(2) A place shall be treated for the purposes of that section as a port in relation to an individual if a designated immigration officer believes that the individual—
(a) has gone there for the purpose of embarking on a ship or aircraft, or
(b) has arrived there on disembarking from a ship or aircraft.
Biometric registration
5 Registration regulations
(1) The Secretary of State may make regulations—
(a) requiring a person subject to immigration control to apply for the issue of a document recording biometric information (a "biometric immigration document");
(b) requiring a biometric immigration document to be used—
(i) for specified immigration purposes,
(ii) in connection with specified immigration procedures, or
(iii) in specified circumstances, where a question arises about a person's status in relation to nationality or immigration;
(c) requiring a person who produces a biometric immigration document by virtue of paragraph (b) to provide information for comparison with information provided in connection with the application for the document.
(2) Regulations under subsection (1)(a) may, in particular—
(a) apply generally or only to a specified class of persons subject to immigration control (for example, persons making or seeking to make a specified kind of application for immigration purposes);
(b) specify the period within which an application for a biometric immigration document must be made;
(c) make provision about the issue of biometric immigration documents;
(d) make provision about the content of biometric immigration documents (which may include non-biometric information);
(e) make provision permitting a biometric immigration document to be combined with another document;
(f) make provision for biometric immigration documents to begin to have effect, and cease to have effect, in accordance with the regulations;
(g) require a person who acquires a biometric immigration document, without the consent of the person to whom it relates or of the Secretary of State, to surrender it to the Secretary of State as soon as is reasonably practicable;
(h) permit the Secretary of State to require the surrender of a biometric immigration document in other specified circumstances;
(i) permit the Secretary of State on issuing a biometric immigration document to require the surrender of other documents connected with immigration or nationality.
(3) Regulations under subsection (1)(a) may permit the Secretary of State to cancel a biometric immigration document—
(a) if the Secretary of State thinks that information provided in connection with the document was or has become false, misleading or incomplete,
(b) if the Secretary of State thinks that the document has been lost or stolen,
(c) if the Secretary of State thinks that the document (including any information recorded in it) has been altered, damaged or destroyed (whether deliberately or not),
(d) if the Secretary of State thinks that an attempt has been made (whether successfully or not) to copy the document or to do anything to enable it to be copied,
(e) if the Secretary of State thinks that a person has failed to surrender the document in accordance with subsection (2)(g) or (h),
(f) if the Secretary of State thinks that the document should be re-issued (whether because the information recorded in it requires alteration or for any other reason),
(g) if the Secretary of State thinks that the holder is to be given leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom,
(h) if the Secretary of State thinks that the holder's leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom is to be varied, cancelled or invalidated or to lapse,
(i) if the Secretary of State thinks that the holder has died,
(j) if the Secretary of State thinks that the holder has been removed from the United Kingdom (whether by deportation or otherwise),
(k) if the Secretary of State thinks that the holder has left the United Kingdom without retaining leave to enter or remain, and
(l) in such other circumstances as the regulations may specify.
(4) Regulations under subsection (1)(a) may require notification to be given to the Secretary of State by the holder of a biometric immigration document—
(a) who knows or suspects that the document has been lost or stolen,
(b) who knows or suspects that the document has been altered or damaged (whether deliberately or not),
(c) who knows or suspects that information provided in connection with the document was or has become false, misleading or incomplete,
(d) who was given leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom in accordance with a provision of rules under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1971 (c. 77) (immigration rules) and knows or suspects that owing to a change of the holder's circumstances the holder would no longer qualify for leave under that provision, or
(e) in such other circumstances as the regulations...
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