On 25 June 2026, the Home Office published a report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) on asylum casework (June – December 2025), along with the Home Office's response. Four other reports were published on the same day. This report had originally been sent to the Home Secretary on 5 March 2026. This inspection was prompted by concerns raised by the then Home Secretary to the former Chief Inspector in December 2024 about the quality of asylum decision-making. It found that progress in reducing the asylum work-in-progress backlog had come at significant cost to decision quality, staff morale, and institutional coherence. The report identifies three overarching structural failures: a fundamental disconnect between what senior managers believed and what frontline staff experienced; decision quality at an unacceptable level; and absent feedback loops.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has issued a call for evidence on the management of fee waiver applications. The deadline to respond is 5 September 2024.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has launched a call for evidence as part of an inspection into the Home Office’s engagement with local authorities in the planning and development of asylum accommodation. The inspection will assess the effectiveness of this engagement, including the impact on local services and community cohesion. The ICIBI is seeking views, evidence and practical insight on current practices, including what is working well and where improvements can be made. The call for evidence will close on 24 April 2026.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has commenced an inspection of the work services command, in line with its 2026-27 inspection plan. The inspection will focus on the efficiency and effectiveness of the work services command in delivering its responsibilities for the Skilled Worker route. The ICIBI inspection team anticipates reporting to the Home Secretary in December 2026.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has published its inspection of the immigration system as it relates to the social care sector. The inspection looked at the efficiency and effectiveness of the sponsor licensing process, the quality of services provided by the compliance teams and the quality of engagement and communication between the Home Office and the social care sector. Very significant concerns were raised about effectiveness, including examples of fraudulent visa applications, and regarding safeguarding for sponsored workers, where there were concerns about modern slavery risks.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has published inspection results reviewing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Home Office’s use of age assessments, particularly the Irregular Migration Intake Unit and the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB). The inspection identified several improvements the Home Office can and should make to its assessment processes and practices when determining age, and to its approach to working with local authorities. ICIBI made eight recommendations to the Home Office in relation to all aspects and stages of age assessment. The Home Office has accepted all eight recommendations, several of which are said to already be incorporated into training, with some recommendations due for implementation by December 2025. A new digital platform for NAAB is also in development to improve accessibility and streamline referrals.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has launched a call for evidence for its inspection of the Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA), inviting anyone with knowledge and experience of this area to provide evidence for the inspection. The Independent Chief Inspector, David Neal, said the inspection will examine the IECA’s management of modern slavery and human trafficking claims, focusing on the timeliness of decisions, quality of decisions and assurance mechanisms and impact of legislative changes. The call for evidence closes on 2 February 2024.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has launched an inspection of the Home Office's management of administrative reviews under the Immigration Rules. The ICIBI’s call for evidence seeks stakeholder input on decision-making quality, timeliness and effectiveness; the availability and quality of Home Office guidance and advice; communication and engagement between administrative review teams, applicants and other stakeholders; and complaint handling procedures. Submissions are invited until 1 April 2025, with the ICIBI noting that while individual cases cannot be investigated, they may be used to identify systemic issues. The inspection will examine both operational effectiveness and procedural compliance in the administrative review system.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has launched a call for evidence examining the Home Office's approach to managing visa overstayers. The inspection seeks input on five key areas: visa application screening, communications with suspected overstayers, identification methods, management procedures, and deterrence information. The call for evidence remains open until 16 April 2025, with information submitted potentially being quoted anonymously in the final inspection report. Evidence can be submitted to the Independent Chief Inspector by email to overstayers@icibi.gov.uk.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has launched a call for evidence to inform an inspection of the Home Office’s pre-appeal review process. This is the process by which the Home Office reviews decisions that have been appealed to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) before they proceed to a tribunal hearing. The call for evidence closes on 24 June 2026.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI), David Bolt CBE, has launched a call for evidence concerning refusals and cancellations of permission to enter the UK.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has launched a call for evidence as part of its inspection of asylum casework quality. The inspection focuses on various aspects of Home Office asylum decision-making processes, including the clarity of guidance, the effectiveness of communications with claimants, the conduct of substantive interviews, the quality of decisions, and stakeholder engagement. Submissions from individuals with relevant knowledge or experience are invited until 2 July 2025. While the inspection does not extend to individual cases, such cases may be referenced as indicators of broader systemic issues. All contributions will be fully anonymised in the final report.