In line with his 2023-24 inspection plan, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration has commenced an inspection of the Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA).
The IECA is responsible for processing referrals of potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking via the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) who are:
- foreign national offenders (FNOs) in prison or an immigration removal centre (IRC)
- non-detained FNOs in the community where action has begun towards deportation
- detained in an IRC or prison for immigration purposes
- individuals whose asylum claims have been deemed inadmissible
Call for evidence
Launching the call for evidence, Independent Chief Inspector David Neal said:
I am inviting anyone with relevant professional knowledge or personal experience to provide their views and evidence of how the IECA is working by 2 February 2024.
This inspection will examine the IECA's management of modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT) claims, focusing on the:
- timeliness of decisions (reasonable and conclusive grounds)
- quality of decisions and assurance mechanisms
- impact of legislative changes
I would be particularly interested to hear from those with first-hand experience of the IECA's processing of claims of modern slavery and human trafficking.
I would be pleased to hear both what is working well and what could be improved.
This inspection will not focus on the following areas:
- the Single Competent Authority
- the duty to notify process
- support provision under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC)
- investigations and prosecutions"
Please note that the statutory remit of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration does not extend to investigating or making decisions about individual cases. This remains a Home Office responsibility. However, the Independent Chief Inspector is interested to hear about individual cases insofar as they serve to illustrate particular points, issues, or trends.
How to respond
If you would like to submit information to the inspection team please do so by clicking
