Home Office Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority
Home Office unit deciding detainees' modern-slavery claims; 79% of final decisions negative in 2024, no victim interviewed (inspector, 2024)
Agency· United Kingdom · in the record since Nov 2021
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The Home Office set up the Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority on 8 November 2021.
1 source
- Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (report presented to Parliament)Documentpara 1.10, p. 9
On 8 November 2021, the Home Office established the Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA) to “streamline decision making” for individuals who fall into the following cohorts at the point of referral into the NRM:
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79% of the unit's final-stage (Conclusive Grounds) modern-slavery decisions were negative in the first five months of 2024, up from 18% in 2022.79%
1 source
- Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (report presented to Parliament)Documentpara 3.26, p. 19
Similarly, in 2022, 82% of CG decisions made by the IECA were positive. In 2023, 70% were negative. The overall percentages for the first five months of 2024 were 79% negative and 21% positive.
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Of 1,574 first-stage (Reasonable Grounds) decisions made from January to June 2024, 1,154 (73%) were negative.73%
1 source
- Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (report presented to Parliament)Documentpara 3.25, p. 19
Between 1 January and 1 June 2024, 1,574 initial RG decisions were made, 1,154 (73%) of which were negative and 420 (27%) positive.
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The unit conducted zero interviews of potential modern-slavery victims between November 2021 and June 2024.
1 source
- Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (report presented to Parliament)Documentpara 3.33, p. 20
The IECA confirmed that between 8 November 2021 and 1 June 2024 it had not conducted any interviews of potential victims, though it said it does make use of reports of interviews conducted by other Home Office units.
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The unit grew from 78 full-time-equivalent staff at its creation in November 2021 to 374 staff by June 2024.
1 source
- Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (report presented to Parliament)Documentpara 3.1, p. 15
In November 2021, when it was created, the staffing level of the Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA) was 78 full-time equivalents (FTEs). By 1 June 2024, there were 374 staff working in the IECA (354 FTEs), with a further 12 due to join by September.