Recommendation 16

We asked whether Immigration Enforcement should focus on in-country immigration enforcement rather than having to provide support at the border. The Department responded that it sees managing immigration into the country and in- country as a single system.41 However, the NAO reported that the Department “does not yet manage” immigration enforcement as an end-to-end system.42 The Department accepted the need for an end-to-end perspective which supports a smoother route for people through its immigration enforcement processes.43 The Department said it is working with Ministers to address issues affecting its ability to move people’s cases forward. It also believes that its modernisation programmes will better support that end-to-end perspective.44 The Department claimed, though, that there were examples where it worked together as a “seamless whole”. We suggested that these examples were thin on the ground in the NAO’s report and requested more specific details.45