UK Borders Act 2007
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act to make provision about immigration and asylum; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2007 c. 30 |
| Introduced by | John Reid MP, Home Secretary (Commons) Baroness Scotland of Asthal, Minister of State, Home Office (Lords) |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 30 October 2007 |
Status: Amended | |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The UK Borders Act 2007[1] (c. 30) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom about immigration and asylum.
Provisions
Amongst other things, it introduced compulsory biometric residence permits for non-EU immigrants and introduced greater powers for immigration control.[2][3] It received Royal Assent on 30 October 2007 with sections 17[4] and 59 to 61[5] coming into force on that day.
The act established the UK Border Agency.[6]
Among other provisions, the Act provides immigration officers with several police-like powers, such as detention, entry, search and seizure.[7] It also created The Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency.
Section 32 of the act places a duty on the Secretary of State to make a deportation order in respect of a foreign criminal. A foreign criminal, as defined by the 2007 Act, is a person who is not a British citizen or Irish citizen, who has been convicted of an offence in the UK and sentenced to a period of imprisonment of at least 12 months. The duty to deport does not apply if there is an exception under section 33 of the 2007 Act.[8]
References
- ^ a b The citation of this act by this short title is authorised by section 61(1) of this act.
- ^ "New borders bill tightens grip on immigration". politics.co.uk. 26 January 2007. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ "Yesterday in parliament". The Guardian. London. 31 October 2007. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.
- ^ The UK Borders Act 2007, section 59(1)
- ^ The Interpretation Act 1978, section 4(b)
- ^ Vaughan-Williams, Nick (1 December 2010). "The UK Border Security Continuum: Virtual Biopolitics and the Simulation of the Sovereign Ban". Environment and Planning D: Society and Space. 28 (6): 1071–1083. doi:10.1068/d13908. ISSN 0263-7758.
- ^ "A-Z of legislation: UK Borders Act 2007". The Guardian. London. 19 January 2009.
- ^ "Deportation on conducive grounds Immigration Act 1971 and UK Borders Act 2007 (accessible)". GOV.UK. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
External links