• Examining passports and recognising forged documentation - this requires constant vigilance and an understanding of forgery techniques;
• Conducting personal interviews with passengers, working through interpreters where necessary;
• Keeping up to date with changes in legislation and current affairs;
• Applying immigration legislation, rules and policy;
• Communicating with different agencies, including intelligence units, the police, benefits agencies, etc.
• Helping to organise surveillance;
• Carrying out intelligence-based activities and using knowledge of national and international intelligence;
• Undertaking, with police assistance, immigration visits to identify people with no authority to remain in the UK;
• Decides on the admissibility of passengers and, where applicable, refusing entry;
• Makes decisions on whether passengers who have been refused entry may be placed in Temporary accommodation in the UK and making appropriate arrangements, which will involve liaising with and working alongside housing authorities;
• Makes arrangements for the removal of those who have entered or attempted to enter the UK who are in breach of immigration law;
• Writing and presenting case study reports and statistics.

The minimum requirement for entry is two A-levels and three GCSEs (or equivalent), one of which must be English language, at grade C or above. Candidates demonstrating a similar educational standard will also be considered. The following degree and HND subjects may be helpful, but will not influence the recruitment process:

• Modern European Languages;
• Modern Non-European Languages;
• Legal Studies;
• Business with Languages;
• Accounting/Finance.

It is sometimes possible for graduates to enter through the Civil Service Fast Stream route, which involves placements in several departments. However, an immigration posting cannot always be guaranteed. See the Fast Stream website for details of the scheme's entry criteria.

Applicants must be UK nationals with no restrictions on their stay in the UK and should normally have lived in the UK continuously for the last five years, although graduates who have taken a gap year or course-related overseas placement may be eligible for consideration. The sensitive nature of work carried out at the Border and Immigration Agency means that security clearance is required for all posts. If selected for interview, candidates will be asked to complete a security questionnaire, which will explain the government's vetting policy. For all permanent appointments, candidates must be able to give regular and effective service, and therefore will be asked to complete a health declaration and, if necessary, to attend a medical examination.

Potential candidates will need to show evidence of the following:

• Strong communication skills (oral and written);
• Excellent interpersonal skills - firmness allied with courtesy and tact;
• Common sense;
• Patience;
• Ability to listen attentively;
• Excellent organisational skills;
• Ability to analyse and interpret information quickly and accurately to reach sound decisions;
• Attention to detail;
• Calmness under pressure and the ability to meet tight deadlines;
• Reliability;
• Confident and responsible approach to work;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Good understanding of current affairs.

Recruitment is by fair and open competition. The selection process normally includes three qualifying stages: firstly, an assessment of applications against set competency standards; if the standard is met, this is followed by a written test in which applicants analyse a possible work scenario and make recommendations for action; and the final stage, which is a formal interview.

The UK Immigration Service (UKIS) encourages a diverse workforce and uses a variety of measures to promote equal opportunities. A guaranteed interview scheme operates for disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for appointment (residency and nationality requirements and a pre-determined pass mark on the application form and written exercise). UKIS advertises vacancies in the ethnic minority press and has been successful in meeting its targets for ethnic minority recruits.

• Careers in the Home Office
• Civil Service Fast Stream
• The CV Index
• Civil Service Recruitment Gateway
• EU Careers
• Identity and Passport Service
• Jobsgopublic
• Total Jobs

AGCAS

• Handling Discrimination, AGCAS Information Booklet, Biennial
• Local, Regional and National Government Sector, AGCAS Sector Briefing, Biennial
• Options with Modern Languages, AGCAS Options Series, Biennial

Other

• The Guardian, Guardian Newspapers Ltd, Daily
• London Evening Standard, Associated Newspapers Limited, Daily

Border and Immigration Agency
Lunar House, 40 Wellesley Road, Croydon  CR9 2BY
Tel:               0870 606 7766       
www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk

Home Office
Direct Communications Unit, 2 Marsham Street, London  SW1P 4DF
Tel:               020 7035 4848       
www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Immigration Advisory Service
2nd Floor, 190 Great Dover Street, London  SE1 4YB
Tel:               020 7967 1200       
www.iasuk.org

Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC)
Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square, London  EC4Y 8JX
Tel:               020 7211 1500       
www.oisc.org.uk/home.stm

• Range of typical starting salaries: £19,000 - £25,000 (salary data collected May 06).
• Experienced immigration officers can progress to between £21,000 and £27,000, and to a maximum of approximately £31,000 (salary data collected May 06).
• Salaries are based on Civil Service Recruitment Gateway scales and supplemented by a 16.5% shift disturbance allowance and other location allowance. Additional payments are made for weekends and bank holidays. A further discretionary allowance is paid for staff at London and Heathrow. Pensionable language allowances are payable to those who have been successful in departmental language examinations. These allowances vary, depending on the language spoken.
• A minimum of 36 hours a week is the usual number of working hours. Immigration officers work shifts, including nights, weekends and public holidays to provide 24-hour coverage at most ports.
• Job-sharing, part-time opportunities and career breaks are available subject to staffing and the agreement of line managers.
• Most immigration officers work indoors.
• Immigration officers are based at over 50 airports and seaports around the UK and the Channel Tunnel. The majority of jobs are in London and the South East, but new staff must be prepared to work at any location and are allocated to ports according to need. You may apply for a transfer after approximately two years' service, but frequent moves are unusual and unlikely.
• Staffing levels vary greatly from major ports with a large workforce to comparatively remote locations with just one or two officers.
• Civil Service regulations apply to ensure that officers do not engage in activities that might conflict with their professional duties.
• A total of 44% of immigration officers (55% of all staff) in the UK Immigration Service (UKIS) are women.
• Many ports are extremely busy, which can make for a stressful working environment.
• Shift work can have lifestyle implications, but family-friendly policies apply where possible.
• Officers based at Dover must also be prepared to work in France and Belgium. Temporary overseas postings are also available to UK embassies and high commissions. On the whole, travel is rare, except for those involved in enforcement duties with people who have entered the UK.