Immigration visits

How to arrange an immigration visit

When a person moves to the area from abroad, a named individual normally has to sponsor that person. The immigration authority will ask for proof that the property being moved into:

• complies with the minimum standards under the Housing Acts 1985 and 2004
• has sufficient space to accommodate both the existing occupiers and any additional people who propose to live there

We offer immigration inspections for those living within the Borough. The inspection is carried out by an Environmental Health Officer who provides a report for you to include in your application to the immigration authorities. Requests for immigration inspections should be made to Environmental Health on 01784 446251 or in person.

There is a charge of £205 for this service and any second and subsequent inspections arising from your application may incur additional charges. Payment, by credit or debit card, is required before any inspection can be carried out. Once payment is received, we will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time, within working hours, to visit and inspect your home. You will be asked to show us around your property, outlining who occupies the house and which rooms they sleep in. 

Please note that if you need to cancel a booked appointment you must do so more than 24 hours in advance or a cancellation fee of £35 will be charged.

During the inspection, we will make a judgement on whether the property is suitable and safe for occupation and whether it would become statutorily overcrowded by the addition of the person seeking entry to the UK.

When an officer does an inspection, they will ask to see proof of your ownership or tenancy of the property. If you own the property, then we will need to see the Title Deeds, Mortgage Statement or correspondence from your mortgage provider. If you rent the property we will need to see a current Tenancy Agreement and a utility bill in your name at the address in question.

We will also ask to see details of the person coming into the UK, to include their date of birth.

When the inspection has been done, you will usually be supplied with a letter within ten days, but it may be longer if the assessment is not straight forward and hazards are identified. The letter will normally detail the following:

• your name, the name(s) of the person(s) seeking entry to the UK, date of birth and application number if applicable (i.e. they have already made an application
• the address of the property inspected
• who owns and occupies the property
• how the property is occupied and by who
• whether the property is suitable for occupation
• whether the property would be statutorily overcrowded by the person seeking entry to the UK
• the name of the officer to contact for further information

The applicant is then responsible for forwarding the letter to the appropriate authority in support of the application for immigration.

Please note:

• we will not arrange an inspection of your home until payment has been received
• we will not supply a letter unless we have inspected the property
• the Immigration Authorities will not accept letters that are greater than 12 weeks old
• if your letter expires on this ground, we will not issue another until we have carried out a full investigation again. You will be charged for this second inspection

It is therefore very important that you do not request an inspection of your home for immigration purposes until you are ready to submit your full application to the relevant authorities.