Admin, HR, legal

Assistant immigration officer

Assistant immigration officers check that people have the right to visit or stay in the UK.

Annual Salary

£18,533 to £21,330

Working hours

41 to 43 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

0.2%
Future employment

There will be 0.2% fewer Assistant immigration officer jobs in 2027.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

In this role you could:

  • check passports and work permits
  • interview people entering the UK
  • take fingerprints
  • help immigration officers with surveillance work
  • arrange to remove people who are not allowed to stay in the UK
  • issue forms and carry out clerical work
  • deal with airlines and shipping companies
  • handle enquiries

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work at a border post, at an airport, in an office, at a port or at an outreach centre.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
College

You could do a college course which would teach you some of the skills needed in this role. After you finish your course, you could apply for a trainee assistant immigration officer post.

Relevant courses include:

  • Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma in Public Services

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
For more information
Apprenticeship

You could do a public service operational delivery officer advanced apprenticeship with the Civil Service.

This typically takes 12 to 18 months to complete as a mix of workplace learning and off-the-job study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
For more information
Direct application

You could apply to join the Civil Service as an assistant immigration officer. You'll usually need at least 5 GCSEs, including English and maths.

When you apply, you'll:

  • describe your skills and life experience on an application form
  • complete tests of your literacy and numeracy skills
  • take further selection tests and have an interview

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

More information

Career tips

Experience of working with the public will be helpful. You may also find it useful to speak a second language, although this is not essential.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become an assistant immigration officer from Civil Service Careers and Border Force.

You could become an immigration officer or move to other posts in the Civil Service.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • customer service skills
  • knowledge of English language
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • excellent written communication skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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