UK Visas and Immigration guidance on how staff prepare and arrange for a single person or a family group to be removed from the UK.
It also contains information on decisions to separate family members as a consequence of detention or removal.
Guidance in this section has been reworked into a new format and plainer language. Not all of the enforcement guidance has been revised yet. If you cannot find the information you need in this section, please look in the chapters sections of Enforcement instructions and guidance.
We are aware this publication may have accessibility issues. We are reviewing it so that we can fix these.
Published 3 November 2016 Last updated 15 February 2024 +show all updates
'Initial consideration and assessment of liability to administrative removal' updated.
Updated family returns process guidance to incorporate updates in light of changes to section 10 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 as amended by section 46 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.
Updated the documents 'Arranging removal' , 'Initial consideration and assessment of liability to administrative removal' and 'Judicial reviews, injunctions and applications to the European Court of Human Rights' in line with changes brought by section 46 of the Nationality and Border Act 2022. Added a new document: 'Enforced removals: notice periods'.
Information on authority levels for service of a notice of liability has been removed from the Administrative Removal notification and implementation interim guidance.
'Arranging removal' guidance updated (pdf).
Added administrative removal: notification and implementation interim guidance.
Removed 'Returns: case consideration' and 'Returns preparation: referral and case assessment' documents as they are no longer relevant.
Added Initial consideration and assessment of liability to administrative removal.
Updated guidance on judicial reviews, injunctions and applications to the European Court of Human Rights. Changes are detailed on page 4 of the document. Document 'Suspension of enforced removal window' temporarily removed pending update.
Minor text change at pages 23 and 25 in 'Judicial reviews and injunctions' doc to link the special arrangements (charter flights) section to exceptions to standard notification of removal.
'Judicial reviews and injunctions' has been updated and 'Notification of special arrangements (court letter)' was added.
New "removal/deportation of witnesses to deaths in detention-interim guidance" added.
Voluntary and assisted returns guidance updated: review of references to EEA nationals to reflect changes to eligibility; review of references to Third Country Unit, inadmissible countries; changes to the structure and amount of reintegration support that is available for applicants.
Updated judicial reviews and injunctions guidance.
Updated the assisted and voluntary returns guidance with the latest version.
'Family returns process' updated.
Replaced the 'Judicial review and injunctions' document with a new version.
Updated voluntary and assisted returns guidance.
Updated judicial reviews and injunctions guidance.
Guidance on 'suspension of enforced removal window' updated.
