Leave to enter is permission for entry to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

granted by British

immigration officer An immigration officer is a law enforcement official whose job is to ensure that immigration legislation is enforced. This can cover the rules of entry for visa applicants, foreign nationals or those seeking asylum at the border, detecting and ...

s. According to the Immigration Rules, a person who is not a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

citizen, an

Irish citizen Irish nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of the Republic of Ireland. The primary law governing these regulations is the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, which came into force on 17 July 1956. Re ...

or a

Commonwealth citizen A Commonwealth citizen is a citizen or qualified national of a Commonwealth of Nations member state. Most member countries do not treat citizens of other Commonwealth states any differently from foreign nationals, but some grant limited citizen ...

with the

right of abode The right of abode is an individual's freedom from immigration control in a particular country. A person who has the right of abode in a country does not need permission from the government to enter the country and can live and work there withou ...

in the UK, requires leave to enter the United Kingdom. Leave to enter grants a person subject to immigration control permission to enter Britain for a limited period only, subject to a number of conditions: #a restriction on employment or occupation in the United Kingdom; #a condition requiring the person to maintain and accommodate himself, and any dependants of his, without recourse to public funds; and #a condition requiring the person to register with the police. The time limit of any leave to enter depends upon individual circumstances and is provided to the applicant in person. A person who has been granted leave to enter does not necessarily have the automatic right to enter Britain. The ultimate decision of entry is made by an immigration officer at the port of entry under paragraph 2A of Schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971. Leave to enter is required at any point of entry, including through the

Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. ...

Leave outside the Immigration Rules

On their discretion, the Secretary of State has the power to grant leave outside the Immigration Rules (LOTR) from the residual discretion under the Immigration Act 1971. LOTR on compelling compassionate grounds may be granted where the decision maker decides that the specific circumstances of the case includes exceptional circumstances. These circumstances will mean that a refusal would result in unjustifiably harsh consequences for the applicant or their family, but which do not render refusal a breach of ECHR Article 8, Article 3, refugee convention or other obligations.

References

Notes

{{British nationality law Human migration Immigration to the United Kingdom International travel documents

Leave outside the Immigration Rules

See also

References

Notes