The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, fire, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.
We’re recruiting Criminal Investigators to join our Immigration Enforcement team and the closing date for applications is 23 July 2025. This role will be at the grade of Immigration Officer.
To apply for this role, you must hold current PIP 2 accreditation and be ready to provide proof of this qualification. A full UK driving licence is also required.
You’ll receive a starting salary of £30,000 (National) or £34,000 (London) including additional employee benefits. You will also be eligible for a minimum Annual Hours Working Allowance (AHW) of 30% depending on location. For the Dover location an AHW of 48% is available.
Immigration Enforcement (IE) is responsible for enforcing the government’s immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. It also aims to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. Learn more on the Immigration Enforcement careers page.
Our Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) team is committed to disrupting and dismantling the organised crime groups facilitating immigration abuse, utilising its financial investigations capability to remove the proceeds of crime and strip criminals of their assets. Through working closely with partners in the National Crime Agency, territorial policing and many other agencies and departments in the UK and abroad, our CFI teams take vigorous action against those criminals that seek to benefit from illegal migration.
About the role
As a Criminal Investigator, you will undertake a wide range of activities including investigating the full range of immigration criminality in line with organisational priorities and you will use the Proceeds of Crime Act to strip criminal gangs of their illicit profits. You will be expected to demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism and teamwork in line with our mission to investigate, prosecute and protect.
Our people operate at times in difficult and pressurised environments and are required to make well balanced decisions. This role is physically demanding, and you will need to have a high level of mobility and fitness to carry out this job.
You’ll lead and support investigations, from initial intelligence through to prosecution. Your role will involve executing warrants, making arrests, conducting interviews in line with legal procedures, and managing evidence. You’ll collaborate closely with partners across government and law enforcement to deliver justice and protect the public. This will include preparing case files, attending court hearings, and presenting evidence. This is a dynamic and impactful role at the heart of safeguarding the UK.
To succeed in this role, you’ll need strong interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively with a wide range of partners. You should be analytical and decisive, with sound judgement and possess a keen eye for detail. Integrity, resilience, and the ability to handle challenging situations are essential, along with excellent organisational skills. At IE, we’re committed to your continuous learning and professional development. You’ll be supported every step of the way as you grow your career with us.
This is a uniformed post. Further information on our policies can be found on our website.
Meet the team
You can learn more about our work and ask questions at our one of our Criminal Investigator online events. Sign up below to secure your place on Eventbrite.
Here, you’ll gain a clear understanding of the day-to-day responsibilities in this role, along with guidance and tips to help you with your application.
Working Arrangements
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.
Successful candidates will need to be able to attend for all shifts including early starts, late night finishes, and overnight shifts. These shifts may be outside of public transport operating hours.
Due to the nature of the work and the geographical areas, some travel by official vehicle will be inevitable and applicants must hold a valid full UK (manual or automatic) driving licence.
Training
You will receive full training and support to do the job. Training takes place initially in the classroom and then continues on the job with a mentor who supports you until you are fully confident in the role. You will work as part of a team and have access to advice and support every day. Further information on what the training involves can be found on our website.
Benefits
- Civil Service Pension with employer contribution rates of 28.97%
- In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements
- Full training, along with access to development opportunities to help you grow in your career
- 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days
- Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day
- An environment with flexible working options and a culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
Find out more about some of the other benefits we offer.
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- Basingstoke
- Belfast
- Cardiff
- Castle Donington
- Croydon
- Dover
- Durham
- Glasgow
- Heathrow
- Leeds
- Liverpool
- London
- Manchester
- Sheffield
- Stansted
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The Criminal Investigator role will require:
- Conducting and taking responsibility for criminal investigations into volume and organised immigration crime, through every step of the investigation
- Taking part in and leading operational activity to effect arrests, execute warrants, undertake searches and seize evidence in support of investigations
- Working with internal and external partners in other government departments, criminal justice partners and law enforcement agencies collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes for victims and and the U.K
- Undertaking witness and suspect interviews in line with PACE and associated procedures in relation to investigations that include serious and complex crime
- Maintaining personal responsibility for all aspects of accurate file preparation and case management, including gathering, recording, storing, accessing, and sharing of evidence in compliance with organisational procedures, codes of practice and legislation
- Attending Crown Court, Magistrates’ Court, Civil Hearings and Appeal Hearings and presenting evidence as required.
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The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate:
- Excellent interpersonal skills, able to engage with a diverse set of internal and external stakeholders
- Excellent judgement and analytical skills, able to make evidence-based decisions and calculated risks
- A strong sense of personal ethics and honesty, whilst working within the confines of legislation, policy, and procedure
- Resilient, able to deal with potential conflict
- Maintains good attention to detail
- Committed to continuous self-development to keep pace with investigative techniques seeking out learning opportunities to improve own knowledge, sharing this with colleagues
- Good organisational skills
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Successful candidates must currently hold minimum PIP Level 2 accreditation.
Professionalising Investigation Programme (PIP) is a four-level accreditation programme under the auspices of the National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing. A professional accreditation of Professionalising Investigation Programme (PIP) Level 2 is mandatory. See the full job advert for more information.
You will need to provide evidence of your qualification, in order for the Home Office to verify accreditation.
Please note: An initial check prior to sift will be made on candidates holding PIP2 accreditation. If you do not hold this qualification your application will be rejected.
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This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information.
1. Application
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- C.V.
- Personal Statement (maximum 1000 words)
Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications and skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.
The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.
For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.
2. Sift
Candidates are required to complete the PIP form (attached within the job advert) and return this, along with their PIP certificate or evidence of ‘Grandparent Rights’, to [email protected].
The sift will be held on the CV and Personal Statement.
Should a high volume of applications be received, the sift will be conducted only on the CV.
3. Interview
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours and Strength based questions.
The interview will take place face-to-face at Belfast, Cardiff, Croydon, Dover, Durham, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield.
Travel expenses will not be reimbursed.
For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.
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If you are interested in this role, please apply using the button below.
